Canva Gains 10 Million New Users in 2020 Q3 [Interview]

Canva head of growth shares insights into how remote teams are collaborating creatively on the platform. 

We are more than 6 months into the "new normal" courtesy of COVID-19. At this point, companies like Zoom, Slack, and Asana have made huge gains by having the right solution for newly remote users to collaborate and keep business running.

However, workers need more than ways to communicate and track - areas like sales, marketing, and product need to work together creatively and creative productivity tools are needed.

In terms of creating layout and design with very little design skill needed, and then collaborating around the design with a team, there are few solutions that can compete with Canva. 

I am not a designer, but in a pinch, I've had to make images for publication   -  Canva works like bumper rails at a bowling alley, I can decide the direction but the templates make sure that everything will be more or less on track.

It's Been a Good Year for Canva

According to TechCrunch, Canva sent over strong product data that implies strong revenue growth, though no publicly released financial information from this privately-owned company. 

Canva stated that their online design service has experienced "increased growth over both Q2 and Q3, with an increase of 10 million users in Q3 alone (up from 30 million users in June)." Beyond an outstanding thirty-three percent growth in users, Canva stated it has supported more team-based usage since the start of the pandemic, which one might reasonably assume means more revenue from group subscriptions. 

I had the opportunity to ask a few questions of Dave Burson Head of Product, Growth & Monetization at Canva who leads the product, marketing, and growth teams behind Canva's core subscription product, Canva Pro, following his appearance on business and technology podcast Growth Manifesto.

David Burson responses:

David Burson Head of Product, Growth & Monetization at Canva - Pro

Your user base has clearly grown quite a bit since March. What would you attribute this to?

There has never been a more important time for simple and affordable tools that empower creativity and collaboration. The last few months, in particular, have highlighted the fact that the need for design is now more universal than ever. 

Whether you're a yoga instructor, cafe owner, teacher, or entrepreneur, creativity and visual communication are becoming increasingly important skills across the globe.

From creating wedding invitations to social media posts, people who use Canva for the first time quickly discover the power and creativity they're able to unlock. This, combined with a vast and affordable library of design ingredients has led to much of our accelerated growth around the world.

How has usage changed - what do people need from creative tools during COVID19?

The last few months have definitely highlighted the need for simple and collaborative tools capable of fueling the rapid shift to remote collaboration around the world. 

With the majority of the world working from home, the outdated notion of needing to collaborate in one way or one place has been proven otherwise. 

Since the start of the pandemic, we've seen a surge in the sharing of designs along with continued growth around the globe as small businesses pivot and adapt their offerings and services. From virtual menus to social media posts, millions of people are using Canva to communicate important updates with their customers, empower students to learn remotely and collaborate among teams from anywhere in the world. 

The most important aspect for us has always been centered around creating a powerful platform that's both simple and enjoyable to use. For far too long, graphic design has had a high barrier to entry, often requiring expansive budgets or extensive knowledge. 

We believe people shouldn't need to learn complicated software, but rather, the software should be intuitive enough to guide and learn from the people using it.

There are lots of SaaS solutions out there trying to make us more productive  --  is there a need for more creativity during a pandemic? How is that need manifesting and how is Canva pivoting to meet it?

The pandemic has undoubtedly put a unique spotlight on creativity, particularly as small businesses pivot to remain open and continue serving their local communities amidst the pandemic. 

From distilleries producing hand sanitizer to personal trainers running digital classes, we've seen first-hand the ways in which creativity can have an enormous impact on just about anything.

We've recently rolled out a number of initiatives to support this, from our free small business recovery toolkits to expanding our Canva for Nonprofit program to provide health organizations with free lifetime access to our Canva Pro subscription.

*Images provided by Canva.