The Process of Preparation

Why we start here — the work that happens before you open Canva, and how it saves you from going around in circles later.

Why we start here

Design principles won’t stick without the practical experience to hang them on. So we start with preparation — and we start by actually preparing a project.

Across this first section you’ll work through the preparation of a mock project. If you’d rather use a real one of your own, do that instead; everything works the same way.

This chapter might feel tedious. Stick with it. It’s the part that makes the actual designing so much easier — less backtracking, less going around in circles with a design, and a lot less second-guessing yourself.

Being a great designer isn’t about sitting in front of a blank canvas waiting for inspiration to strike. Sure, an experienced designer can whip up a basic design pretty quickly thanks to practice, but most of the magic actually happens before you start designing.

No matter what you’re working on, there’s always a research stage. That includes visual ideation, getting a handle on the target market, and the specs.

The three stages of a design project A pyramid in three levels. The base, and the largest level, is Preparation and Research. The middle level is Designing Time. The top level is Finalise and Publish. Finalise & Publish Designing Time YOU ARE HERE Preparation & Research

If you’re working for a company, the brand guidelines and assets are also important to collate up front. They’ll usually spell out the logo, colour palette, fonts, and sometimes even the target audience. These “creative limits” aren’t a bad thing — in fact, they make life easier when you’re creating something that has to be recognisably part of a brand, where there’s an overarching ecosystem. It’s less about the creativity of one individual piece, and more about how that piece fits with everything else. Having boundaries gives you a framework to work within, which is often far less daunting than a completely blank slate.

But first, we’re going to walk you through our agency’s own design process — one that still holds up whether or not you use AI tools — the way we create high-quality work, usually under pretty tight deadlines. You can use this as your foundation, practice it hands-on, and build up your skills step by step.

Let’s get into it.