In a bold and witty move, Canva has teamed up with agency OMD to transform the bustling area around London’s Waterloo Station into a living canvas of marketing inside jokes. The out-of-home campaign taps into the universal truths of agency life, turning common frustrations into playful, tongue-in-cheek billboards that showcase Canva’s design tools with self-aware humor.
Each creative execution highlights a familiar pain point. One billboard reads “When make the logo bigger goes a bit too far”, with the Canva logo awkwardly hanging off the frame — a visual gag promoting Canva’s Brand Kit feature that helps designers stay on-brand without chaos.
Another reads “Turns out the 16×9 was meant to be 9×16”, spotlighting the all-too-frequent formatting blunder, and introducing Canva’s Magic Resize tool as the no-fuss solution. A nearby billboard simply reads “Drag and drop almost anything”, next to a real Forest bike seemingly precariously attached to the wall — a literal take on Canva’s ease of use.
Perhaps the most relatable is an ad covered in sticky notes filled with contradictory feedback like “Make it pop,” “Tone it down,” and “Can we try blue instead?” — a clear nod to the infamous “too many cooks” problem that plagues every creative project.
One final poster cleverly shows off Canva’s Background Remover, removing everything but the cold, honest truth — the raw brick wall behind it.
By leaning into the tension between creatives and clients with a smirk, Canva doesn’t just market its features — it builds camaraderie with the very audience it serves. The campaign offers a refreshing, empathetic take on the design process, reminding us that sometimes, the best way to handle creative chaos is to laugh right through it.
