Just because you can drive a car, it doesn’t make you an F1 driver.

And just because you can drive Canva, it doesn’t make you a designer.

Anyone can use Canva. I’m sure my grandma could figure it out. And credit where it’s due: Canva is an incredible tool. Honestly, I wish I’d invented it. When used well, it can be brilliant. But when it’s not… it can seriously damage your brand’s reputation.

That’s what worries me that in trying to save a few dollars, you may be doing more harm to your business than good. There’s a reason Visual Communication is a degree. It takes years to become an elite F1 driver, and the same is true for becoming an exceptional designer.

I see it often: businesses lose consistency, trust, and credibility when they hand over the keys to an untrained Canva driver. Sure, you might cross the finish line, but will you actually win the race?

Good design is in the details. You might not consciously notice them, but your audience does, instantly. Humans are wired for thin-slicing: making rapid judgments based on small cues. If something feels “off,” people might not know why, but they’ll move on.

Designers know the why. So when your designer hesitates at “just move this over there,” it’s not ego, it’s about protecting your results and helping you convert more customers.

When I worked with Mercedes-Benz, their brand guidelines were the thickness of a brick (back in the print days). Every ad had the same layout, same word count, same structure. Why? Because it signaled premium quality, trust, comfort, and confidence, over and over again.

That principle still stands today. In fact, in a crowded market, it’s even more critical to maintain consistent, strategic visual communication if you want to stand out.

As designers, we partner with businesses to attract the right audience through intentional, strategic design. And the results speak for themselves:

• Design-driven companies grew 32% more in revenue over 5 years than those that didn’t prioritise design. (Source: Sketchdeck)

• 60% of consumers avoid brands with unattractive or inconsistent logos, even if they have great reviews. (Source: StudyFinds)

Bottom line? It pays to invest in great design.