ADC Awards
ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world, with an incredible legacy of over 100 years. These awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design – all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Advertising / Out of Home
Annual ID
ADC105_BRS021B
Background
Hovering art directors. Transparent logos that...aren’t. Six-hundred page brand guidelines. Everyone in design and marketing knows these daily pains, and wakes up in a cold sweat with memories of “make the logo bigger.”
But Canva faced a challenge: many UK creatives and marketers didn’t know us, or didn’t see us as a serious tool for work.
We needed to make Canva unmissable to the people who need it most.
All in a city known for being at the intersection of creativity and technology.
But Canva faced a challenge: many UK creatives and marketers didn’t know us, or didn’t see us as a serious tool for work.
We needed to make Canva unmissable to the people who need it most.
All in a city known for being at the intersection of creativity and technology.
Creative Idea
We turned design dramas into billboards that physically demonstrate Canva features. Each execution dramatised a familiar workplace frustration, then resolved it through a product truth: Magic Resize for wrong formats, Background Remover revealing what’s behind the frame, and drag-and-drop made literal in the real world. Instead of telling creatives Canva can fix the pain, we made the pain public, then showed the fix in seconds.
Insights & Strategy
Insight: Designers and marketers share a universal language of frustrations. These shared pain points create instant recognition and connection within the creative community.
Strategy: With fourteen billboards, we took over Waterloo Station in London, one of the UK’s busiest transit hubs, seen by hundreds of thousands of commuters daily.
Strategy: With fourteen billboards, we took over Waterloo Station in London, one of the UK’s busiest transit hubs, seen by hundreds of thousands of commuters daily.
Execution
We engineered Canva’s key features as physical illusions in public space, so the product demo was the billboard. Every placement was designed for instant comprehension at commuter speed, then rewarded closer inspection with craft.
At one site, the exact brand and size of bricks on the billboard wall were measured to ensure the perfect visual illusion when the background of the billboard was magically “removed” at the tap of a button. At one site, the exact brand and size of bricks on the billboard wall were measured to ensure the perfect visual illusion when the background of the billboard was magically "removed" at the tap of a button. For the drag-and-drop execution, a bike was scaled up and bisected using forced perspective—extensive mathematical calculations ensured it appeared real-size from ground level, making the "drag" feel tangible and immediate.
The billboards were installed overnight and the craft extended beyond design to orchestration—from print finishes to lighting design—ensuring that each site evolved beautifully from day to night.
Once the billboards went live, social feeds flooded with 'I feel seen,' as well as people adding in their own design dramas and begging Canva to bring them to life.
At one site, the exact brand and size of bricks on the billboard wall were measured to ensure the perfect visual illusion when the background of the billboard was magically “removed” at the tap of a button. At one site, the exact brand and size of bricks on the billboard wall were measured to ensure the perfect visual illusion when the background of the billboard was magically "removed" at the tap of a button. For the drag-and-drop execution, a bike was scaled up and bisected using forced perspective—extensive mathematical calculations ensured it appeared real-size from ground level, making the "drag" feel tangible and immediate.
The billboards were installed overnight and the craft extended beyond design to orchestration—from print finishes to lighting design—ensuring that each site evolved beautifully from day to night.
Once the billboards went live, social feeds flooded with 'I feel seen,' as well as people adding in their own design dramas and begging Canva to bring them to life.
Results
The billboards generated so much love that the media owner asked to keep the work live for twice the planned run at no additional cost .
The work delivered 10.5M estimated online views. 342K social engagements across 1,043 mentions with 98% positive or neutral sentiment. The campaign resonated with the people who know these pain points best: It earned Ad Age's Winner of the Week, The Drum's Ad of the Week, and a 9.4/10 from Trend Hunter. Creative Moment called it 'experiential OOH at its finest.' As one LinkedIn user put it: 'world: OOH & analogue is dead. Canva: hold my prosecco.'
The work delivered 10.5M estimated online views. 342K social engagements across 1,043 mentions with 98% positive or neutral sentiment. The campaign resonated with the people who know these pain points best: It earned Ad Age's Winner of the Week, The Drum's Ad of the Week, and a 9.4/10 from Trend Hunter. Creative Moment called it 'experiential OOH at its finest.' As one LinkedIn user put it: 'world: OOH & analogue is dead. Canva: hold my prosecco.'
2026 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Cube
Credits
Brand-Side / In-House Agency
Canva
Media Agency
Omd Uk
Talon
Production Company
Stink Studios
Grand Visual
Creative Director
Kat Thomas
Designer
Remy Auger
Executive Creative Director
Cameron Temple
Producer
Poppy Broster-Becker
Creative Director - Europe
Tom Carey
Head of Design
Viv Greywoode
Head of Strategy
Tom Barnes
Senior Copywriter
Oli Bussell
Senior Designer
Emma Judd
Campaign Manager, Marketing
Holly Thomas
Head of Marketing - Europe
Amanda Zafiris
Head of Production & Ops
Hannah Lynd
Marketing Campaigns & Brand Media Lead, EMEA
Melissa Cosneau
Organic Social Lead, EMEA
Lachlan Stewart
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