Canva and agency Stink Studios have transformed the area around London’s Waterloo Station into a vibrant playground for marketing truths. The activation includes multiple executions, with media planning by OMD, that humorously highlight everyday client-agency frustrations while promoting Canva’s suite of features. One billboard shows the Canva logo floating outside the frame with the tagline, “When make the logo bigger goes a bit too far,” showcasing the brand kit feature that helps creators stay on brand.
Another billboard spotlights reformatting woes with the message, “Turns out the 16×9 was meant to be 9×16,” promoting Canva’s magic resize tool in a “whoops” moment. Additionally, a Forest bike is precariously fixed to a poster to highlight the “drag and drop almost anything” functionality. A poster plastered with sticky notes filled with conflicting comments evokes the classic “too many cooks” agency dilemma.
Another poster promotes the background removal feature, revealing the brick wall behind the frame. “Our latest UK campaign features some very special builds, letting the Canva product loose in the real world. This is all about showing the power of Canva with a touch of our playful spirit and a dash of British tongue-in-cheek humour,” said Tom Carey, creative director Europe, Canva.
Marketing play at Waterloo Station
Running from June 16th, each billboard is both a showcase and a statement: playful in concept, yet grounded in real features that users rely on every day. Each billboard spotlights one of Canva’s core workplace tools exaggerated in form to create a moment of surprise and delight.
“Gallery-wide takeovers like this are rare, which is exactly why we saw the opportunity to do something extraordinary. By transforming a high-traffic transit space into a fully branded environment, we’re not just creating visibility—we’re creating impact,” said Melissa Cosneau, marketing director Europe, Canva. The campaign is the result of a close collaboration between Canva and its in-house marketing team.
Together, they developed a design language that flexes across formats—physical and digital—while staying true to Canva’s accessible, witty voice. The Waterloo takeover is also supported by a wider digital rollout across YouTube and LinkedIn throughout the summer. This initiative follows a broader London-wide OOH campaign launched in May, which included a notable installation at Old Street featuring a giant Canva-themed display animated with hundreds of collaborative cursors, highlighting the platform’s real-time design functionality.
“Canva tools are enabling the world to become more creative, and creativity should be fun. This work is designed to bring that to life in the most Canva way possible—by bringing a smile to people’s faces whilst showing off the power of the product,” said Cameron Temple, executive creative director.
