Canva Create 2025 – California

Sunshine, CDs, and Canva magic – that pretty much sums up my April in Califiornia. While most of the Canva Verified Experts (CVEs) jetted straight to LA for Canva Create 2025, I kicked off the adventure by flying into San Francisco for a bit of nostalgia, record hunting, and visiting with old friends.

What follows is a mixture of Canva business and personal fun, so just read or skip sections accordingly. Like always, there will be Canva affiliate links in the post.

Before the Main Event…

On day one, I picked up a rental car and spent a day with my bestie – eating, shopping and getting nails done. Nothing better than quality time with life long friends.

The next day was more of the same with my friend Jim W. Sunday morning it was time to make the 340-mile road trip to LA to stay with another friend of 40 years. Monday was the Jimmy Kimmel Live TV show with my friend Jim K. That’s a whole lof of Jimmys there.

Tuesday I took two of my fave fellow Canva Verified Experts Eugenia (Italy) and Agata (Poland) – to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour. That adventure probably deserves a post of its own.

Meeting the Canva Verfied Experts…Finally

Tuesday was when most of the Canva CVEs arrived at the Hilton in Culver City. Everywhere you looked in the lobby were Canva screens and Canva peeps! I finally got to meet more than half of the experts, most for the first time, and reconnecting with others. It was like a giant UN school class with a plethora of different languages. Everyone was so kind, friendly and most of all excited. We had a party in the hotel that night to get to know everyone. We were given goodie bags that included snacks and cute purple and white jakets!

Pre-Show Fanfare

We got bused over to the So-Fi stadium the day before to do a walk-through to see the Youtube Theater, the different areas, and our CVE suite too. The whole thing was still being built and it was exciting to see the transformation a day later.

The Main Event – the Canva Create Keynote

On the morning of Canva Create, we again got bused over to the stadium and got ushered to our seats right down in front. The excitedment was palpable. The founders came out first giving us a walk through of some of the latest news, features, stats etch. Then different program heads came out to introduce amazing new features, including some of my faves like Canva Sheets, Canva Code and Magic Studio at Scale (learn more in this video from Ronny and Diana). I will talk a bit more about these and more, but you can also watch the keynote below (or here).

Canva’s AI Features: Smarter, Not Harder

Let’s be honest – AI can sometimes feel more like a buzzword than a real help. But Canva’s new AI tools? They’re the real deal. Think of them as your creative sidekick, ready to jump in when you’re stuck or just need a fresh idea. Whether you’re crafting content solo or juggling multiple projects, these features are here to make your life a whole lot easier.

• Canva AI: Your 24/7 creative sidekick. Ask it anything – write copy, suggest layouts, or magic up a design on the fly. Great for busting through blank-page paralysis.
• Magic Studio at Scale: Bulk content creation made easy. Upload your list, and let Canva churn out personalised graphics like it’s nobody’s business. Brilliant for email campaigns or big promo runs.
• Canva Code: Want a pricing calculator or interactive quiz *in* your Canva design? Now you can, no coding required. It’s like having a dev in your pocket – minus the hourly rate.
• AI Voice: Generate slick voiceovers in seconds – multiple languages and styles to choose from. Fab for explainer videos or anyone who’s mic-shy (hi, that used to be me).
• Presenter Notes: Canva now writes speaker notes *for* you. Handy if you’re short on prep time or just want a little help sounding polished.
• Quiz Generator: Turn your Canva designs into interactive quizzes in seconds. Great for teachers, coaches, or brands wanting to boost engagement with zero faff.

Data Meets Design: Spreadsheets, But Make Them Sexy

Spreadsheets aren’t usually the star of the show – but Canva’s giving them a proper glow-up. Whether you’re tracking sales, planning content, or presenting insights to clients, these updates turn dry data into design gold.

• Canva Sheets: Not your average spreadsheet – this one’s built for creatives. Style it, chart it, and make your data look as good as your designs.
• Magic Formulas & Insights: Let Canva do the maths *and* the explaining. Great for turning stats into something that actually makes sense.
• Magic Charts: One click = instant infographic. Drag in your numbers and let Canva whip up a visual that’s ready to share or present.
• Live Data Integrations: Connect Sheets to tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot and your charts stay fresh automatically. Perfect for reports, dashboards or client decks.

All-in-One Visual Suite & Workflow Upgrades

Canva’s latest updates are all about making your creative process smoother and more integrated. From design to delivery, everything now flows seamlessly, saving you time and keeping your projects cohesive.

• One Design: Create once, and adapt across various formats—be it social posts, presentations, or websites. Consistency made easy. All in one Canva doc file!
• Magic Switch: Instantly transform your designs into different formats with just a click. No more starting from scratch.
• Brand Hub: Keep your brand assets organised and accessible. Your logos, colours, and fonts are always at your fingertips.
• Work Kits: Pre-built templates tailored for specific tasks or industries. Jumpstart your projects with ease.
• Campaign Kits: Plan, create, and launch marketing campaigns all within Canva. Streamline your workflow from concept to execution.

Photo & Video Editing, Upgraded

Canva’s latest updates are all about making your visuals pop without the faff. Whether you’re tweaking photos or polishing videos, these tools are here to make your content shine effortlessly.

• AI-Powered Photo Editor: Think of it as Photoshop’s friendly cousin. One-click fixes, background changes with a prompt, and recolouring tools to match your brand palette.
• Photo Animations: Bring still images to life with subtle movements. Perfect for turning product shots into dynamic social posts.
• Video Adjustments & Audio Cleanup: Fine-tune your video’s look and sound without leaving Canva. Adjust colours, balance audio levels, and ensure everything feels cohesive.
• Karaoke-Style Captions: Auto-generate animated captions that highlight words as they’re spoken. Ideal for engaging viewers who watch without sound.

Pro-Level Typography Tweaks

If you’re a bit of a type nerd (no shame here!), then these updates will have you grinning. Canva’s stepped up its typography game, giving us more control and less compromise when it comes to fonts and fine details.

• Kerning & Ligatures: Adjust letter spacing like a proper designer. Say goodbye to awkward gaps and hello to polished, pro-looking text.
• Superscript & Subscript: Handy for adding TM symbols, footnotes, or writing things like H?O without dodgy workarounds. About time, Canva!
• Text Highlighting: Now you can pop colour behind key words without faffing about with shapes. Perfect for social posts, flyers, or adding emphasis that *pops*.

Content Library Expansion: More Stuff to Play With

If you love variety in your visuals, this one’s for you. Canva’s beefed up its content library with more fonts, more images, and even a few unexpected surprises. Here’s what’s new in the cupboard:

• Fresh Stock Photos: New collections from Alamy and Afloimages mean millions more authentic, less “stock-y” pics at your fingertips. Great for when you need niche, high-quality visuals without leaving Canva.
• More Fonts (Thanks, Monotype): Loads of new typefaces have landed – perfect if your brand font wasn’t there before or you just fancy trying something fresh. More choice, less compromise.
• Star Wars Templates: Yep, seriously. From Yoda to Leia, there are 180+ new designs for fans and creatives alike. Ideal for themed invites, cheeky posts, or a little May the 4th fun.

Smoother Integrations with Your Favourite Tools

Canva’s not trying to replace your other tools – it’s just playing nicer with them. These new integrations make it easier to keep everything connected and flowing, so you can focus on creating, not clicking around endlessly.

• LinkedIn Ads Integration: Create ads in Canva and push them straight to LinkedIn without the faff. Perfect for busy solopreneurs looking to boost visibility fast.
• Mailchimp Integration: Design your campaign graphics in Canva and send them straight to Mailchimp. Clean, consistent, and no more downloading/uploading loops.
• Dropbox & Drive: Pull in brand assets or product shots directly from your cloud storage, then save your final designs right back. A seamless fit for whatever setup you’ve already got.

Canva for Teams (and Small But Mighty Squads)

It’s not just solo creators getting the good stuff – these updates are brilliant for small teams too. Think one shared space to plan, design, and stay on-brand without stepping on each other’s toes. With Visual Suite 2.0, everyone’s working from the same page (literally), and with tools like Magic Charts and Canva Sheets, keeping content current and cohesive is easier than ever. Even the intern can’t muck up the fonts now. Cheers to smoother workflows and better teamwork, Canva-style.

The Mind-Blowing ? Usage Stats

• 230 million+ people use Canva every month – that’s nearly the population of Brazil designing in Canva!

• 1 billion designs made in a single month – that’s 373 designs every second. Bonkers.

• 35 billion total designs and counting – from the first million in 2014 to 10 billion by 2022…and now this? Canva’s gone full rocket ship.

Wrapping Up Canva Create 2025

All in all, Canva Create 2025 was a whirlwind! This year’s Create was totally packed with updates that actually matter, not just fluff. Whether you’re flying solo or part of a small but mighty team, there’s plenty here to save time, spark ideas, and keep your content looking slick.

I left inspired, slightly sunburnt, and with a to-do list full of features I can’t wait to play with more. If you’ve not explored them yet, what are you waiting for? If you have any questions about any of them, if I don’t know the answer to your question, one of my fellow Canva Verified Experts will.

Canva San Francisco

Exactly one week after the LA magic, I made a flying visit to Canva’s brand new San Francisco hub. As the only Californian Canva Verified Expert, it felt like a civic duty, really. The space had cosy corners, cheeky design touches, and super fun nods to SF – felt right at home. Big thanks to the Jesus for the tour and a few extra Canva California goodies to squeeze into my suitcase.

I’ll aim to do some more detailed blog posts about certain features that I am most excited about as soon as the jetlag wears off!