The ten-step creative process behind Canva's first OOH campaign – in collaboration with Stink Studios– that brought its tools to life IRL, in witty, format-breaking ways.
When Canva wanted to deliver their first OOH campaign in London, they turned to their UK creative agency Stink Studios to help plot a takeover of Waterloo Station. Tom Carey, Europe Creative Director, Canva, shares the thinking and the process behind the campaign.



One of the biggest challenges was translating the experience of software into something static and physical. Billboards don’t scroll, click, or animate, so the team had to find ways to showcase features like Magic Resize or Background Remover in a fixed, real-world format.




The criteria were simple: each concept had to be instantly getable, inherently shareable, and directly relevant to the product. More than 200 ideas were generated — most didn’t make the cut, but those that did combined humour, simplicity, and clear product demonstration.



Perhaps most importantly, the campaign reinforced that consumers are smart: they don’t need everything spelled out. The ideas that resonated most were the ones that were simple, single-minded, and rooted in insight and emotion rather than over-explaining.
The Waterloo takeover was always designed as the start of something bigger, but it also provided invaluable feedback on which ideas work best. The extension is a way to showcase more ideas that best capture Canva’s mix of humour, clarity, and product storytelling.


