Canva, the $26 billion Australian graphic design business, is introducing a new suite of digital workplace products that “are a direct challenge to Google Docs, Microsoft Office and Adobe, whose digital tools are the backbone of the modern workplace,” according to Fortune. . However, Cliff Obrecht, Canva’s co-founder and COO, insists that Canva isn’t trying to compete with these corporate giants. “Instead, he sees Canva as a visual companion to those tools,” TechCrunch reports.
“We’re not trying to compete with Google Docs,” Obrecht told TechCrunch. “Our products are inherently visual, so we’re making a very visual lens. What does a visual document look like? How do you turn that boring, all-text document into something compelling?” Fortune reports: With the launch, Canva hopes to transform itself from a primarily consumer-focused brand, often used by individual teams to design graphics and social media presentations, to a critical business tool – and in the process, open up the market for performance management software valued at $47.3 billion and growing 13% annually, according to Grand View Research. “Visual communication is an increasingly important skill for teams of all sizes in virtually every industry,” said co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins. “We bring simple design products to the workplace to empower every employee, in every organization and on every device.” Product offerings include Canva Docs, Canva Websites, Canva Whiteboards, and Data Visualization, all of which are interoperable, “so if you’re making a presentation, you can also turn it into a document or website,” TechCrunch notes.
“Canva also plans to launch its API in beta, which will allow developers to more easily integrate with the working set. In addition, Canva is launching a creator program where highly skilled designers can sell templates, photos and designs to Canva users.”
