In Canva, we believe there is a creative spark in all of us. What has become part of this company’s culture is that everyone gets to explore new things without expectations, and we are always given plenty of room to challenge ourselves and express our creativity – this is one of them.
In the new, expanded office of Canva Philippines , the design team organized a mural painting activity to decorate one of the plain white walls with a space-themed mural with the word “Adventure” to illustrate the Canva culture.
Each member of Canva-Fusion Manila team is handed a brush and given a chance to paint on the wall. It was almost everyone’s first time to paint a mural, which made this project a fun and exciting adventure in itself. Overall, the goal of this project is to help convey several of Canva's core philosophies as a company, according to our CEO Melanie Perkins.
Philosophy #1: Dream crazy big and then make it happen.
The mural artwork was formed around the concept of the word “adventure," and the theme of outer space, coupled with elements illustrating the things that help define our office culture.
A. Initial line work. We feel like there are few elements interacting with the typography. "Adventure" is not quite legible yet.
B. More elements. Improved the hierarchy of the main visuals.
C. Style. Explored different illustration styles and colors for the elements.
D. Type. Played around with several versions of the type.
Elements
01 Rocketship We’re always challenged to explore beyond boundaries.
02 Mermaid Our in-house chef is a mermaid!
03 Cat We absolutely love pets.
04 Laptop + molecule Our work aims to be a harmony between art and science.
05 Music Music enlivens our office space.
06 Film reel On Fridays after work, we occasionally get together for dinner and a good movie.
07 Coffee We run on great-quality coffee.
08 Moon In Canva, we always aim to dream big dreams and remind ourselves to look at the bigger picture.
E. Final artwork. Kim did her coloring magic, while Paul made awesome improvements to the typography and elements. We chose a color scheme that fits the Canva brand.
Philosophy #2: Compete against the world, not each other.
We projected the illustration onto the wall, then sketched on it using chalk. (Quick tip: Avoid using red chalk as it blends with the paint.) We then painted by numbers, assigning each paint color with a number, then labelling each section with a number on the wall. Masking tape and painter’s tape helped us amateur mural painters paint in straight lines.
Every single person in the office has had a part in this mural, and everyone really enjoyed trying their hand in painting.
Philosophy #3: Set goals that challenge and inspire us.
It is our hope that this mural inspires the rest of the team to not be afraid to try out new things beyond their comfort zone and to never settle for anything less. There are no limits to what we can do and create – and together, we can continue achieving extraordinary things.
