How India's 'Good Morning' Messages Are Powering Canva's Multi-Crore AI Ambitions

Canva, the Australian design giant known for its user-friendly interface, is riding the wave of India's unique digital habits, especially the "Good Morning" WhatsApp culture, to fuel its next big leap, according to Forbes India. With India now its fourth-largest user base globally, Canva is expanding beyond graphic design into AI-powered tools for emails, video editing, web design, and more. 

In a bold sign of intent, the company even placed a Rs 544.48 crore bid to sponsor Team India's cricket jerseys, underscoring just how crucial the Indian market has become to its global growth strategy.

"India is today the fourth-largest market for Canva. There's no reason why it should not be the largest," Chandrika Deb, country manager for Canva in India, told Forbes India. "We are looking for various opportunities that can help us build deeper relationships with our community and will continue to invest heavily in India, with the goal of reaching every Internet user."

According to Rob Kawalsky, Global Head of Product, Canva's strategy is to empower everyone's creativity by expanding beyond graphic design into a full suite of interoperable tools. The goal is to place Canva at the intersection of creativity and productivity, enabling users to work seamlessly across various formats and workflows.

Chandrika Deb, highlighted how India's unique content habits, particularly the daily flood of 'good morning' messages, have significantly influenced Canva's localisation strategy. With over 2.5 million designs created in India every day, Canva has tailored its platform to support mobile-first users and culturally specific content. 

Deb noted that the popularity of 'good morning' greetings, festival wishes, and culturally rooted events like annaprashan or grihapravesh drives massive design activity. Canva supports 13 Indian languages and continues to invest in understanding regional content needs, recognising that even something as simple as a morning greeting is a key creative moment for millions.

Canva's growth in India is now driven by professionals, educators, SMBs, and creators. The platform sees high adoption of Canva Code and AI features, with India being the top user globally.

Small businesses widely use Canva for branding, while educators leverage it for interactive teaching-highlighting India's role in shaping Canva's future across sectors and communities.

Rob Kawalsky emphasized that AI won't replace professional designers but will empower them. AI enhances creativity by enabling faster iteration and broader exploration. While beginners can now create more easily, professionals can scale their work efficiently. AI is a tool to amplify design potential, not substitute human creativity.

Rob Kawalsky added that Canva's ethical approach to AI, highlighting its opt-in model training using compensated creator content. He also pointed to Canva Shield, a suite of safety and privacy tools, and reaffirmed the company's longstanding belief that innovation in AI must be balanced with strong responsibility and user protection.