As SXSW London kicks off in Shoreditch, Canva is opening the doors of its HQ with a bold new concept—Canva Co-Lab. Led by Tom Carey, Europe Creative Director at Canva, this week-long activation invites the public to get hands-on with design, AI, and creative expression. More than just a branded space, Co-Lab is a celebration of community-led collaboration and Canva’s mission to democratise design in real life. We caught up with Tom to talk about the launch, creative inspiration, and what’s in store this week at SXSW.
How did the idea for Canva Co-Lab come about, and why was Shoreditch the ideal location to bring it to life?
When we were thinking about how to activate our space during SXSW, Canva Co-Lab came from a simple but powerful idea: to open our doors and invite our community in to create with us. I’ve always believed the best work is created in collaboration. Where different minds and skills come together to create something amazing. That’s something we wanted to enable and celebrate.
With our EMEA HQ based in the heart of Shoreditch — and now, in the heart of the SXSW London festival — it felt like the perfect moment to create a space where design, creativity and community could come together. This area has always been a hub for creatives, and rather than just observe the energy of the festival around us, as official Design Partner, we wanted to actively be part of it.
Canva Co-Lab is our way of doing just that: offering a space where anyone can collaborate, get inspired, and feel immersed in the excitement and energy of the wider SXSW festival.
As the official design partner of SXSW London, how is Canva approaching collaboration differently in this activation?
One thing we’ve noticed with brand activations is that they’re often brand-led. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; we run incredible Canva-led activations across many of our global markets. But with Canva Co-Lab, we saw an opportunity to do something a little bit different. Since this activation is happening at our own HQ, we wanted it to feel more personal, more open, and celebrate many of the people we collaborate with or who use canva in their day to day.
Yes, of course Canva will naturally be woven throughout the space, from designing your own poster to experimenting with our latest tools, but the core of Canva Co-Lab is co-creation. It’s about giving people the space to create something that feels relevant to them, not just walk through a branded showcase. We wanted it to feel like stepping into Canva, not just looking at it.
Canva has long aimed to democratise design—how does Co-Lab reflect that mission in a tangible, public-facing way?
Canva Co-Lab takes our mission off the screen and into real life. Everything we’ve built for this activation is hands-on, inclusive, and accessible — just like our platform. The space lets anyone engage with design on their terms, whether they want to explore AI tools, create something tactile, or just get inspired.
From custom SXSW posters to data-driven neighbourhood design, the experiences at Co-Lab are wildly diverse. What ties them together creatively?
That the best things are created in collaboration. Canva gives people the tools to bring their ideas to life in easy and exciting ways, and empowers everyone to bring their ideas and stories to life visually.
At the Canva Co-Lab, whether you’re visualising your local identity through data or printing a one-of-a-kind poster, the activation is all about telling a story that’s personal, expressive, and shareable. With SXSW London a celebration of creativity and culture, we’re giving guests the chance to use design as a tool for self-expression.
You’re showcasing work from local artists and global brands like LadBible and Highsnobiety—how important is community to Canva’s creative DNA?
Community is everything to us. We’re a platform that exists because of our users, whether they’re creators, business owners, educators or nonprofits. Canva Co-Lab is a celebration of that on a local level; in London it’s really exciting to have local tastemakers from brands like LADbible and Highsnobiety be part of our programming.
As Europe’s Creative Director at Canva, how do you see the role of visual communication evolving, especially in a post-AI design landscape?
Visual communication is fast becoming table stakes for modern businesses. It’s no longer just about making things look good on social media; it’s becoming a core part of how teams work more efficiently, productively, and creatively. Design has moved from the periphery to the centre of business communication.
And I strongly believe AI has played a big role in that shift. It’s dramatically raised the floor of creativity. Now, anyone can generate striking visuals in seconds. But with that ease comes a new challenge of standing out. We’re entering an era of creative craftsmanship where the real skill lies in how you guide the tools – be it through thoughtful prompting, curating, and remixing. These are the emerging design skills of our time, and I still firmly believe that the best inputs into AI are human — empathy, emotional intelligence and humour.
At Canva, we see AI as a creative partner, not a replacement. The key is how we can make the most of its speed and power to create more time to focus on big ideas and give us room and think, to experiment and to be truly creative with the new tools we have.
What insights or inspirations are you hoping visitors walk away with after spending time at Co-Lab during SXSW London?
We’d love people to leave understanding that design isn’t this distant, exclusive or scary thing — it’s something they can use, every day, to express who they are or bring an idea to life. Whether it’s through the poster they created or the talk they attended, we want them to feel connected, inspired, and creative.
How do you personally stay creatively inspired in a world that’s always on and endlessly scrollable?
Honestly? I try and switch off. The best ideas come when you’re not not trying to force them. Just observe the world and be open to ideas wherever they may come from. I try to focus less on consuming and more on noticing. In a world where we’re surrounded by technology, screens, and another advert for something ‘new’, look in the opposite direction and you’ll often find something more interesting and unusual.
