Like most people, my passion for design has grown over the years. (And yes, I am aware that this blog looks weird and is hard to read. The point is the article, anyway.)

Assuming there is one thing I know without a doubt, it is that each originator has a fascinating history that reveals how or why they decided to enter the field. I did not always want to be a designer. In fact, at a bachelor’s level, I hold a degree in engineering (BS ECE). But my love for design began there, as I sat around creative brains in various clubs that I was compelled to be a part of. Here is a quick story of my experience in the world of design:

College level

As stated already, I did not pursue a bachelor’s in design. While I have always been interested in sketching, drawing, and art in general, and have even used Paint on my desktop as a child to allow my creativity to flow like a faucet, I never intended to work on my hobby till it became a profession. But almost immediately after I joined college, I became a part of a variety of clubs from Literati to the Communication Wing of the college. Despite having no experience with design software, I decided to join the design verticals. There, under the guidance of some very patient seniors, I learned the ropes of design and began to venture into some serious design tasks with software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and CorelDraw. Soon enough, my interest in the field rose exponentially and I started taking certificate courses in design in my college. While I was elated to receive some great job offers in the field of marketing, I decided to apply for an entry-level design position in a start-up. Despite severely lacking in skills, I was hired by the company, possibly due to the passion I had exhibited in the interview.

My first tryst with professional design

I learned most of what I know about design in my first job at a startup. While in college, the focus was primarily on heavy, complex software that would scare laymen with their UI. However, here I learned that simplicity must not be looked down upon. I toggled with many user-friendly software including Canva, and was surprised to learn that they save an astronomical amount of time, while delivering end-results that are comparable to those attained by several more “professional” software. While working with a host of beginner-level and professional software, I learned the fundamentals of design, style, and themes. By single-handedly working on the social media pages of the company, I became an expert at social media marketing and discovered key tactics that could help with social media engagement. After two productive years at this company, I moved to some bigger companies to diversify my portfolio.

My experience at MNCs

Today, I work on creating Canva templates for both small and big businesses alike because of my experiences at several MNCs. As a designer in these companies, I was surprised to discover that design was often not prioritized adequately, resulting in subpar posts and abysmal social media engagement. Their demands typically did not align with trends and the management often rejected out-of-the-box ideas. Consequently, the designs and posts I had created during this timespan were boring and lacked the flair prominent in the social media profiles of some newer companies. My thirst for creativity was left unsaturated during this stint, and I decided to walk away from this stage. At this point, I knew what I wanted to do. Or to be dramatic, I had found my calling. My experience with these MNCs revealed to me the underlying problem with their social media marketing- their design. They typically winged it or complicated the process and as a result, lacked a proper theme, style, and even a target audience. 

As a result, I decided to start creating Canva templates for a variety of purposes, from digital brochures to evites. I chose Canva not just because it is easy to use, but because it offers endless possibilities for designers to experiment and create professional deliverables. My products are diverse and as a result, can be used by SMEs and MNCs for better social media engagement. I hope to help companies save their valuable time and money that can be better spent on their core tasks. My templates can be edited easily on Canva and customized to suit your specific needs, making them extremely versatile. Many companies still do not understand social media trends or the concept of thematic profiles. With these templates, I hope to resolve this burning issue and help companies sell themselves better. You can check out my templates here. If you have any queries, feel free to get in touch with me at herbertflores67@gmail.com