Leonardo.Ai provides high-quality AI-generated imagery to the Canva platform.
Popular online design platform Canva has recently made significant moves that signal its growing ambitions in the AI-powered design space. Its acquisition of Australian AI content creation platform Leonardo.Ai and Canva’s partnership with Getty Images underscore the company’s focus on strengthening its AI capabilities. These strategic moves position Canva as a key player in the design industry, posing a potential challenge to Adobe’s dominance.
Canva’s AI power play: Acquiring Leonardo.Ai
Canva’s acquisition of Leonardo.Ai marks a major step forward in the company’s AI efforts. Leonardo.Ai’s generative AI models are known for their ability to create high-quality images and art from easy-to-understand guided text prompts. The addition of the Leonardo.Ai models should significantly enhance Canva’s existing AI tools, such as Magic Studio. While no one would argue that Leonardo is as advanced as Adobe’s Firefly models, this move signals Canva’s intention to accelerate the development of new AI-driven features and provide even more advanced design capabilities to its users.
With this acquisition, Canva not only gains Leonardo.Ai’s technology, but also its team of 120 researchers, engineers and designers. This influx of talent should strengthen Canva’s ability to innovate and develop new AI products while continuing to invest in research and development.
Canva’s Content Boost: Partnering with Getty Images
This new partnership will integrate Getty Images’ vast library of high-quality stock photography directly into the Canva platform, giving Canva users access to millions of premium images for their design projects. The move will enable Canva to cater to a wider audience of professional designers and businesses seeking premium visuals.
The partnership gives Canva an advantage to differentiate itself from Adobe’s offering: the Getty Images library contains more than 350 million images, while the Adobe Stock library contains 248 million images (including photos, illustrations, and vectors), which could attract users who value quality and are looking for an alternative to Adobe Stock.
With Getty Images recently releasing its own generative AI tools, the collaboration raises the possibility of further integrating AI capabilities within Canva’s platform, although the companies involved have yet to say which ones.
Competition with Adobe: Differentiation and Market Expansion
Adobe still dominates the design industry, but Canva’s recent moves could disrupt the competitive landscape. Both Canva and Adobe Express are well established as popular graphic design tools, catering to a wide range of users, from solopreneurs and small businesses to creative professionals. The accessibility and intuitive interfaces of their browser-based and mobile apps make them go-to solutions for those without much design experience.
When it comes to the quantity of templates, Canva has the edge. Canva’s platform has a large library of 250,000 free templates and over 400,000 available in its premium plan, far surpassing the number of templates offered by Adobe. This choice gives Canva users a wide range of options to kickstart their design projects and support a variety of creative needs.
However, Adobe Express stands out with its cross-platform compatibility and a dedicated ‘Quick Actions’ section that streamlines everyday tasks like removing background, resizing images, converting formats, etc. Adobe Express focuses on efficiency and productivity, benefiting users who value speed and convenience in their design workflow.
Canva has made significant efforts to expand its market beyond individuals and small teams by catering to the needs of professional users and businesses through deals such as those with Leonardo.Ai and Getty Images. This could create new revenue streams and growth opportunities for Canva, positioning it as a viable competitor to Adobe not only in Adobe Express but also in the enterprise market.
The road ahead: a multifaceted challenge
Canva’s journey to become a leader in AI-powered design is one I’ll be watching closely. However, it’s important to recognize that Adobe’s strength lies not just in its design tools, but in its comprehensive suite of solutions that address various aspects of enterprise marketing, content creation, and data management. To truly challenge Adobe’s dominance, Canva needs to expand its services beyond design and move into other areas where Adobe currently has a significant advantage. Sophisticated design tools, a plethora of templates, and quick, streamlined actions for users are just a few steps on this journey. To compete with Adobe, Canva needs to build a robust ecosystem that addresses the entire content supply chain for businesses and creative professionals.
Still, Canva’s focus on accessibility, ease of use, and AI-powered design could offer users a compelling alternative to Adobe’s products. Over the next few years, the competition between the two companies will intensify, giving users more choices and better tools.
