“It’s Simple, I Could’ve Done It…” - The Misunderstood Brilliance of Good Design

Recently, I shared a final design concept with a friend, something I’d spent hours shooting, designing, refining, and aligning perfectly with my client’s brand strategy. Their response?

“Yeah, looks good… it looks really simple. Think I could have done that on Canva.”

Ouch.

Now, I know they didn’t mean it maliciously. But their offhand comment stuck with me, not because it hurt my ego, but because it highlighted a widespread misunderstanding about what good design really is. Simplicity, especially in graphic design, isn’t a shortcut. It’s often the result of deliberate restraint, strategic thinking, and many rounds of iteration.

A good designer knows how to hold back. When something “looks like it was made on Canva,” it often means the design is clean, uncluttered, and easily digestible. That’s a win. The irony? Canva templates are popular because they’re inspired by strong design principles created by professionals.

Designers don’t just make things look good, we make them work well. The restraint in a minimal layout is often the result of seasoned judgment, not lack of effort.

The final design I showed my friend worked because it was simple. It communicated quickly. It supported the brand without overpowering it. It created the right emotional tone and more importantly, it worked for the product.

Let's call it what it is... this product isn't exactly 'sexy'. Its strength lies in its unique function: rapidly purifying air using only water. The design reflects this purpose with intention. The use of clean lines and ample white space visually reinforces the concept of purity and freshness, aligning with the product’s core benefit.

Design that shouts “look at me!” isn’t always effective. Sometimes, the best compliment is that a user didn’t even notice the design because it felt natural, intuitive, seamless.

So, Could You Have Done It on Canva?

Maybe you could replicate the look. But you wouldn’t have known why it looks that way. You wouldn’t know what to remove, what to leave in, or how to make it speak.

That’s the hidden layer of design work: making it look effortless, when it’s anything but.

The next time you see a clean, modern, simple piece of design, whether it’s a logo, packaging, or a marketing graphic, take a moment to appreciate the invisible architecture behind it. Good design is like a great recipe: just a few ingredients, perfectly balanced.

And if you think it looks like something you could have done on Canva… maybe that’s the best proof that it was done right.