Michelle Manczyk | Designer

Is Everyone a Designer

2025.09.08

Over the past few months, my feeds have been full of debates about who is, and who isn’t, a “designer.” As I mentioned in my last article, “designer” is an umbrella term that covers many disciplines. Most of these debates seem to focus on a particular rivalry: Canva users versus graphic designers.

It’s not a new debate, but before we can even begin to answer that question, we need to define what design actually means in a professional sense. A professional designer is a creator who applies design principles, i.e., color theory, hierarchy, spacing, and more. It isn’t just pushing pixels around or making pretty things; rather, they are using strategic reasoning to produce a specific outcome or achieve a defined goal for visual communication.

Tools vs. Craft

Knowing the industry-standard tools isn’t the same as knowing the craft, but knowing those tools can make the work easier. Although you can succeed without them, it will make it more difficult, as the majority of opportunities won’t be open to you, and some of your peers will not take you seriously.

We all start somewhere, and seasoned professionals should remember that not everyone begins with the current standard software. Industry standards also shift over time, so it’s worth staying aware of emerging tools and trends, even if you’re not ready to dive in and learn them, because they can still shape the future of our industry.

The tools you use do not determine if you are a designer; your output does.

The Real Issue Isn’t Canva

The heart of the issue isn’t really about Canva. It’s simply the latest tool to draw criticism because of the bad outputs they encounter and the incompatibility with professional workflows that creates the biggest tension. Microsoft Publisher, soon to be retired, faced similar criticism during its peak years.

A tool is only as good as the person using it. A designer is more than a pixel pusher because they understand the craft behind the visuals. When someone claims to be a designer but has not bothered to learn the fundamentals, it often creates more work for the professionals who have to clean up those mistakes. Design isn’t just about how things look; it’s also about proper technical setup and efficient workflows.

When Tool Choice Causes Problems

As a church communicator, I was responsible for gathering announcements from ministry leaders and assembling the weekly bulletin. With my background and training as a designer, I worked to transition our parish to more professional tools and workflows. Using a Mac, I designed the bulletin in Adobe InDesign.

Despite clear submission guidelines requesting text-only announcements, I often received Word documents with inconsistent spacing after every sentence, lengthy “walls of text” that made it difficult to find the key information, Microsoft Publisher files I couldn’t open, PDFs with fonts I didn’t have access to, and sometimes even PowerPoint or Google Slides. Occasionally, I got Canva files that didn’t fit the bulletin template or used graphics and fonts we couldn’t verify we had permission to use.

More often than not, I believe contributors thought they were helping or simply enjoying the creative process. In reality, their well-meaning efforts created more work and took valuable time away from tasks that could better serve the organization. I spent hours trying to fix files that weren’t in formats easily editable or compatible with our system.

Additionally, our bulletin was sent to a third party for professional printing. Professional printers require files prepared in very specific ways and these apps often can’t deliver the needed outputs or inexperience users don’t know how to export the correct formats.

Professional workflows ensure projects run smoothly by adhering to technical specifications—making sure files are the correct size, include necessary bleeds, use the proper resolution (dpi or ppi), have the right color profiles, and meet other essential criteria. This isn’t about gatekeeping tools; it’s about respecting the craft and understanding the technical demands behind professional design.

Teamwork, Not Perfectionism

Designers are trained to spot details like spacing inconsistencies, color clashes, and the tone conveyed by a typeface. This pursuit of perfection can sometimes clash with the practical need to complete tasks quickly and efficiently. While designers take pride in delivering polished, clutter-free work, their high standards can sometimes make collaboration with non-designers challenging.

That said, non-designers also want to do their best. Having a designer on the team can help ensure an organization’s visuals are both effective and cohesive. Ultimately, it’s about teamwork—finding the right balance between quality and progress. For many tasks, “good enough” truly is good enough.

One way to bridge this gap is through custom templates designed specifically for non-designers. These templates combine technical expertise with ease of use, empowering teams to produce consistent, professional-looking work without needing deep design knowledge.

In the debate of who qualifies as a “designer” it isn’ just about the tools someone uses. Design is a craft built on principles like color theory, hierarchy, and strategic thinking; all aimed at communicating a clear message or achieving a goal. While industry-standard software can make the work easier and more efficient, knowing how to use these tools isn’t what ultimately defines a designer.

A designer understands and respects the craft behind the visuals, including the technical workflows and standards that keep projects running smoothly. As I experienced firsthand managing bulletin submissions, even well-intentioned efforts can create more work when files aren’t prepared with those standards in mind. Tools like Canva can be incredibly useful, but they have limits.