Canva and Pinterest: Tapping into Trend Insight with Empathy

The Australian reported on Canva’s new partnership with Pinterest. Together, they’re offering predictive templates that reflect emerging design trends, like Fisherman Aesthetic (it’s real and it’s different from Pirate Aesthetic), cherry motifs, and bold primaries, based on what’s gaining traction online.

This is more than a smart product update. It shows empathy for how people actually work. Many clients start their creative process with Pinterest boards, collecting images that capture a feeling they can’t quite describe. Now Canva bridges that inspiration into ready-made templates.

The opportunity, though, is not to copy trends blindly but to align them with brand strategy. I’ve had clients pin boards full of bold colors and quirky graphics, only to realize what they really want is a sense of vibrancy, not a literal fisherman aesthetic. My role is to translate that spark into something brand-appropriate and timeless.

Trends are invitations, not commands. They’re useful for tapping into cultural energy, but they need to be filtered through empathy and intention. That’s how they become authentic instead of gimmicky.

If you’d like to explore how to harness trend momentum without losing your brand’s voice, contact me.