Hi there! I’m Marissa! Canva Creator, UI/UX Designer, & Front-End Developer
I design templates for Canva users worldwide and build interfaces that are intuitive, accessible, and inclusive.
From VA to Canva Creator
My design journey started when I launched my online business as a virtual assistant, helping entrepreneurs with design and tech. I quickly discovered I had a knack for Pinterest marketing and an even bigger love for designing the graphics that went along with it.
That love of design led me to Canva, and I never looked back. Over the years, I've built a growing library of templates spanning social media, presentations, marketing materials, printables, and more. What I love most is knowing that someone, somewhere, is using one of my designs to show up confidently for their business, even if design isn't their thing. That's exactly the point.
Design Is for Everyone
I don't come from a formal design background. What I have is a genuine love for art, design, fashion, and anything visual, and years of learning by doing. I believe everyone deserves the tools to create beautiful, on-brand graphics without needing expensive software or a design degree. Canva made that possible, and being a part of that community has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.
Then I Decided to Build, Too
At some point, loving design wasn't enough. I wanted to understand how experiences are built from the ground up. So I pursued a Full Stack Web Development diploma at Red River College Polytechnic, where I learned to design and build interfaces, not just imagine them.
That led to a co-op at Public Services and Procurement Canada, where I got to put everything into practice. As the sole front-end developer on my team, I built a bilingual prototype for a government intake evaluation system entirely from scratch, designing workflows for both candidates and reviewers in English and French, using React and Material UI. It became a scalable foundation for future development, and it's one of the projects I'm most proud of.
What Drives Me
Whether I'm designing a Canva template or building a React prototype, the through-line is the same: I want to create experiences that are intuitive, accessible, and genuinely useful to real people. That's what gets me excited about UI/UX design, especially design systems and prototyping, where thoughtful decisions ripple out across an entire product.
Let's Connect
I'm currently open to design and developer opportunities where I can bring all of this together. If that sounds like a fit, I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn!