Canva is planning on organizing a country-wide design contest that would help in showing off the creative talent of Pakistanis to the world, although there is no official association or agreement between the two as of yet. The information about Canva PIA design competition in Pakistan was given by Ahmad Iqbal, General Manager of Canva for the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan region, in order to clear up things after making an official announcement of such an event.

The spokesperson for PIA, Abdullah Hafeez Khan, told Business Recorder that no official discussion has yet been held between the two firms regarding this matter.

The Canva PIA design competition Pakistan story confirmed by Iqbal is the design competition not the PIA aspect. This national design competition is being developed for several months and will be available to all sorts of designers, whether professional or students.

The reason for holding this design competition is to empower the voices of creative people in Pakistan and let them create their own design language — using the rich culture of designs existing in Pakistan, from textiles to jewelry designs and architecture.

PIA Inspiration - Ajrak Time

The Canva PIA design competition Pakistan association happened due to an occurrence in public which sparked much debate online. It was about the two images of PIA aircraft decorated in the colors of Ajrak, which is an age-old Sindhi fabric pattern dating back 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. These images were designed by a non-designer using Canva and Affinity.

"Imagine what a whole country could do"
Ahmad Iqbal, MENAP General Manager, Canva

This statement, which was linked to the images of the Ajrak planes, triggered debate regarding whether the cultural legacy of Pakistan could serve as the base for rebranding PIA through its private ownership phase under the management of the Arif Habib Corporation.

"PIA seemed like a relevant and fitting case study for a brand where something like that could be applicable, considering its past and new era it is heading into."
Ahmad Iqbal, MENAP General Manager, Canva

Iqbal provided a specific account of exactly how far any PIA engagement has progressed:

• Canva held preliminary discussions with PIA's creative agency — not with PIA's internal team directly
  

• No partnership or agreement is currently in place
  

• Canva remains open to finding the right partner to support the competition

"Canva had some initial talks with the creative agency of PIA rather than PIA itself. There's no partnership or agreement currently in effect. Canva is always ready to find the right partner for the competition."
Ahmad Iqbal, MENAP General Manager, Canva

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Controversy surrounding the Canva PIA competition design for Pakistan was evident online and predictable. Questions regarding the practicality of detailed airplane designs were raised, with concerns that heavy painting may lead to maintenance problems, additional weight, or incompatibility with the PIA operation needs during its post-privatization transformation process.

On the other hand, the inclusion of Pakistani cultural traditions into the airline branding was viewed positively, specifically the inclusion of the Ajrak design, which holds great historical significance not only in Sindh but also within the larger Pakistani culture.

The existence of the debate shows how much there is in the Pakistani online creative community's demand for precisely the sort of discussion on brand identity that the competition proposed by Iqbal was intended to generate – whether PIA is the focal point or not.

The Canva PIA design competition Pakistan pitch draws on a strong cultural argument made by Iqbal for Business Recorder. The design culture of Pakistan is firmly grounded in:

• Textiles: Ajrak, Bandhani, and other regional textiles, with histories going back thousands of years
  

• Architecture: Mughal, Sindhi, and other regional architectural styles, with internationally acknowledged aesthetic vocabulary
  

• Jewellery: unique regional jewellery designs from all provinces
  

• Geometric and organic motifs: used in all craft traditions

The heritage is real. It is unique to the international community. Never before has this heritage been systematically harnessed for branding purposes, the way an entire country-wide competition could harness it. Whether PIA will emerge as this branding instrument or not, the idea behind the Canva PIA design competition of Pakistan has certainly managed to initiate this discussion.