There are many ways to create an unforgettable client experience, but it doesn't have to start after the client has signed their contract.

As a floral designer, one of your roles is to create memorable visual elements for clients. And creating a client design board can be helpful in translating their vision into reality. This helps communicate a level of expertise to your client and sets the tone for an exceptional client experience.

Design boards, especially digital ones, are definitely fun to create but can be quite complicated. A great, simple online tool to use is Canva, an online design application that’s user-friendly and doesn’t require extensive design program knowledge. It has drag-and-drop design tools—making it much easier and faster to create a design board. You can sign up for Canva's free version or via a paid subscription that allows you to set up more customization and branding.

A Quick and Easy Way to Create a Design Board on the Fly—Utilize Canva Templates With a Few Simple Steps:

1. Gather Floral Design Inspiration Photos

In a folder on your computer or mobile device, save your inspiration photos. Find pictures that represent your color palette, floral aesthetic, vases, tablescapes, etc. I use Dropbox to make it easy to get photos no matter where I am working.

2. Select the Template You’ve Created on Canva (or try My freebie out)

Make sure your template has a cover page, an introduction to give a little explanation to your design board, or a nice letter to address your clients. Then, break it down into categories of design. To help you save time, I’ve created an easy-to-use template (mentioned above) as well as other great resources for wedding pros, which you can check out on my website.

3. Upload Your Floral Design Inspiration Photos into Canva

You can upload all your floral design images to the main Canva file or break it down into subfolders with a paid account.

4. Drag and Drop Them into the Selected Area

Canva has a super-simple interface that makes it user-friendly from a computer or mobile device if you have to design something on the fly.

5. Customize Your Client Design Board

You can change up colors to keep it on-brand, add logos, text, and your own photos. Canva also has pre-loaded images that allow you to use some of theirs for free or for a small fee.

Creating an unforgettable client experience starts with the very first interaction. Canva gives you some great tools and templates that are pre-made with their free account that can help you elevate the look of your brand. You can also create new templates from scratch.

In our floral design boards that we create for each wedding, our digital design board reflects what the wedding will look like from start to finish: personal bouquets and boutonnieres, ceremony design, cocktail hour with bars and lounge furniture, reception centerpieces, vases, candles, place settings, linens, and any other visual element in the event.

Here is a look at one of our completed design boards for Wrennwood Design that will be used for a wedding this month. It includes all floral designs, linens, lounge furniture, chairs, tables, drapery, and signage. It's comprehensive, but it gives our client a look at their overall design so they will know what to expect.

When you complete your design, you can download the file as a PDF—and even have it printed for an excellent in-person presentation. We use the printed version to share with our staff on design days so that everyone has a clear understanding of what we are aiming to achieve.

As you can see, it’s easier than you think to create impressive, professional design boards for floral clients simply by using Canva. You can do it! Happy designing!