Canva has proposed organising and funding a nationwide design competition aimed at rebranding Pakistan International Airlines, inviting Pakistanis to take part in shaping the national carrier’s new identity as it moves under new ownership. The proposal was outlined in a LinkedIn post by Canva’s General Manager for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ahmed Iqbal, who said the company was seeking to connect directly with PIA’s leadership to discuss the initiative further, positioning it as an unsolicited but concrete offer rather than a confirmed partnership at this stage.
According to Iqbal, the proposed initiative would extend across several elements of the airline’s visual identity, including a redesign of PIA’s logo, its brand guidelines, aircraft livery, and an accompanying relaunch marketing campaign. He framed the effort as an opportunity to rebuild public trust in the airline at a moment of institutional transition, describing the concept as being designed by Pakistanis for Pakistan and noting that Canva was prepared to fund substantial prize money to support the competition. Canva itself operates as a free, web-based design platform that allows users to create professional visuals such as social media graphics, presentations, and posters without requiring advanced design skills, giving the proposal a populist framing centered on accessible participation rather than a closed process limited to professional design firms.
Iqbal invoked PIA’s historic role as a regional aviation pioneer, suggesting that the airline’s new chapter in 2026 presented an opportunity to involve the public in its transformation in a way that could help revive Pakistan’s broader design heritage alongside a sense of national pride. To illustrate the concept, he shared two images of PIA aircraft painted in rich Ajrak-inspired colours, which he said had been designed by a non-designer using Canva and Affinity, a professional creative suite that operates as a Canva subsidiary, framing the images as evidence of what a broader national design effort might be capable of producing.
The proposal generated debate among LinkedIn users following the post, with some questioning its practical feasibility. Critics pointed out that extensive paint coverage could increase an aircraft’s weight and operating costs, while others noted that darker colour schemes tend to absorb more heat, potentially raising cooling requirements for the aircraft. Several users nonetheless welcomed the concept, arguing that it could tap into a broader cultural revival underway in Pakistan and give young designers a platform to showcase indigenous art and heritage through a highly visible national project. Others acknowledged that aircraft are typically painted white for reasons tied to maintenance, cooling, and lifecycle costs, and suggested that any eventual redesign effort would need to balance aesthetic ambition with the operational realities of running a commercial airline fleet.
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