I’ve always been obsessed with design. Not in a “grew up doodling in sketchbooks” kind of way (although my textbooks are full of doodles), but in the way that I’ve always noticed how good design makes people feel something. Seen. Understood. Empowered.
When I first started out with design, I was hyper focused on the aesthetics of it. I believed it was all about making things look pretty. But when I started designing presentations for my marketing classes, I realized that through design I had the capability to make even the driest, most boring subjects grab attention and get people talking. That’s when it hit me: design isn’t just decoration. It’s a powerful tool to bring clarity to ideas, communicate with real impact, and build confidence in whatever you’re sharing.
Templates are the sweet spot between done-for-you and do-it-yourself. Templates make design accessible. They give people a head start. They remove the overwhelm of staring at a blank page and replace it with, “I can totally do this.”
I started Noir to be that first, easy win for someone starting out—a studio that delivers not just pretty designs but thoughtful, strategic, editorial-quality templates that don’t feel like they came out of a one-size-fits-all box.
My goal? Bring good design to the early stages—when it matters most, but often gets overlooked. Because here’s the hard truth: Waiting until you’re “established” to invest in design is like waiting until you’re fit to hire a personal trainer. When you start early, you grow faster, connect better, and stand out sharper when you look legit from day one.
Now, this is where some designers might clutch their Pantone swatches. You know the discourse: “Real designers don’t use Canva.” I’ve heard it all. The eye-rolls. The scoffs. The passive-aggressive LinkedIn posts.
But here’s my take: It’s not the plane, it’s the pilot (yes, I’m a big Top Gun fan and Maverick is right). It’s not about the software. It’s about the thinking behind the design. The intention. The strategy. The layout, the hierarchy, the storytelling.
You can have the fanciest design tools in the world, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, they won’t save you. And likewise—if you do know what you’re doing, Canva is more than enough. Especially for the audience I built Noir for.
I built Noir for small teams, solo founders, for someone managing a business, an Instagram account, a newsletter, and their third iced coffee of the day—all before noon. They don’t have the time (or mental space) to learn Figma. They don’t want to splurge on Adobe. They need something they can edit during lunch. Canva is free. It’s fast. It’s powerful enough. It’s perfect.
So instead of fighting the stigma, I leaned into it. Because Canva democratized design in a way no tool ever has. And my clients? They won’t care about how the sausage gets made—they care that their pitch deck slaps, their Instagram grid looks intentional, and that they didn’t spend 9 hours adjusting margins.
Let’s be real—there are a lot of Canva template businesses out there. And I love that. It means more people are recognizing that design shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for big brands with deep pockets. But it also means the space is crowded, and a lot of what’s out there feels done before.
So, how do I create something fresh?
For me, it started with changing the narrative. Yes, Noir is technically a Canva template business—but it’s not just about selling templates. It’s about building smart, strategic tools that actually work.
Every template I create is built on what I call The Noir Code—a set of guiding principles that shape everything I design and why I design it.
Here’s what that looks like in action:
A gorgeous layout means nothing if you’re staring at a sea of Lorem Ipsum. At Noir, we don’t hand you an empty shell. Instead, we give you guided content. Prompts, placeholders, and real structure to help you write with clarity and confidence. Because design should amplify your message, not distract from it.
Generic templates? Not here. Noir creates industry-specific design systems that actually reflect your world. Whether you’re in real estate, coaching, wellness, or tech—your visuals should look like they were made for you, not like something repurposed from a travel blog in 2017.
This isn’t about one-and-done downloads. We design with the bigger picture in mind—templates that support your systems, grow with your business, and save you from reinventing the wheel every time you need to show up professionally. It’s smart design that scales.
Noir is more than a shop—it’s a space. A digital studio where creatives, founders, and solo entrepreneurs can feel seen, supported, and celebrated. We believe in community over competition, in sharing what works, and in helping each other show up like the pros we are (even when we’re figuring it out as we go).
Starting Noir isn’t just a business decision. It’s personal. Because I’ve been there—staring at a screen, wanting my work to look “legit,” but not knowing where to start. I know what it’s like to feel like your vision is solid but look at your materials and think, “This doesn’t reflect me at all.”
Noir is for every creative, founder, dreamer, and doer who’s ready to show up professionally—even if it’s day one. It’s for the people who believe in what they’re building and just need that extra nudge to look the part.
It’s for people who know that good design is more than a luxury—it’s leverage. And if I can give you that leverage in a way that’s beautiful, fast, and affordable? Then I’ve done my job.