MANILA, PHILIPPINES – If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve used a font today. But have you ever used a font made out of a viral Filipino celebrity’s body?
That’s the candid question at the center of Canva Pro and GIGIL’s newest campaign. Instead of placing a familiar face beside a product, they turned internet sensation Kween Yasmin into the product itself, transforming her into a set of highly functional, fully usable design assets within Canva Pro.
It’s a bold move, but it makes perfect sense for a digital personality like Kween Yasmin, whose real name is Yasmin Marie Asistido. The Philippines’ online community has long crowned her as its “all-purpose” royalty — a multi-hyphenate who can shift from singing to comedy, and from spoken word to business without missing a beat. She is, in every sense, the embodiment of the modern Filipino hustler: resourceful, resilient, and endlessly creative.
“If you are online chronically, you would have seen or encountered Kween Yasmin. We wanted somebody who would authentically resonate with the Filipino audience more, especially because she is also a business owner — and that’s who we’re trying to reach. What better way to connect our audience on one platform, an all-purpose platform, with the All-Purpose Kween?” Canva Philippine Country Manager Maisie Littaua said in an exclusive interview with adobo Magazine.
She continued, “The look and feel of Kween Yasmin, and who she is as an internet personality, makes you feel like she’s someone you know really well — a friend, or someone you’ve encountered in your day-to-day life. And that’s what we wanted. We wanted an everyman, someone who would resonate with the general audience — not just small business owners, but Filipinos in general.”
This was also lauded by GIGIL Associate Creative Director Greggy Gregorio, saying that the goal of the project was to encourage Canva Free users, especially small and medium business (SMB) owners, to upgrade to Canva Pro by showing them the added value it brings.
“The brief was to convert Canva Free SMB users who don’t yet see the value of Pro, and reach new audiences who don’t view Canva as an essential business tool. Since SMBs compete for visibility, we wanted to show them how Canva Pro can make their materials stand out,” Greggy told adobo Magazine in an exclusive interview.
“Kween Yasmin, the internet’s ‘All-Purpose Kween,’ is known for her memes, singing, spoken word poetry, and her mango graham business — she can do it all! Knowing this, she was the perfect personification for the platform’s all-purpose abilities. So we turned her into a complete brand kit — photos, font, emojis — to show our audience exactly how [Canva Pro can help] set their business up for success,” she added.
A big challenge
According to Maisie, Canva and GIGIL faced a unique creative puzzle specifically on how they would merge the bold, humorous, larger-than-life personality of Kween Yasmin with the clean, empowering, user-first identity of Canva while doing it authentically.
This means that the challenge wasn’t simply choosing a celebrity. It was about finding a way to integrate Kween Yasmin’s persona into the platform without feeling forced, gimmicky, or disconnected from the needs of real Filipino users
“We had a big challenge. We wanted to authentically connect the personality of Kween Yasmin, what she’s known for, with who Canva is as a brand. And it was a big challenge for both Canva and GIGIL,” Maisie said.
“Planning the shot list was crucial — generic enough for any business to be able to use, yet familiar and funny enough for netizens to appreciate. This was crucial to the All-Purpose Photo Library. A lot of planning was involved in terms of the shotlist, especially in building the Kween Sans font,” Greggy said,
To answer this dilemma, Canva, together with GIGIL, created collections, photos, and assets that small business owners would actually need. These include product photos, layout elements, as well as visual templates while infusing Kween Yasmin’s signature humor and charisma. Hence, these assets weren’t just funny or viral, but also genuinely helpful: things small-medium businesses could drop directly into their marketing materials.
“We came up with creative ways to organically provide what people normally use in their day-to-day as small business owners, through collections and photos they might use for their own products, and turned that into something relevant, practical, and also entertaining for Filipino audiences,” Maisie added.
The creative process
The campaign doesn’t stop at visual fun. It also demonstrates how Canva Pro’s features save time and effort for creators. Tools like Magic Resize allow business owners to adapt a single design across multiple formats in one click, cutting down hours of repetitive work. In Maisie’s words, it’s about connecting Kween Yasmin’s energy to the very content libraries, templates, and tools that Canva users access every day, showing that the platform isn’t just entertaining — it’s empowering.
“Well, our Kween fonts are photos, and we had a photo shoot with Kween Yasmin, which she was very happy to do. All those poses you’re seeing as letters — she happily did them,” Maisie shared to adobo Magazine.
“Everybody uses emojis every day. There are no conversations without emojis these days. We wanted something that connected with people of all ages, something they could use to express their feelings, and Kweemoji just seemed like a natural thing for people to use in their day-to-day,” Maisie added.
This also rings true for Greggy, who said that the campaign’s strategy was centered on showcasing Canva as an all-purpose tool. This was also aligned perfectly with Kween Yasmin, who is known online for her wide range of talents and her ability to jump between roles effortlessly. Hence, her versatility became the ideal symbol for what Canva can offer.
“Our strategy focused on highlighting the all-purpose nature of Canva, which lent itself naturally to the internet icon, Kween Yasmin’s versatility. By staying true to the brand and to her personality, the campaign found a sweet spot that Filipinos resonated with. With a clear purpose of helping SMBs create ads that stand out, we were able to blend together functionality and fun,” Greggy explained.
By keeping the campaign authentic to both Canva’s brand and Kween Yasmin’s unique personality, the team created something that felt genuine and culturally resonant for Filipinos. With the core goal of empowering SMBs to create attention-grabbing ads, the campaign successfully combined practicality with entertainment and personality, resulting in a balance of functionality and fun.
How to use it?
If you’re a Canva Pro user, you’ll find the campaign under Canva’s “Ey-setts” collection. The set includes a variety of photo libraries such as the “Kween of Signs,” featuring Kween Yasmin holding blank banners that you can customize with text, plus images for wet marketing, “fashown” content, food shots, and even at-home scenes.
You’ll also get access to “Kweemojis” and the “All-Purpose” font set, complete with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation.
According to Greggy, the process behind creating features like the “All-Purpose Photo Library,” “Kween Sans font,” and “Kweemoji” was all about figuring out what kind of assets they would use. They also considered factors such as assets that are most helpful for SMBs, most engaging for Filipino netizens, and what Canva Pro can provide.
“Thanks to the power of our All-Purpose Kween, we were able to create a full brand kit for them, with very specific utilities in mind for each,” Greggy said.
The “All-Purpose Photo Library” features Kween Yasmin in different poses that SMBs can use for their materials. These collections are based on category clichés, so that any business can use them. These photos are situated in funny and unusual backgrounds, but business owners can use Canva Pro’s Background Remover feature to use these in any of their assets.
These include the following:
- “Bite or Flight”: Your typical consumption shots for food and beverage SMBs, situated not in a restaurant, but in a random warehouse.
- “Stock at Home”: Generic stock photo poses, along with the typical mommy poses in a messy home — a staple for many businesses targeted for mothers.
- “Wet Marketing”: Girl boss realness, served in a palengke (market) environment.
- “Kween of Signs”: Poses with signages that will help your headline pop, right in the middle of a boxing ring.
- “Eso Fashown”: The Kween’s signature glamour shots, done right in the middle of the street.
Another is the “Kween Sans.” Per GIGIL, they created these assets as an attention-grabbing typeface for SMBs’ visual headlines, posed by the All-Purpose Kween herself.
“Every pose had to be carefully planned — which ones were needed for each letter, number, or symbol, and how to make it fun,” Greggy shared.
Furthermore, GIGIL shortlisted the most commonly used emoji expressions that both SMBs and the general public use called “Kweemojis.” In this case, the creative agency created a Kween-Yassified version that looks like your typical emoji, which featured Kween Yasmin’s fun and quirky personality.
‘Malayo na, pero malayo pa’
Kween Yasmin expressed her excitement about becoming an endorser for Canva, saying that this opportunity is a realized dream for her.
“Nung natanggap ko po yung offer na yun, hindi ko po inexpect na magpapatuloy ‘yun at hindi ko rin po akalain na kukunin po ako ng Canva po. Then, pagkatapos pong mai-post yun, maraming mga company na ang nag-kocontact sakin. I didn’t expect po na mangyayari yun, na dati-rati ay isang pangarap lang,” Kween Yasmin shared to adobo Magazine.
“Malayo na, pero malayo pa,” she added.
Kween also underscored how she appreciates the resizing tools and the ability to edit videos and text, highlighting her enjoyment of the campaign’s customizable features like the emojis and fonts.
“Na-enjoy ko pong gawin yung mga Kween Sans po, yung mga alphabetical lettering po. That is also my first experience with Yoga Lettering, yung parang i-straight niyo po yung mga body ninyo, mga pangangatawan niyo po para [magawa] yung bawat letra,” she noted.
She also encouraged aspiring business owners to pursue their dreams, emphasizing the importance of finding a market and attracting customers.
“Ipagpatuloy niyo lang po kung ano ang nasimulan niyo, kung ano pong gusto niyong gawing market at gawing business. At kung maaari, maghanap po kayo ng way na may maraming tao para mas maraming dadayo po na mga customers.”
“Kung saan po kayo masaya, i-fulfill niyo lang po yung dream [businesses] niyo at huwag mag-papaapekto sa mga sasabihin ng ibang tao. Ang mahalaga po ay wala kang tinatapakang tao,” Kween Yasmin advised.
An empowering campaign
The brilliance of the campaign lies in its ability to simultaneously entertain, inspire, and provide utility. By embedding Kween Yasmin’s personality into the very tools creators use, Canva Pro and GIGIL didn’t just make an ad — they made a cultural moment. The campaign transforms the idea of celebrity endorsement into something interactive, practical, and thoroughly Filipino.
“We want to make sure that business owners feel empowered regardless of where you are at in your business, whether you’re starting out taking your businesses online for the very first time, or you’re growing your businesses, or you’re already a big name brand. As you can see, those who interacted with their brand and our campaign recently are not just individual business owners, but are actually like large name brands too. And it goes to show that, like there’s something in Canva for everybody,” Maisie said.
For SMBs, freelancers, and creators across the archipelago, the campaign is a playful reminder that with the right tools — and a little creativity — anything is possible. And in this case, that includes designing with the poses of the Philippines’ “all-purpose” queen.
“Canva Pro gives SMBs various tools to boost their business. This campaign demonstrated that by turning Kween Yasmin herself into a set of Pro-exclusive marketing assets designed to help them stand out immediately,” Greggy concluded.
Ultimately, GIGIL’s idea is both ingenious and unapologetically Pinoy brainrot, turning Kween Yasmin into a creative tool that mirrors how Filipino SMBs actually use memes to drive reach and relevance. It works because her hustle and hyper-online presence fold seamlessly into the way local businesses communicate, showing GIGIL’s precision in reading pop culture as a practical engine for marketing.
CREDITS
Canva Philippines
PH Country Lead: Maisie Littaua
PH Operation Business Partner: Jari Reario
PH Campaigns Lead: Neobie Gonzales
PH Social Media Lead: Kei Calaranan
GIGIL Creatives
Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Badong Abesamis
Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer: Herbert Hernandez
Associate Creative Director: Greggy Gregorio
Art Director: Rizia Guico
Art Director: Ynna Milambiling
Art Director: Quatro Los Baños
Art Director: Haui Sacay
Freelance Art Director: Angelo Estrella
Head Of Art: Ronchris Cosme
Copywriter: Raphe Ramirez
Freelance Copywriter: Joaquin Acosta
Copywriter: Iby Elaine Castro
GIGIL Strategy
Strategic Planner: Nanais Hernandez
Junior Strategic Planner: Joaquin Mercado
GIGIL Accounts
Managing Partner: Jake Yrastroza
Group Account Director: Micco Balana
Accounts Supervisor: Marvin Cortez
Account Manager: Koy Jecino
Account Executive: Kelsy Corteza
METAMA Creatives
Partner / Creative Director: Jeano Cruz
Creative Tech Partner: Teejay Jamlang
Junior Art Director: Clister Santos
Junior Web Developer: Rian Perez
Junior Web Developer: Miguel Mangahas
Art Director: Seph Asentista
Freelance Art Director: Bettina Dela Paz Paule
METAMA Accounts
Group Account Director: Bev Lubid
Account Director: Isai Lipa
Account Manager: Kim Tang
Account Executive: Emman Ortiz II
KATOK Creatives
Associate Creative Director: Jasper Cajilig
Senior Art Director: Neil De Luna
Copywriter: Juancho Santos
KATOK Accounts
Managing Partner: Jake Yrastroza
Accounts Supervisor: Kyara Vlahov
Account Manager: Raffy Adurru
NAKS! Media
Media Director: Margie Husmalaga
Media Associate: Maureen Tan
Production — Photoshoot
Producer: Wendy Rivera
EP Montifar: Marie Ann Tuaño
Photographers: Miko Montifar, Gene Britanico
Production Manager: Winston Familara (assisted by Claire Selorio, Amry Claire Perdigon)
Production Designer: Lizette Esther Garcia (assisted by Rosario Boni, Mary Ann Lacra)
Wardrobe: Isabelle Garcia, Marie Fe Davad
Hair And Make Up: Gina Llanto (assisted by Janet Cabale)
Production — Activation
Producer: Ma. Pamela Ungco
DOBB President: Diosa Blancaver
VP Of Production: Rowland Baldoz
Production Manager: Sherwin Lavarinas
Production Supervisor: John Reyes
Project Manager: Marie Joan Bagamasbad
Technical Supervisor: Seth Sablayan
Head Of Operations: Josephine Gloria
