Trimble
Exploring Variation: Digital Ad Set Design
Project Detail
Trimble Marketing Display Ads
(6 Ad Sets)
Role
Graphic Designer
Marketing Designer
Layout Specialist
Duration
June 2025
(3 days)
Tools
Canva
Brief
Create 6 new ad sets in various sizes (970x250, 300x250, 728x90, 320x50, 160x600, 300x600) in Canva for Trimble’s digital marketing library. Each set needed editable text, swappable photos, and consistent branding, while offering distinct design treatments to measure engagement and identify top-performing ads.
Overview
The project focused on balancing Trimble’s brand consistency with creative variety. By designing distinct ad variations in Canva, the marketing team could track performance, measure engagement, and determine which visuals resonated most with their audience.
Solution
I developed 6 Canva ad sets using different treatments (dark mode, blurred backgrounds, full-image layouts, text hierarchy, and bold color-only concepts) while keeping logos, CTAs, and typography consistent to ensure editability and brand alignment.
Research
Target Audience
Marketing managers and campaign specialists, ages 25 – 45
Marketing Specialist who need flexible, on-brand ad templates that can be easily edited while testing different creative directions for engagement.
Challenges
Old Design
Static Layouts: Non-Editable Ads
Repetitive visuals
Previous ads lacked variation, making it harder to test which designs performed best.
Limited flexibility
Non-designers struggled to update or swap images in existing templates (e.g. replacing a cut-out person required advanced background removal skills in Canva).
Narrow style range
Most ads followed the same dark themes without exploring new brand applications.
User needs
Editable ad templates with consistent branding
Clear logo and CTA placement across all sets
Enough variation to test performance
User goals
Launch campaigns quickly without design bottlenecks
Identify which ad styles drive the most engagement
User frustrations
Ads that look too similar limit performance testing
Overly rigid templates slow down updates
Provide a range of ad variations
to track engagement
Designed 6 unique ad sets with varied
layouts, text hierarchy, and backgrounds
Need & Solution
Ensure templates are editable
for non-designers
Built all sets in Canva with editable text and
image frames
Goal
Expand beyond existing brand treatments
to test new directions
Kept logo, CTA, and typography consistent
to reinforce brand recognition
Increase campaign flexibility and performance tracking by delivering versatile, brand-aligned ad sets that allow Trimble to measure engagement across multiple creative directions
Design
Design System
Font
Color
Tone of Voice
Bold & Modern
Flexible
Engaging
Digital Ad Set
Canva
Digital Ad Set #1 (Dark Mode Variation)
Explored a dark mode treatment using Trimble gray 11 (#171c1e), paired with bold font hierarchy and clean typography. This version pushed contrast and readability while staying brand-aligned.
728 x 90 px
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
Digital Ad Set #2 (Dark Mode With Image Focus)
Extended the dark mode with Trimble Gray 10 (#252a2e) approach but incorporated prominent photography and varied text hierarchy, balancing bold visuals with flexible layouts.
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
728 x 90 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
Digital Ad Set #3 (Fully Trimble Gold)
Designed a no-image version using Trimble’s gold brand color, thumbprint pattern, and curves for visual interest. Relied solely on typography and layout to create impact and flexibility.
728 x 90 px
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
728 x 90 px
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
Digital Ad Set #4 (Blurred Backgrounds)
Tested blurred photo effects as a background treatment, ensuring headlines remain legible while keeping images easy to swap for non-designers.
Digital Ad Set #5 (Full Background Image with Text Block)
Used a full-bleed background photo with a solid overlay block for text, combining strong photography with structured readability.
728 x 90 px
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
Digital Ad Set #6 (Light Mode Layout)
Created a light mode variation with caps for headers, sentence case for body text, and a faded image treatment for a clean, approachable look.
728 x 90 px
300 x 250 px
970 x 250 px
320 x 50 px
160 x 600 px
300 x 600 px
Discovered
Visual variation makes it easier to measure engagement and identify which design treatments resonate.
Learned
Building ads in Canva with editable frames empowers non-designers to update campaigns quickly.
Takeaway
Good ad design isn’t just about visuals. it’s about flexibility, usability, and performance-driven experimentation.