Let’s set the scene: you’re a Showit website designer building custom websites for clients and you just wrapped a strategy call. The brand direction is chef’s kiss the copy is perfect, and your client is THRILLED. You open Showit, create a new design, and there it is:

A completely blank page staring back at you like, “Okay bestie, what now?”

Usually, that blank canvas feels exciting and full of possibility, at least it does for me. But if you’ve been designing custom Showit websites for a while, you also know there are seasons when it feels absolutely exhausting.

Because it’s not just one blank page, it’s:

• A homepage
• Services page(s)
• At least 3 blog pages
• An about page
• Opt-ins
• Testimonials
• FAQs
• Contact forms
• Mobile optimization for every single one

And even though every client is different (as they should be), there are structural foundations we end up rebuilding over and over and over again.

That’s exactly why I added The Canvas Builder into my designer toolkit (since I’m an affiliate, you can use code JASHLEY for $100 off! We love transparency!)

My Honest The Canvas Builder Review

If you’re a Showit website designer looking for ways to streamline your workflow without sacrificing custom design, this tool was built with you in mind.

The Canvas Builder is a commercial-use canvas library created specifically for Showit website designers. We’re talking modular sections you can import directly into your Showit library, including hero layouts, testimonial blocks, blog grids, opt-ins, services breakdowns, animations, and more.

It’s essentially a curated library of beautifully designed building blocks, aaand if you design custom Showit websites for a living, you already know how valuable that can be.

The real time drain in website design isn’t always the creative direction, it’s usually the time spent on structure, spacing, and rebuilding the bones before you even get to the fun part where you bring in the aesthetics!

Why You Don’t Need to Build Every Showit Section From Scratch

I need us to collectively release the idea that rebuilding every single section from absolute zero makes you more talented, okay bestie?

I LOVE custom design. I THRIVE on strategy-first builds. I will HAPPILY spend time refining typography hierarchy or obsessing over spacing because that’s where the magic lives.

But do I need to completely reinvent a FAQ layout for the 83rd time this year? I sure don’t! And neither do you.

The Canvas Builder gives you a starting point without taking away your originality or design freedom. Instead of opening Showit and staring at a blank canvas wondering how you want to structure a services section this time, you can pull in a canvas that’s already thoughtfully designed and customize it until it feels completely aligned with the business you’re designing a website for. If you adjust the layout, integrate the brand personality, and layer in animation or fun code snippets, it becomes something totally unique, and yours.

The creative direction for this website is still fully custom, you’re just not burning brain cells on foundational structure that’s already been solved beautifully by Gillian.

How The Canvas Builder Helped Me Launch a Showit Template Shop

One of my big goals at the beginning of 2024 was launching a Showit template shop. I knew I wanted the freedom that came with that additional revenue stream and fewer “must take this client” moments.

But my schedule was always completely booked with high-end custom clients, and it was VERY hard to carve out time to build an entire template from scratch, especially when I didn’t even know if it would sell yet. And if I’m being so honest, the thought of the to-do list that came with building a template scared me. What if I got it all wrong?!

The Canvas Builder made that big goal possible! Instead of building every structural section from absolute zero, I used canvases as the framework for my first template. Then I added in the design aesthetic I wanted for the template, custom frames and illustrations, copy prompts built for conversion, and voila, I had my first template!

The end result looks nothing like a plug-and-play situation. You would never look at that template and think, “Oh, this came from a canvas library.” But the time I saved so that I could start making the money I needed to give myself breathing room in my schedule was massive. All without sacrificing my client experience, which would have been a deal breaker on the template shop for me.

Where I Use It (And Where I Don’t)

I’ve already told you we love transparency, so I want to be clear: I do not use The Showit Canvas Builder for every single client project.

Most of my custom websites begin with strategy first, design second. Sometimes the creative direction is so specific that starting from a blank canvas is 100% the right move, but there are also plenty of moments where efficiency is simply the smarter decision (especially when it comes to those repetitive canvases that you can really only design so many different ways).

Sometimes I’m deep in multiple projects and need to implement a beautifully structured FAQ or testimonial section without overthinking it for six hours. Sometimes I know exactly what a page needs, and there’s no reason to rebuild that foundational layout from scratch when an excellent version already exists and is in my arsenal.

For me, The Canvas Builder isn’t a replacement for custom design, it’s a support system for it. It allows me to protect my creative energy so I can spend it where it actually matters: strategy, refinement, storytelling, and those tiny little design details that make a website feel next-level.

Faster Builds = Happier Clients = More Breathing Room

When I streamline even a small portion of my workflow, there is a massive ripple effect in my business.

I’m able to launch clients sooner, which means they start booking sooner and making more money faster.

I’m able to free up time on my calendar, creating space for more projects or the ability to dedicate time to my goals.

And sometimes (radical thought) I’m able to just end my workday without feeling like my brain is melted from rebuilding the same structure for the tenth time that month.

As Showit website designers, we are creative, strategic, and running real businesses. Protecting our time is part of honoring our talent. The Canvas Builder supports that by reducing friction and giving you a starting point that’s already thoughtfully designed so you can elevate, refine, and customize without reinventing the wheel every time you start a new website.

Designing Smarter (Not Harder) as a Showit Designer

The longer I’ve been in this industry, the more I’ve realized that strong designers aren’t defined by how much they build from scratch, but how intentionally they design. Showit gives us incredible creative freedom, but without sustainable systems in place, sometimes that can quickly turn into burnout.

If you’ve made it this far in my The Canvas Builder review, you can probably tell I love resources that create balance and allow you to maintain originality while streamlining your workflow, so you can move faster without sacrificing intention.

If you’re a Showit designer who values custom work, wants to scale sustainably, or simply wants to stop staring at blank pages longer than necessary, The Canvas Builder is absolutely worth exploring!

You can check it out here: https://thecanvasbuilder.com

Don’t forget to use my affiliate code JASHLEY for $100 off!

Affiliate Disclosure

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you choose to purchase through my link. I only share resources I genuinely believe are valuable and use myself!