A made-to-order canvas lives on your wall for years, so the words need to age well. Some quotes feel fresh for a month and then start to grate. Others become part of the room. Here is how to tell the difference before you open the Canvas Builder.
The three-room test
Imagine the canvas hanging in three different rooms of your home, and ask whether the words still work in each. A phrase that only makes sense in one very specific mood, such as a joke about Monday mornings, usually has a short life. A phrase that is true in many moods, such as something about home or family, keeps its meaning.
Prefer the specific to the generic
Quotes that could hang in any shop window tend to fade into the background. Words that belong to you, such as a line your grandmother said or a phrase from your own wedding, stay interesting because no one else has them. Even a very simple personal detail beats a famous phrase everyone has seen.
Avoid the trend phrase
Look at the words on every card shop shelf this year. Those are the ones that will look dated soonest. If you love one of them, that is fine, but ask whether you would still choose it if it were not everywhere. Our gallery leans on steady ideas, such as Always & Forever, that do not depend on a moment.
Check the tone against the room
Words you will see daily should be able to live in your space. Something cheerful and bold needs a room that can carry it. Something calm and quiet sits happily in a bedroom or a reading corner. Match the voice of the words to the voice of the room.
Give it a week
Write the words down on paper, stick the paper where the canvas will hang, and look at it every day for a week. If you are still happy at the end, the words have passed. If you find yourself skipping over them, think again.
Choose design that ages well too
Timeless words deserve a timeless treatment. Classic combinations, such as black on white or white on a textured white canvas, hold up for years. Our guide to timeless wording and design goes deeper on this. When you have settled on your words, build them in the Builder and see how they feel at size.
Ready to Create Your Own Canvas?
Use our Canvas Builder to bring your vision to life with custom typography and design.
Start Designing