Custom Overlays

Last updated: October 28, 2026

Custom overlays let you design your own branded layer for your job ad images, with your logo, job title, location and a call to action, all in an editor inside Wonderkind NEXT. If your brand has a style guide to follow, you can rebuild your existing designs or import them straight from Canva. Every job is then filled in automatically.

Each account sees only its own custom overlays. Once you save one, you can pick it in the campaign wizard or in an automation, just like a default template.

Before you start

  • You need content management permissions to create or edit overlays. Users with view-only access can browse the Overlay Library but can't make changes.

  • Set up your logo, brand colours and font under Account Settings → Account brand. Custom overlays use them automatically.

  • If you don't see the Custom overlays tab, contact our support team to have it switched on for your account.

Where to find custom overlays

  1. Click Creative Studio in the sidebar.

  2. Click Image Overlays.

  3. The Overlay Library has two tabs:

    • Default templates: ready-made designs from Wonderkind.

    • Custom overlays: the designs your account has created or imported.

Creating a new overlay

  1. In Image Overlays, click New overlay (top right).

  2. The editor opens. Add your text, shapes and images the way you want your ad to look.

  3. Give each layer you want NEXT to fill in a name from the Layer names panel (see below).

  4. Click Save. You'll see an Overlay saved message, and NEXT takes you back to the Custom overlays tab, where your new overlay now appears.

To change an existing overlay, open the Custom overlays tab and click the overlay. It opens in the editor as Edit overlay.

Importing a design from Canva

Already have your design in Canva? You can import it instead of starting from scratch.

  1. In Canva, open your design and go to Share → Public view link, then copy the link.

  2. In NEXT, go to Image Overlays and click Import from Canva.

  3. Paste the link into Canva public view link. It looks like https://www.canva.com/design/…/view.

  4. Click Import. A progress bar shows each step: reading your design, converting layers and preparing the editor. This can take up to a minute.

  5. When the import finishes, your design opens in the editor and appears under Custom overlays.

  6. Rename the layers using the Layer names panel so NEXT can fill in your job details.

Good to know:

  • Only static designs can be imported. Videos and animations aren't supported.

  • The link must be public. If the import is rejected, check the sharing settings in Canva.

  • If the import takes too long, try again in a moment. If the first attempt finishes later, the design will still appear under Custom overlays.

Using layer names

NEXT fills your overlay with each job's details and your brand colours based on layer names. Click Layer names in the editor to open the panel, then click the copy button next to a name and paste it as the name of the matching layer.

Tips:

  • Names must match exactly, and they are case-sensitive. A layer called Text-Title won't be filled in.

  • Every layer is optional. Layers with other names keep the text and design you gave them.

Job details

Each of these is filled with the details of the job being advertised.

Layer name

Type

What it shows

text-title

Text

The job title. Also uses your brand font and title size.

text-company

Text

Company name

text-location

Text

Job location

text-salary

Text

Salary ⚠

text-cta

Text

Call to action, for example "Apply now", in the campaign's language

image-logo

Image

Your account logo

background

Image

The ad image or video

Salary: overlays that use text-salary are hidden for jobs without a salary, so those jobs can't use that overlay.

Brand styling

Each of these is coloured with your brand colours from Account brand. Leave them out if you want to keep your own colours.

Layer name

Type

What it does

text-company-with-bg

Text

Company name on your brand overlay colour

text-cta-with-bg

Text

Call to action on your brand overlay colour

shape-gradient-v

Shape

Fades from your brand overlay colour to transparent, top to bottom

shape-background-opacity-0.3

Shape

Your brand overlay colour at 30% opacity

shape-background-opacity-0.4

Shape

Your brand overlay colour at 40% opacity

shape-background-opacity-0.45

Shape

Your brand overlay colour at 45% opacity

shape-opacity-0.9

Shape

Your brand overlay colour at 90% opacity

shape-background-opacity-1

Shape

Your brand overlay colour at full opacity

shape-logo-opacity-1

Shape

Your brand text colour, for example behind or around the logo

Using a custom overlay in a campaign

  1. Create a campaign and go to the Creative step.

  2. Under Make your ad stand out with a design, your custom overlays are listed before the default templates.

  3. Select your overlay. NEXT shows a preview on your selected image.

  4. To adjust the font, colours or call to action for this campaign only, click Edit design.

Using a custom overlay in an automation

  1. Open your automation flow and go to the Branded overlays section.

  2. Open the Custom tab and select your overlay.

  3. Save the rule to apply it.

Troubleshooting

  • My job details don't show up on the overlay. Check the layer names in the editor. They must match the names in the Layer names panel exactly, including upper and lower case.

  • My overlay doesn't show up for some jobs. If it uses text-salary, it's hidden for jobs without a salary.

  • My Canva import failed. Make sure the link is a public view link and that the design has no video or animation.