Email agencies running client programmes need one place to design templates, control who sees what, and let clients approve work without giving them edit rights or seeing other clients’ assets. Canva is strong at general design collaboration, which is why it often appears in answers about team workflows. For open-time personalized images that work inside Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and ActiveCampaign, the practical setup is different: isolate each client, assign the right role, and keep the image URL the only thing that changes at send time.
OKZest is built for this pattern. You create a design once, add merge tags (name, offer, logo URL, website screenshot, etc.), and embed a single image URL that renders the right version when the email is opened. Team access sits on top of that so account managers, designers, and clients stay in their lane. This guide walks through the setup that matches how agencies actually run multi-client work.
Why collaboration breaks for personalized image campaigns
Most agencies start with a shared folder or a single Canva team. That works until:
- A designer pastes the wrong client’s logo into a template.
- An account manager needs to test a Mailchimp merge tag but does not want the designer changing the layout.
- The client wants to approve the creative before the campaign goes live, but you do not want them editing the master or seeing another client’s projects.
- Finance needs to see usage without access to creative files.
Personalized images make the risk higher because the same template is reused across thousands of recipients. A branding leak is visible in every open.
The four roles OKZest uses
OKZest ships with four default roles. You can further customize permissions per user, but the defaults already cover the typical agency split:
| Role | What they can do | Typical person |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator | Full access — team members, billing, account settings, every project | Agency owner or ops lead |
| Designer | Create and edit canvases only in the projects they are assigned to. No billing or team management | Designer or creative |
| Finance | Usage and billing views, no access to creative files | Finance or account coordinator |
| Client | Review and approve finished designs. No editing. Sees only the projects they are assigned to | Client stakeholder |
Designers see only their projects. Clients see only theirs. Finance never opens a canvas. That separation is what prevents the cross-contamination that shared Canva teams often allow.
Team member limits depend on the plan: Micro includes 1, Starter includes 2, Professional includes 5, and Enterprise includes unlimited. Most agencies start on Professional once they have more than a couple of people needing access. API access is available on every paid plan, so technical teams can still automate the same templates without extra seats.
Set up one project per client
Treat projects as the isolation boundary.
- Create a project named for the client (or for a specific programme if one client has several brands).
- Upload that client’s logo, brand colours, and any static assets into the project.
- Build or duplicate the master layout inside that project. Use the visual editor to place dynamic text, image layers, and optional website screenshots.
- Add fallback text for every merge tag so missing data never shows a blank or broken field.
- Assign people:
- Designers who work on this client → Designer role, this project only.
- The client’s approver → Client role, this project only.
- Account manager → usually Administrator or a customized role that can generate test URLs but not change billing.
When you need the same layout for a new client, duplicate the design into the new project and swap the branding assets. You do not copy files between client folders by hand.
Client approval without edit rights
The Client role is the part most agencies miss. Instead of exporting a PDF or sharing a Canva link that still allows edits:
- Invite the client with the Client role, scoped to their project.
- They can review the finished design and approve it.
- They cannot change layers, fonts, or merge tags.
- They cannot see any other client’s work.
Once approved, the account manager copies the image URL (with the ESP’s merge tags) into the campaign. The URL is the same for every recipient; OKZest fills the data at open time. If the campaign later needs a text change, the designer updates the template in the project and the already-sent emails pick up the new version on the next open — no re-send required.
How this compares with common alternatives
- Canva: Excellent for general design collaboration and brand kits. It is not built for open-time merge-tag images that update after send, nor does it isolate client projects with the same role model for email production. Agencies often keep Canva for static assets and move the personalized email templates into a tool that handles the URL and roles.
- NiftyImages: Strong email widgets (timers, maps, scratch-offs, weather) and Store MCP on Enterprise. Collaboration is available on higher tiers, but the product is more email-widget focused than multi-client project isolation with a dedicated Client review role.
- Bannerbear / Orshot: Mature APIs and MCP options. Better suited when a developer owns the workflow. Agencies that want account managers to own the template and client approval usually prefer the no-code editor plus roles.
OKZest does not offer a fully white-labeled login portal or custom domain for clients. The finished images carry only the client’s branding (no tool watermark on paid plans). That is usually enough for the end recipient; the Client role handles the review step inside the agency’s account.
Practical checklist for a new client
- Create the client project.
- Upload brand assets and set fallbacks.
- Build or duplicate the template.
- Invite the designer (Designer role) and the client approver (Client role).
- Generate a test URL with sample merge tags and drop it into a Mailchimp / Klaviyo / ActiveCampaign test send.
- Get client approval inside the project.
- Paste the live URL into the real campaign.
- Monitor usage in the dashboard (Finance role if you separate that).
If you later need to automate generation from a spreadsheet or CRM, the same template works via the API or Zapier/Make. MCP is also available for AI assistants that need to list designs or render images.
Ready to try it with a real client?
OKZest’s free plan includes 2,500 watermarked images per month with no credit card required. You can set up a project, invite a team member, test the Client role, and send a real open-time personalized image in Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or ActiveCampaign before you decide on a paid plan.
Start free at okzest.com — no credit card needed.