The agent’s answer
Asked directly about using design tools like Canva, Kelly gives an unambiguous no, framing herself as 'the boring high school teacher' insisting on plain formatting because it's simply easier to read at speed. She explains the proposal is an internally circulated document, so visual polish doesn't register the way content quality does. Her one carve-out is an artist adding spot illustrations: she cites a pastel-artist client who had no imagery in her proposal, suggested adding some because the author was known for her art and had a substantial online platform, and the project ended up as a four-color, fully illustrated book. Otherwise, she tells writers bluntly that the time is better spent on one more content pass.