We see this one a lot — someone adds an Image element in Document Designer, pastes in a Google Drive link, and the image just doesn't show. Here's exactly why, and the fix.
Why this happens: Document Designer's Image element only accepts a direct image URL — a link that points straight at the raw image file. Google Drive share links don't work this way: they're wrapped in a viewer page, so instead of loading the image itself, SmartSuite hits a Google interface and comes up blank.
The fix — reconstruct the URL:
Make sure the image is shared as Anyone with the link → Viewer
Identify the file/d/ portion of the link
Replace file/d/ with
uc?export=view&idRemove /view?usp=sharing from the end of the URL
Paste that reconstructed link into the Image element's URL field, and it should load correctly.
One thing to check before reconstructing the link: Right-click the file in Google Drive, select Share, and check the General access section. It should be set to "Anyone with the link" (Viewer), not "Restricted." Even if the link opens fine for you in a browser, it may still fail in Document Designer if it's set to Restricted — your own Google login is what's letting it load for you, but nobody else has that same access.
Quick rule of thumb: If pasting the link into a browser opens a page with a preview and other Google UI around it, it's a wrapped link and won't work. If it loads only the raw image with nothing else on the page, it'll work fine.
Run into a Document Designer quirk like this? Tell us below