Design automation is about creating new jobs, not rendering existing ones obsolete

If you’re a graphic designer, or someone who works in the digital design space, the idea of templatization and automated optimization can be a little unsettling. A process or platform that’s taking the human factor out of a brand’s creation cycle? I know it certainly sounds foreboding, but the reality, much like the industry itself, is far more dynamic and progressive than you might think.

Creating jobs, not destroying them

Here at KAN, we’re all about building brands and crafting workflows that communicate the clearest of messages in the most optimal of ways. We call it design automation. And unlike others, we’ve fully embraced the use of templates. And here’s the thing - it’s enhanced our business beyond what we dared hope. Thanks to our partnership with CHILI publish, the way we build, maintain and enhance brand communications has been transformed. So much so that we’ve created an entirely new team filled with a talented group of people I like to call ‘Template Creators’.

MacGyvering our way forward

This garrison of graphically-minded designers is 15-strong right now, and they’re all entirely focused on maximizing the effectiveness and usability of CHILI publisher, the Universal Graphics Engine, for KAN and our Kadanza platform. Ten of these employees are full-stack template creators and bring their wide-ranging graphic skills to the table when it comes to creating template artwork and responding to customer needs. They’re designers, DTP experts and product developers who want to MacGyver a design into something more. Turning an original design into a template that allows for omnichannel repurposing, activates what Kevin Goeminne calls the CORE principle – Create Once, Repurpose everywhere. And it calls for a skillset that goes beyond creativity. It appeals to digital, social, marketing skills and calls for the MacGyver army knife agility of the modern-day designer. Their invaluable experience in the online environment with personalization at scale, customization, regionalization, localization and more is reflected in every single template we create.

Creativity and strategy rewarded

The rest of our team are comprised of senior members who provide an invaluable insight into the deeper application and powerful tech features that the #UGE offers in droves. Through their leadership, we’re not just using a brand platform - we’re building a roll-out strategy that’s scaling templates throughout the entire business of the brand. They’re the hybrid marketers crafting the brand, brewing the magic formula and making sure tech keeps up to par with strategy and roll-out. They’re CHILI publisher experts who know how to translate the tech benefits into marketing ROI towards the customer.

The optimized future, today

The team was only established early in the year, and it’s already proved to be a tremendous new dimension within KAN and Kadanza. We’ve built a brand-new squad of talented individuals by investing in their creativity in combination with the potential of CHILI publish. Think of it as an investment in human capital on top of the investment in tech capital - both leveraged against our business capital. The sum of all capital is what enabled us to grow and evolve last year.

In 2019, and beyond, our troupe of template creators is going to continue to find new and exciting ways to use the streamlined effectiveness of templatization and I can’t wait to see how it’ll benefit our brand clients, our business and the wider design industry.

So if you think there’s a loss of jobs in our sector, it’s time to think more clearly and open your mind. New developments and innovations lead to more career opportunities and creative endeavors. We’re living, omnichannel-ready proof.