I’ve always embraced the saying, “If you can say it, you can do it.” While it’s often shared with a touch of humor—because, let’s be honest, it doesn’t apply to everything—it stems from a common question I hear from clients: Can we automate content creation from complex, varied data? At first, their ideas might seem far-fetched, even impossible. But with curiosity and creativity, solutions often emerge.

Take this scenario, for example:
“Can we generate charts in InDesign from an Excel sheet? Can those charts be automatically exported as individual files, each named according to the data in the sheet?”

I know this sounds a bit technical, but this is exactly where I thrive — developing or even inventing solutions that simplify the workflow for graphic designers.

My journey began in 2008 when a renowned Danish kitchen supplier approached me with an offer to work as a freelancer. Initially, it was meant to be just 14 days leading up to the summer holidays. However, those 14 days quickly turned into months and eventually years. At the time, someone was responsible for creating data for their price list. When that person moved on to a new job, they were eager to pass along this rather tedious task to the next “volunteer.”

Since no one volunteered to take this task off his hands, I offered to take it on myself. With a natural inclination for data-focused tasks, I welcomed the challenge. Realising how time-consuming it truly was, I set out to discover ways to approach it more efficiently and work smarter.

It all began with a discovery. I came across software like EasyCatalog and developed small scripts to simplify the daunting task of exporting all language versions to use for digital and print.

While still tackling graphic design challenges, the idea of merging stunning design with data to automate creation captivated me entirely.

I was fortunate to have the freedom to implement solutions for the price list, which allowed me to experiment with various approaches to automation. Over the years, as my network expanded, I tackled a wide range of tasks with a consistent focus on improving efficiency and accuracy.

Customers unexpectedly started requesting my graphic outputs to review and validate their data—a reversal of the usual process. This approach not only simplified their workload by offering a clear visualization of product information but also allowed me to support them more effectively by participating in the internal proofreading process.

Collaborations