Behind the work Design & Automation 05 case notes

Design that
scales.

In my last role, my job was not just to make things look good. It was to remove friction, reduce errors, and speed up production across print and e-commerce.

That meant looking beyond design tools and asking one simple question repeatedly:

The question

“Why are we still doing this manually?”

Below are a few examples of how I approached problems and built systems to solve them.

01

Turning messy print workflows into repeatable systems

Personalised print products are naturally chaotic. Customer images arrive in all shapes and qualities, specs differ by product, and small mistakes cause costly reprints. Rather than treating each order as a one-off, I designed the workflow first, then the artwork.

What I did
  • Built standardized templates for masks, mugs, beer mats, napkins, wrapping paper, and more.
  • Locked down print specs (size, bleed, DPI, colour profiles) so every file was production-ready by default.
  • Designed files for automation, not manual editing.

Once the system was clear, automation became possible.

02

Automating repetitive print tasks

After mapping the workflow, I started removing human bottlenecks to reduce friction and keep production moving.

What I automated
  • Batch-placing customer images into templates.
  • Auto-generating print and cut files.
  • Creating spec sheets and production reports.
  • Flagging missing or incorrect assets before they reached production.
Impact
  • Reduced manual errors, designer fatigue, and time spent on repetitive setup.
  • Increased output, consistency, and confidence on the production floor.
03

Scaling e-commerce imagery without sacrificing quality

E-commerce listings bring a different challenge: volume. Each product often needs multiple mockups, color variants, Amazon-specific image sizes, and A+ content modules. Doing this manually does not scale.

My approach
  • Created reusable mockup templates with fixed print positions.
  • Automated colour and variant switching.
  • Built consistent naming and folder structures so files could be generated, uploaded, and tracked reliably.
Result
  • Launched more products faster while maintaining brand consistency.
  • Updated listings without redesigning everything from scratch.
04

Designing with production in mind

A big part of my value came from understanding how things are actually made. I worked closely with production methods including sublimation, UV, DTF, DTG, screen printing and laser. That knowledge shaped every file I delivered.

How it changed the work
  • Avoided artwork that would fail in real-world printing.
  • Designed layouts that were forgiving, not fragile.
  • Reduced back-and-forth between design and production.

Good design is not just visual. It is practical.

05

Why this matters

The result of all this was not just nicer files. It meant faster turnaround times, fewer mistakes, less stress for designers and production staff, and more products launched with the same team.

I see design as a system, not just an output. If a process feels painful, repetitive, or fragile, it can usually be redesigned.

What I bring to every role

Creative problem solving, operational thinking.

I bring a mindset that blends creative problem solving with operational thinking. When something slows a team down, I dig into the root cause and design a better way to work. That is the value I add beyond the visuals.

Could this thinking help your team?

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a conversation.

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