Automated graphic design generator by Software Engineering alumni

From left: Voon and Shane Wen

UTAR alumni Shane Wen Jia Yung and Voon Cherng Jyh who majored in Software Engineering founded “Graphicito” (https://www.graphicito.com/), a platform that allows you to generate unique graphic content automatically for social media graphics, blog posts, product images, and more, without manual designing.

Shane Wen shared how he and his partner started the business, “Voon and I were coursemates and we shared the same interest. At that time, we did not have any experience in running a business, therefore we joined the UTAR Unovate Centre. The centre truly helped to foster an entrepreneurial culture in the campus and nurture and accelerate the successful development of young businesses or start-ups during the early years of our university. The Unovate Centre also provided us with the necessary details to start a business and assigned mentors who helped us run our daily business operations.”

He added, “After some time, we realised that we wanted to upgrade our business to an agency level and serve bigger clients. However, things did not go as expected as most clients were expecting a much lower rate from us as students although we believe our skills matched the prices we bargained. Fortunately, we encountered a few clients that were willing to trust us and they provided us with a fair rate. But, that was when we realised that we were serving the wrong market. The people who rejected our offers were just starting out - a startup business that did not have a budget. Therefore, we wanted to see how we can use our technological skills to provide services to clients without them spending much, and at the same time, fast.”

Graphicito helps people to create graphic content by combining texts, images, logo, and other elements automatically with AI

Voon enthused, “Our first idea was an automated graphic design generator because, from our experience earlier, we understood how people struggled with creating graphic designs, even with tools like Canva. They need to take time to understand the art of combining colours, when to include an image, and what fonts to should use, etc. Even with the provided templates, people were struggling to turn it into a unique template, especially in associating the design with their own branding. Thus, we came up with this idea to help people to create graphic content automatically by combining texts, images, logo, and other elements automatically with AI. This allows them to only choose the final image without manual designing from scratch or from a template. The tool is currently in the Alpha stage, as of January 2021, but the waitlist registration for closed beta is now up at https://graphicito.com. The tool will be available for all for free after launch.”

Newly launched tool for the SMEs

He added, “Another tool that we launched recently was StartupList.my which focuses on SMEs. When we first initiated Graphicito, we were struggling to get our first batch of followers due to the lack of brand awareness. We had to place ourselves in the SMEs’ shoes to understand what they needed. We launched the StartupList to help startups reach the market faster. Any startups that were recently launched (within five years) can list their companies at StartupList.my for free. It will be a great platform for startups to build their first customer base and get spotted by investors!”

When asked about what inspired them to pursue as entrepreneurs, they shared, “We are constantly coming up with new ideas to help budding entrepreneurs or startups to grow their business faster. Although we are also a startup, we strongly believe that the business in the future will depend more strongly on collaborations to help them grow. Instead of competitions, collaborations will help us to expand our businesses better and allow us to have better capabilities to serve our customers better.”

Shane Wen also shared the key element to start and run a successful business, “I will say “Just start it! Do not delay!” We had spent a lot of time trying to perfect our ideas but in the end, 80% of the plans were not used. I think the key element to run a successful business is to keep testing and improving. Besides, be open to other opinions and accept it with an open heart; it is an important aspect to be a successful entrepreneur.”

Voon emphasised, “For those who are starting up a business, when you face any difficulties, don’t be shy to ask for help. You will never know how many people out there who are willing to lend you a hand and guide you throughout your business journey. Barack Obama once said, ‘Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.’ It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.”