NDB Imago – why we built our own AI tool
Words by Michael Grupe, Head of Strategic Communications
NDB Imago – why we built our own AI tool
Words by Michael Grupe, Head of Strategic Communications
Does this sound familiar? Existing AI tools can do a lot – just not quite exactly what we need. That’s why we developed our own system, NDB Imago: driven by a desire for independence, precision and an AI that suits the way we work.
There are currently two common ways of talking about AI. One is euphoric: everything is becoming faster, simpler and smarter. The other is sceptical: too much hype, too many promises, too little substance. Both views are valid. Both fall short.
Because, of course, AI is already making a noticeable difference to our work today. It speeds up processes, opens up new avenues and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in a short space of time. But that is precisely why another question is becoming increasingly important: what does an AI tool actually need to be able to do to make it truly relevant to my work?
What we tell our clients’ purchasing departments…
Lorenzo Bizzi, a business graduate, and Frank Lottermann, a design graduate, met whilst at university. They soon discovered their shared passion for design and events – and founded the agency Nordisk Büro in 1996.
Today, the full-service agency – with over 30 staff and offices in Frankfurt and Hamburg – specialises in strategic brand communication with a keen eye for presentation. It has received numerous international awards for its work.
… and how it really was
Lorenzo and Frank met in the late 1980s. They became friends – and stagehands. At the Offenbach Theatre, later at trade fairs, somewhere between cable reels and backdrops.
After completing their studies, they briefly tried the conventional career path:
Frank went to MetaDesign in Berlin, Lorenzo to Accenture in Frankfurt.
After finishing their degrees, they briefly tried out the conventional career path:
Frank went to MetaDesign in Berlin, Lorenzo to Accenture in Frankfurt.
That lasted exactly until Lorenzo rang Frank:
“Mate, come back to Frankfurt – we’re doing something awesome.”
The financial basis for this idea was modest at first. In other words: parties.
They rented a vacant building with a 600-square-metre warehouse next to the freight station. They told Deutsche Bahn they would be “storing event equipment” there. Deutsche Bahn believed them. They were given keys, a contract – and, remarkably, never a rent invoice. Perhaps that explains Deutsche Bahn’s empty coffers.
What we tell our clients’ purchasing departments…
Lorenzo Bizzi, a business graduate, and Frank Lottermann, a design graduate, met whilst at university. They soon discovered their shared passion for design and events – and founded the agency Nordisk Büro in 1996.
Today, the full-service agency – with over 30 staff and offices in Frankfurt and Hamburg – specialises in strategic brand communication with a keen eye for presentation. It has received numerous international awards for its work.
… and how it really was
Lorenzo and Frank met in the late 1980s. They became friends – and stagehands. At the Offenbach Theatre, later at trade fairs, somewhere between cable reels and backdrops.
After completing their studies, they briefly tried the conventional career path:
Frank went to MetaDesign in Berlin, Lorenzo to Accenture in Frankfurt.
After finishing their degrees, they briefly tried out the conventional career path:
Frank went to MetaDesign in Berlin, Lorenzo to Accenture in Frankfurt.
That lasted exactly until Lorenzo rang Frank:
“Mate, come back to Frankfurt – we’re doing something awesome.”
The financial basis for this idea was modest at first. In other words: parties.
They rented a vacant building with a 600-square-metre warehouse next to the freight station. They told Deutsche Bahn they would be “storing event equipment” there. Deutsche Bahn believed them. They were given keys, a contract – and, remarkably, never a rent invoice. Perhaps that explains Deutsche Bahn’s empty coffers.
We have been grappling with this question intensively over the past few months. We were on the hunt for THE tool for image creation, editing and optimisation. A little cliffhanger: we didn’t find it. Not yet, anyway. But first things first: we tested, compared, discarded and rethought. Many tools could do a lot. Some could do even more. Unfortunately, however, none of them could do exactly what we had in mind – and we admit our expectations were very specific.
Tailored implementation rather than a multitude of options
We wanted a tool that suited our way of thinking and working: our blend of strategic thinking, creative development, design standards and our project requirements. We didn’t want a system that impressed us with its range of possibilities. We wanted one that would genuinely make us better at what we do on a day-to-day basis. So this search led to a fairly clear decision: if the right tool didn’t exist, we’d simply build it ourselves. That’s how NDB Imago came into being.
Unconstrained by platform-specific logic that doesn’t suit our way of working. Unconstrained by promises of functionality that look good in a demo but prove only partially useful in day-to-day project work. And unconstrained by the notion that creative and strategic processes can simply be delegated to just any system. Because we don’t believe in that.
A working tool rather than an effects machine
We do not believe that good work is achieved simply by collecting as many tools as possible. We believe that good work is produced when tools are precisely tailored to tasks, ways of thinking and quality standards. That is why we conceived NDB Imago not as an effects machine, but as a working tool. As a system that takes our requirements seriously. As an environment in which we can not only generate things, but also develop them further in a targeted manner, test them, refine them and translate them into concrete applications.
Yes, that may sound less spectacular than many grand AI promises. But for us, it’s far more relevant. Because ultimately, it all comes down to whether it actually does the right thing in practice. This is particularly crucial in creative work. Anyone who works with ideas, brands, content, images and communication on a daily basis knows that not every quick solution is a good solution. Not every variation is a viable alternative. And not every result is ready for presentation straight away.
We built NDB Imago because we have a clear vision.
Have we succeeded? We are, at the very least, proud that we didn’t take the easy route, but instead invested in a solution that takes us further. As is often the case, NDB Imago isn’t finished yet. It may never be. It continues to evolve because we’re working with it ourselves. It’s getting better because our requirements are specific and we’re constantly optimising it based on our experience. Perhaps that’s precisely its greatest advantage: it doesn’t stem from abstract product logic, but from real-world practice.
NDB Imago is our own attempt to bring the hype surrounding AI tools down to earth for us. If you’d like to see how we work with it, we’d be happy to show you.
We have been grappling with this question intensively over the past few months. We were on the hunt for THE tool for image creation, editing and optimisation. A little cliffhanger: we didn’t find it. Not yet, anyway. But first things first: we tested, compared, discarded and rethought. Many tools could do a lot. Some could do even more. Unfortunately, however, none of them could do exactly what we had in mind – and we admit our expectations were very specific.
Tailored implementation rather than a multitude of options
We wanted a tool that suited our way of thinking and working: our blend of strategic thinking, creative development, design standards and our project requirements. We didn’t want a system that impressed us with its range of possibilities. We wanted one that would genuinely make us better at what we do on a day-to-day basis. So this search led to a fairly clear decision: if the right tool didn’t exist, we’d simply build it ourselves. That’s how NDB Imago came into being.
Unconstrained by platform-specific logic that doesn’t suit our way of working. Unconstrained by promises of functionality that look good in a demo but prove only partially useful in day-to-day project work. And unconstrained by the notion that creative and strategic processes can simply be delegated to just any system. Because we don’t believe in that.
A working tool rather than an effects machine
We do not believe that good work is achieved simply by collecting as many tools as possible. We believe that good work is produced when tools are precisely tailored to tasks, ways of thinking and quality standards. That is why we conceived NDB Imago not as an effects machine, but as a working tool. As a system that takes our requirements seriously. As an environment in which we can not only generate things, but also develop them further in a targeted manner, test them, refine them and translate them into concrete applications.
Yes, that may sound less spectacular than many grand AI promises. But for us, it’s far more relevant. Because ultimately, it all comes down to whether it actually does the right thing in practice. This is particularly crucial in creative work. Anyone who works with ideas, brands, content, images and communication on a daily basis knows that not every quick solution is a good solution. Not every variation is a viable alternative. And not every result is ready for presentation straight away.
We built NDB Imago because we have a clear vision.
Have we succeeded? We are, at the very least, proud that we didn’t take the easy route, but instead invested in a solution that takes us further. As is often the case, NDB Imago isn’t finished yet. It may never be. It continues to evolve because we’re working with it ourselves. It’s getting better because our requirements are specific and we’re constantly optimising it based on our experience. Perhaps that’s precisely its greatest advantage: it doesn’t stem from abstract product logic, but from real-world practice.
NDB Imago is our own attempt to bring the hype surrounding AI tools down to earth for us. If you’d like to see how we work with it, we’d be happy to show you.
