Building the Future of Design Operations
TL;DR
I, Rahmi Halaby, founded Ideate after identifying key inefficiencies in designers’ processes, while running my design agency, which worked with brands like Nike, Google, and Formula One. Designers spend too much time on mundane operational tasks instead of creating, so Ideate was born to allow designers to just design.
What is Ideate?
An AI-powered workspace that lets designers focus on the work that takes their talent not their time.
Key Features include:
Mockup Generator, Feedback Translators, Automated Brand Presentation Builders, Design Manager Dashboard, Drag-and-Drop Progress Updates
Next Steps:
Ideate is fast-tracking development with a new engineer but needs additional funding for growth. They’re actively engaging designers for feedback and preparing for a pre-seed raise.
Get Involved:
Designers & investors, reach out to rahmi@ideatebetter.com to collaborate or learn more!
THE BEGINNING
Prior to starting Ideate, I founded a design studio called Linden Ave Studio. At Linden Ave, we worked with clients like Nike, Formula One, Google, Deloitte, and many other legacy brands. I noticed that, as designers, there was a lot of time being spent on tasks that were not creating.
Often times, our creative development process felt rushed because we had to do things like create a brand presentation or try to figure out what a client meant by “can you make this more fun?”
If we didn’t have to spend time on these mundane, but essential tasks, we would be able to work happier, work more meaningfully, and work more efficiently, which as an studio owner was music to my ears.
From there, I spent a ton of time brainstorming a solution, talking to other designers (over 1000), and trying to see if there was a more optimized way that this work was being done. The sentiment I heard from designers was “Idk but it sure would be nice.” so I got to work… and Ideate was created.
WHAT IS IT?
We are busy imagining a world where designers can just design. One day, a designer will be able to complete their creative development in their favorite tools like Figma and Adobe, while Ideate removes their operational headaches at every step, from onboarding to offboarding.
To get there, we are building an AI enhanced workspace for creative teams. It allows designers to automate their repetitive and time-consuming operational design tasks so that their time can be spent on the high impact creative work like building the brands that we know and love.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Our team is building out some amazing features that will integrate seamlessly into a designers workflow including (but not limited to):
Mockup Generators - Instantly turn creative assets in to billboards, posters, and other hi resolution mockups
Feedback Translators - Vague and confusing feedback is now actionable design tasks
Automated Brand Presentation Builders - Create captivating brand decks in minutes
Design Manager Dashboards - See exactly what your team is working on, what’s causing delays, where employees are thriving, how much time your team is saving, and more
Drag-and-Drop Progress Updates - Inform clients and stakeholders of your milestones in seconds
NEXT STEPS
Our top priority is getting this innovative tool in the hands of designers. To accomplish that goal, we recently hired a 2nd engineer to increase our coding output and speed up our timeline for releasing our initial version!
Unfortunately, an undertaking like this one doesn’t get done without additional capital. We have been lucky enough to participate in some pitch competitions and grant programs where they saw the value of this innovate tool and through that have been able to keep the dream going, but we understand that is not sustainable long term and are pursuing multiple investment avenues.
Our number one tool is our ears. We will continue to listen to designers of all backgrounds and focuses in our attempt to be a resource and make your lives easier.
GET INVOLVED
Designers: Reach out to rahmi@ideatebetter.com. If you know me you know I love to talk. I’m happy to demo our prototype for you, hear your perspective on what we are building, or even just nerd out over some design talk!
Investors: We are gearing up for our pre-seed raise. Reach out to rahmi@ideatebetter.com to learn how you can be at the forefront of design innovation.