Last Updated on August 9, 2024
Kaushik Vijay is the founder and creative director of House of Blue Beans, a premier 3D visualization company with over 15 years of experience and global expertise. Kaushik and his team help companies use cutting-edge technologies like CGI, augmented reality, and virtual reality to make their clients Metaverse-ready.
Kaushik has over 15 years of experience creating captivating digital content, and has been helping brands excel at selling their online products since 2011. Kaushik is a digital innovator and creative visionary who helps boost sales and cut operational costs for DTC companies working in the home hardware, consumer electronics, consumer packaged goods, furniture and decor, real estate and building materials.
With a broad spectrum of digital skills, he focuses on hands-on production and building scalable content pipelines using frontier technologies like CGI, AR and VR to help companies sell products across channels through solutions like lifestyle imagery, product imagery, functionality videos, 360 shopping experiences, 3D interactive experiences amongst several other innovative solutions using the realm of 3D technologies. In turn, unlocking new revenue streams and increasing sales for all brands he works with–something every company is pressed to do with the demands of e-commerce.
Having worked with over 50 clients globally, Vijay and his team at House of Blue Beans have worked with companies including Lowe’s Home Improvement, Target, Wyze Labs, and Urban Ladder. He has ushered 3D technologies into creative direction allowing companies to have a myriad of different listing options, from CGI to Augmented Reality and has helped create detailed product catalogs of over 25,000 items for brands. In turn, he helped slash production costs by over 75%.
As a pioneer in the field of digital transformation, Kaushik is an industry leader at the forefront of digital marketing, unlocking new revenue streams for all companies. He speaks about the rise of CGI in product listings, what keeps him going, and his advice to young creatives.
Why did you want to start your agency in 2011, house of blue beans?
Coming from humble beginnings, my foundation was rooted in resilience and determination, instilled by my father’s service as a Navy officer. While navigating the rigid structures of mainstream education and conventional tech trajectories in India, I discovered a restless spirit that yearned for more. Choosing to defy the status quo, I ventured into the dynamic realms of 2D and 3D design, fueling my creative passions and propelling me to new heights. Embracing a bold pursuit of excellence, I embarked on a transformative journey that transcended borders, culminating in the attainment of a 3D Digital Design degree from UCA, Rochester, amidst the trials of the 2008 recession.
After graduating, how did you find a job?
Returning to my homeland with a zeal for innovation and a thirst for impact, I found myself amidst the chaotic landscape of startup culture, commuting tirelessly to nurture my aspirations. Witnessing firsthand the challenges faced by professionals in the 3D industry, I resolved to be the change I wished to see. Guided by an unwavering belief in the power of community and creativity, I embarked on a mission to create a sanctuary for dreamers and doers, championing diversity and camaraderie. This vision propelled me towards the founding of my own startup, a testament to the audacity of dreaming big and the courage to forge a path where others saw boundaries.
Why are more cutting-edge creative strategies needed for corporations?
The playing field is constantly evolving! New businesses entering the market are leveraging cutting edge technologies like Generative AI to help them scale rapidly and capture market share and compete with large enterprises.
It is important for creative teams to remember that Generative AI and any further advancements using generative AI and other technologies are nothing but tools in their tool belt that enhance their abilities to deliver greater impact!
An example of how my company and I leveraged Generative AI and our existing CGI solution to solve a complex content creation needs for a global designer furniture company. We created the product using photoreal CGI and leveraged Generative AI for talent ( in this case the dog) to deliver a low-cost and quick turnaround solution.
So, I think that corporations, big or small, need to be nimble and stay hungry to leverage cutting edge technologies. Constantly look to pair them with burning business problems, while keeping your eyes on the bigger picture. Embrace technological advancements by educating the current workforce and inspiring your team to evolve. Keeping a strong strategic vision of the future to add greater value to their consumers is the right way to go for corporations.
What are some of the companies you’ve worked with, and why did you love working with them?
I’ve worked with Lowe’s Home Improvement, which is the second-largest home improvement company in the world. My team and I created over 15,000 3D models and thousands of images and several videos through advanced CGI pipelines. Working with an extremely supportive and forward-thinking leadership and marketing division at Lowe’s was an exciting yet challenging opportunity to showcase my skills and deliver at a global scale.. I’ve also worked with Target’s home retail division, after I graduated from their Accelerator Program to help set up their 3D production pipeline, saving the company millions of dollars over the next few years. It was a great opportunity to work closely with Target’s senior executives to gain greater visibility in the US retail market and see what problems giant corporations face with competition coming from Amazon.
Image created for Lowe’s home improvement. The left half of the Image is the CGI breakdown of the image.
How did you help out a company like Barrette Outdoor Living when you worked with them?
The company was lacking consistent and high-quality e-commerce content to help them cope with the competitive online market. They did not have the budget and time to explore traditional approaches like photography. Selling large outdoor products without great content was hard. The Vice President of Marketing was very supportive of my ideas and my innovative approach to solve their problems. I helped them with a detailed and thorough content strategy and execution plan for transforming all the content on their website. Gaining great exposure to end-to-end content strategy and creation – A digital transformation exercise for a $1Bn company. The content team at Barette was fantastic and extremely supportive and aligned with the direction and was an integral part of the execution and success of this strategy.
What keeps you going through difficult times at work?
Image created for Bacardi through our collaboration with ‘The Mars Agency’
Over the past 13 years of a bootstrapped business, I have faced challenges on fronts I never knew existed. Like every business, it had its ups and downs, draughts and floods of work. In the most difficult times, the below are what I look to to keep me going. For one, I have gratitude for what I have and the burning desire to focus on being productive and progressing ahead no matter the road ahead. I say that the feedback loop is the most important piece of any service business. A happy customer is great, It instills confidence and reminds us of how good we are. But critical feedback ignites a much larger fire in the belly and builds the resilience to get back up and fix it and get better everyday. And finally, the institution I built along with my colleagues and all the families that depend on its well-being.
What advice would you give to young creatives looking to start their own agency?
This image was created as a part of an internal program at House of Blue Beans to provide ready to use templates for enterprises globally to place their products and shoot in quick turnaround time.
Creative folks usually steer clear of the business side of things and believe that someone else will take care of it. When a creative person wishes to translate their skills into an agency or a business, it’s important to be involved in all aspects of the business and learn to apply their creativity in solving all kinds of business problems. It’s important to not shy away from your focus on only what comes naturally to you. Business or agency work requires you to be entrepreneurial. That said, this would be my advice to young creatives – build with empathy, add real value to your customers, change is the only constant, and embrace the change and be resilient. The journey is what matters.
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