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By Leopoldo Saldanha

usuma is an Indonesian word for flower. The coincidence is not only with the name, as Vincent Kusuma,

from Veka Idea de Jakarta, knows the value of aesthetics to delight people. The entrepreneur, born on an island nearby Jakarta, spent most of adolescence in the Indonesian capital, where he graduated in systems analysis. His connection with photography started as a hobby when shooting classmates in college, and soon became a business. In 2005, he realized he wanted to do something that, even if it was not successfully, would make him happy.

Then, his photo studio started up in a shopping center. In six months, the business expanded and he got another one in a better space in a bigger shopping center. A year later, he owned more

branches and now he has five studios with a shop in Jakarta. All in shopping centers. Thanks to the evolution of the company and his creativity, he became a reference in Asia in packaging, photo books and online services.

Today, Kusuma, beyond the customer, is a partner of Konica Minolta. He created Snappix. A software that integrates Internet, print and mobile service, including innovative features of augmented reality. FHOX talked to him at the inauguration of Konica Minolta DIS showroom (the first in Latin America) in São Paulo last July. On that occasion, he demonstrated to the shopkeepers the tool developed precisely to meet his network and which is now available to customers of the brand here in Brazil. Read the interview.

Why did you decide to purchase a printing equipment for your studio operation?

It was on account of the experience of the studio. I realized I had to offer other products than photos. I noticed I would have to sell albums to customers. At that moment, the photobook was not popular. I was the first one to introduce photo books in my country. But I had no printer and I did everything with a partner. I had an average of 500 requests per month and spent a lot of money with printing. I soon realized that it was necessary more control over the entire process and more efficient.

What did you do to change this situation?

I wanted an equipment which provides conditions to have the control I was looking for and that suits my needs. And in this research, I found Konica Minolta. I learned the hard way because I did not have the knowledge to print or

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bind. I spent a year printing, binding and creating the design. Seven days a week. In this process, I did everything to get the right color. This whole experience has taught us how to make a good photo book. Including a nice package. Because at the end of the day, when the customer buys the album, he/she will not ask what engine you used or which paper was used, but the presentation counts a lot.

Here in the showroom it is clear that you highly value the packaging. How important is it for your business?

It´s true. Our business deals with creativity. That means it should be unique. The more creative you are, the more unique you will be. If you ask for any photographer, he/she will tell that he/she wants to be unique. That is why we worked on customized packages. Photographers began to appear in my shop asking: "How can I have something different? I want something high-level that gives me prominence from everything else. "I started with simple boxes. Then, we kept developing the products. It is very challenging because when you create something, you don’t know if this will have force many years from now. But this is what we should want.

What can you tell us about Snappix?

It is a new thing for our company. When we started this business, we did not have the necessary tools, especially the online ones to work properly. About the design creation, for example, people had to go to the store to create each album or product. That took time and many customers wanted privacy. I wanted that my customers can do everything they would like, without the need for a designer. With Snappix, my customers can create by their own, maintaining the quality. It is very easy to use.

We see that, worldwide, the consumer takes a long time creating a photo book and ends up leaving it out.

It occurs worldwide, perhaps less in Europe and United States. Based on my experience, I would say that over 60% of customers do not end the album. I needed to create something more interesting. I created tools that make life easier for consumers. One of the innovations that we are presenting is the photobook with augmented reality.

Why mix reality augmented with photobook?

People are more and more familiar with videos, they post them on YouTube, Facebook or Vimeo. All due to smartphone. And the reflex are also filming. Soon, people are documenting their lives on video. But when a person posts a video on Youtube, he/she has to ask friends to come there to see. Now with this system, you can insert the videos in the photo book. It will not be only about photography, but also video. Because photography has to do with memory and we want to improve these memories with

video experience mixed with photos. Then, a person will show the album to a friend and say: use your smartphone to watch the videos. Backstage behind that photo.

This creates a new way to

share memories? Exactly! As you know, since

the arrival of digital, we tend to don’t print anymore. Because it is so easy, I can take hundreds of photos and don’t need to spend anything on printing. Best leave in HD or post on Facebook. So, we have to give new reasons for people to print. Sure, I can say that they should print a single album. But this type of product has been around a long time. Now, we can give something new, with a new dimension, merging products and videos. This is something that will attract consumers.

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Just talking about quality and design is not enough anymore. We have to show new functions. We have to offer a complete package involving quality, design and innovation altogether.

Do you believe that there is a trend of integration between a solution of photo book, internet and photo shop?

What happens in Europe and the United States often dictates trends for the rest of the world. Three or four years after a tendency is launched in these regions, it eventually reaches other countries. The truth is we only follow them, we are not so clever to create something new (laughs). But what we can do is to improve performance. In the United States, there are good solutions of photo book on the internet. It is case of Mixbook, Snapfish and others. But they are ordinary products. What I did was to put something extra: augmented reality, QR code, etc. I consider my solution the most advanced.

Will Smartphones and tablets help in popularizing tools like Snappix?

Yes, I think half of the world's population will have a smartphone in the coming years. It is no use fighting with these technologies, it is better to embraces them. We have to find ways to connect these novelties with traditional products offered on the photo market. FHOX How do you see the traditional photo shops around the world?

They are struggling. The shops working with silver halide are facing difficulties with these raw materials. Paper and chemicals are increasingly expensive. The trend is that this cost only grows because of falling in demand and low productivity. Konica Minolta is investing in helping partners to achieve what they need. A hard work. It is not about only selling the equipment, but to make customers' business grow. That is why I am here at the inauguration of the showroom.

Snappix works with HTML5 language that fits the shapes of tablets and smartphones. Will Consumers buy printed photos just through these devices in the future?

When you go to a restaurant, you take a picture of your dish. And probably 90% of your pictures are on your smartphone. Following common sense, I find it hard that someone go to the PC or laptop to create a photo book, make the connection with PC to download the images. I believe that 70% of consumers will create their photographic products directly from mobile devices. Because everything is on these devices. The photos, Facebook too. In the future, I believe it will be like that. FHOX The technology of augmented reality of your photo book allows a person to watch the video on the smartphone while perusing the pages at the time. It's a beautiful idea.

It is a great way to promote businesses or photographers or the store. When someone see it, he/she will say: "Wow, this is amazing. I enjoy the picture

with augmented reality straight in the photo book. I want to know this store!"And the best is: it costs nothing. Because I believe that word of mouth is the strongest way to promote the business of photography. If a friend recommends, the other will want.

This tool can be used by the shop to sell photo albums for other businesses?

Yes. It has no limits and depends only on the creativity. Now I'm talking with Konica Minolta about how to distribute this software. We do not know if it will be free for those who want or for a specific customer profile.

In Brazil, many shopkeepers do not believe in news and have a classic phrase: "That will not work here." What says about this position?

Especially the older generation, it is not that they reject new ideas. It's that they cannot keep up with new technologies. So, they put themselves in this negative position. The choice is yours: stand still and do nothing or change.

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What is your opinion about your company's partnership with Konica Minolta?

Very important. It could sell direct this online solution, but I would not know where shopkeepers would print. It would not be complete. I have this concern that my customers receive something as good as me. Because if they print using a low quality equipment, it is going to be bad for my brand. That´s why offer this complete solution is critical. It's like Apple. You should have all of them on account of quality control. It's the same thing that my relationship with Konica Minolta. Not to say that we are not flexible, but we want you to have a high level of delivery. The brand is investing seriously in the world, the photographic segment is brand new. It had cameras, but a long time ago. At that moment, she manufactured minilabs, cameras, paper, etc. In 2003, sold these areas to other brands. But it is now investing hard and believing in the market. I hope you believe me until next year (laughs).

Is this your second time here? What is your view about the Brazilian market?

It is my third visit. I love Brazil and the Brazilians, even though the journey takes over 20 hours. This country is beautiful. There are similarities between Brazil and Indonesia. Here 200 million, Indonesia 250 million. The income per capita is higher here than in my country. Therefore, I believe that if I can be successful there, someone who copies me will have success here too. I believe in it 100%. You Brazilians love their babies photographed. And those photos end up in Facebook. We have to teach and show they can print.

In Indonesia, marriages are common with more than two thousand guests. A gigantic industry, no?

It is very common marriages with more than a thousand guests, but not all the time. The gap between rich and poor is too large.

Where do you look for inspiration for the album packaging?

When I travel, I always photograph packages and take home to adapt the idea. But it serves to photo books of high level, in which people want to show that luxury. You want to leave it in your living room for people to see. It becomes part of the decoration.

In what extent the design is important to your business?

Design is a gift, difficult to copy. You should have a good eye to know what is good and what is not. The tool I created help in this sense, because it provides my designs for clients. I have currently over 20 designers working in the business. But managing these team is not easy (laughs). The key point is to know how to guide them, because they are so creative that they lose track easily.