According to our research, 30% of companies in the sector struggle with speed in their artwork management processes. Artwork management is all about handling the creation, approval, and production of packaging visuals and information. It’s a crucial process in industries like food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals to ensure packaging is accurate, compliant, and visually appealing. While 59% manage this process entirely in-house, about 41% outsource to agencies or specialised artwork management companies. A staggering statistic is that 41% still use manual processes! This article focuses on companies still using manual processes internally or with agencies not specialised in artwork management.
In today's fast-paced market, the ability to swiftly and accurately manage artwork has never been more critical. Packaging is not merely a protective shell; it’s a powerful marketing tool and a compliance necessity. In sectors such as food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, the stakes are high. Packaging must not only attract consumers but also adhere to stringent regulatory requirements. The efficiency of artwork management can directly impact a company's time to market, compliance standing, and brand image.
Surprisingly, despite the technological advancements available, 41% of companies still rely on manual processes for their artwork management. This reliance on outdated methods can lead to a multitude of issues, from increased error rates to significant delays in getting products to market. Companies using manual processes face the constant challenge of ensuring accuracy and speed, often juggling between various disconnected tools like emails, spreadsheets, and PDFs.
Moreover, the choice between managing artwork in-house versus outsourcing adds another layer of complexity. While 59% of companies opt to keep the process internal, leveraging their existing resources and maintaining tighter control, 41% turn to external agencies or specialised artwork management firms. Each approach has its own set of advantages and challenges, but the common thread remains the efficiency and accuracy of the process.
This article delves into the myriad challenges faced by companies still entrenched in manual processes. We will explore the pitfalls of manual data transfers, decentralised artwork data, outdated communication channels, and more. By shedding light on these issues, we aim to highlight the transformative potential of adopting specialised artwork management software, which can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and ultimately accelerate time to market.
Challenge One of the main issues that reduce speed to market and increase errors in artwork management is manual data transfers for graphic designers. The process is inherently cumbersome: designers need to hunt down all necessary data dispersed across Product Information Management (PIM) systems, emails, Excel sheets, and PDFs.
They then must painstakingly copy and paste this information, a method fraught with potential for errors and omissions. Each misstep necessitates multiple rounds of corrections and approvals, resulting in significant delays and inefficiencies. This back-and-forth not only consumes valuable time but also increases the risk of miscommunication and inaccuracies, which can further complicate the process and stretch timelines.
Solution Enter Label Artwork Management software, commonly referred to as LAM software. This innovative solution addresses these challenges head-on by enabling the creation of artwork templates directly within the software. Once these templates are in place, all relevant assets—whether they are images, regulatory phrases, or marketing slogans—are automatically populated into the artwork from a centralised database. This eliminates the need for designers to juggle multiple files and manually transfer data, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of errors.
Additionally, LAM software can seamlessly integrate with existing PIM systems, further enhancing automation and ensuring that all data is up-to-date and accurate. The result is a streamlined workflow where everything is connected and automated, reducing the need for manual intervention and accelerating the time to market. It's not just about making the process easier; it's about transforming it into a more efficient, error-free operation. Magic!
Challenge Did you know that 35% of companies struggle with centralising their artwork data? Artworks are complex documents full of information that serves to inform and convince the customer about the product he or she is buying. Due to that large amount of data on it, or assets, the process of creating artworks becomes quite an organizational challenge.
There are regulatory phrases, marketing phrases, addresses, logos, taglines, translations—many translations. Most companies using outdated processes don’t have a central place to store all this information, except in Word documents, emails, and Excel sheets. This means that every time the artwork coordinator needs information, he or she will have to dig for it, ensure it’s up to date, and then send it over to the graphic designer. This results in a loss of information, delays, and errors.
Solution Centralise all data in specialised artwork management workflow software. These tools act as a central database for all the artwork information, automating 95% of the information over time, so you don’t need to search for phrases in other libraries or content systems. Alternatively, you can set up a PIM, although PIMs are not designed to hold all necessary data for artwork assets. You can also use content tools such as Notion or OneNote to have one central, up-to-date place, but this still requires manual work.
Challenge The artwork management process is arduous, involving many departments and third parties such as marketing, legal, graphic design, packaging, printers, and sometimes a private label client. Each specialist needs to contribute essential information, necessitating multiple review and approval rounds.
Typically, each party receives the artwork in a PDF format, which is then annotated or followed by emails with comments. This back-and-forth exchange leads to significant time loss and errors. Additionally, we are already overwhelmed with information today, receiving too many emails daily, which has been proven to decrease productivity. The final dispatching of artworks to printers and other third parties is usually done via email, leading to potential information loss and mistakes in selecting the correct artwork.
The reliance on email as the primary communication method not only clutters inboxes but also makes it easy for critical feedback to be buried under a mountain of other messages. Moreover, when multiple stakeholders are involved, the chances of conflicting feedback increase, causing confusion and further delays. The coordination required to ensure everyone is on the same page can become a logistical nightmare, turning what should be a streamlined process into a chaotic maze of miscommunications and missed deadlines.
Solution Use workflow systems specialised in artwork management. These systems centralise all communication and approval processes within the software, keeping track of all interactions to ensure nothing is missed. By reducing the number of emails and managing all tasks within the system, productivity is significantly improved. These platforms offer features such as real-time collaboration, where stakeholders can simultaneously review and comment on artwork, ensuring that feedback is consolidated and coherent. Automated notifications and reminders can be set up to alert team members of pending tasks or approvals, ensuring that no one is left out of the loop.
The software also provides version control, so everyone is always working on the most up-to-date document, eliminating the risk of outdated versions causing errors. Finally, the software handles the dispatching of final artworks, ensuring they are correctly delivered and easily accessible. This not only streamlines the process but also provides an audit trail for accountability, making it easier to track who made what changes and when. By integrating these systems, companies can transform their artwork management from a fragmented, error-prone process into a cohesive, efficient workflow that accelerates time to market and reduces stress across the board.
Challenge Companies still using outdated processes often create briefing templates in Excel and send them via email. While this method allows for highly personalized templates per product, it also means each briefing must be manually filled with the correct phrases and information. Documents can easily get lost, and older versions can be mistaken for newer ones. The manual input process is not only time-consuming but also leaves ample room for human error. Misplaced files, duplicated efforts, and the inevitable confusion over which version is the most recent can lead to significant delays and costly mistakes. Furthermore, the lack of a unified system makes it difficult to ensure consistency and compliance across all briefing documents, potentially leading to regulatory oversights and branding inconsistencies.
Solution In some artwork management software, the briefing process is digital and directly templated within the system. The brief creator can simply identify the product, country, and other necessary details, then select all the required data directly from the software, including compliance information. This automation ensures that everything is accurately included and up-to-date, eliminating the risk of lost documents and version control issues. Instead of sifting through countless emails and spreadsheets, users can rely on a single, integrated platform that provides real-time updates and centralized access to all necessary data.
This not only saves time but also enhances accuracy, as the software can automatically pull in the latest information and instantly apply it to the briefing template. Additionally, the digital brief can be easily shared and reviewed within the platform, with built-in version control ensuring that everyone is always working from the most current document. This streamlined approach not only accelerates the briefing process but also enhances collaboration and accountability, making it easier to track changes, gather feedback, and ensure that all stakeholders are aligned. The end result is a more efficient, error-free process that significantly improves the speed and quality of artwork production.
Challenge Everyone creates processes; they are vital for business operations. However, while processes can be efficient, they can also drain productivity if not well-organised. Many of our clients have developed artwork management processes that are manual and linear. This means that steps happen sequentially rather than concurrently, which can slow down time to market and reduce efficiency. For example, once artwork A needs to be reviewed by the marketing team, the graphic designer moves on to the next task. However, during this time, the legal department might be waiting for another completed task to proceed.
This lack of synchronisation can lead to bottlenecks, as the designer is unaware that the legal team could be progressing on a different task if only they knew it was ready. This segmented approach also fosters a reactive environment rather than a proactive one, where teams work in silos, unaware of how their tasks interconnect with others. Consequently, the overall project timeline elongates, and the final output suffers in terms of both quality and timeliness.
Solution Artwork management software is designed to organise and optimise these processes, creating a more dynamic and interconnected workflow. These predefined workflows are developed in collaboration with the client and the artwork management company, ensuring that tasks are completed in the most efficient order. Rather than waiting for one step to finish before starting the next, the software enables parallel processing, where multiple tasks can progress simultaneously, significantly reducing downtime. Notifications and dashboards keep everyone updated in real-time, promptly alerting team members when their input is required.
This transparency not only speeds up the process but also fosters better communication and collaboration among departments. Additionally, the software includes features like task dependencies and automated reminders to ensure that no task falls through the cracks, and every team member is aware of their responsibilities. By transforming a linear, fragmented process into a streamlined, cohesive workflow, artwork management software helps companies accelerate their time to market, improve productivity, and deliver higher-quality outputs with fewer errors.
Challenge Effective business leaders know the value of KPI tracking. It is usually done on important processes and enables us to identify bottlenecks to improve, and yet, with artwork management being a crucial part of the process, many track KPIs manually, and others don’t track at all. Without data, you cannot improve a crucial process.
The manual tracking of KPIs is not only labor-intensive but also prone to errors and inconsistencies. It often involves sifting through countless spreadsheets and emails, trying to piece together the performance metrics. This manual approach can lead to significant delays in identifying issues, making it difficult to implement timely improvements. Moreover, the lack of real-time data means that any insights gained are often outdated by the time they are acted upon. This can result in missed opportunities for optimization and a reactive rather than proactive approach to managing the artwork process.
Furthermore, the absence of a standardized tracking system means that different departments might be using varied metrics and methodologies, leading to a fragmented view of performance. This lack of cohesion can make it challenging to get a comprehensive understanding of the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the artwork management process. In such a scenario, even identifying where the bottlenecks are can become a daunting task, let alone devising strategies to address them.
Solution Artwork Management Software can track all the steps of the process and deliver dashboards and insights. These platforms offer real-time data analytics, allowing business leaders to monitor performance metrics as they happen. With automated tracking, there’s no need to manually compile data, significantly reducing the risk of errors and freeing up valuable time for more strategic tasks. The software can generate detailed reports that highlight trends, pinpoint inefficiencies, and suggest areas for improvement.
Additionally, some artwork management services offer monthly reporting and insights to improve the process. These reports can be customized to focus on the most relevant KPIs for your business, providing a clear and actionable roadmap for continuous improvement. By having a centralized system that consolidates all performance data, companies can ensure that all departments are aligned and working towards the same goals. This holistic view enables more informed decision-making and fosters a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
In essence, transitioning to an automated KPI tracking system transforms the artwork management process from a cumbersome, error-prone task into a streamlined, data-driven operation. This not only enhances efficiency and accuracy but also empowers businesses to be more agile and responsive to changing market demands. With precise, real-time insights at their fingertips, leaders can make proactive decisions that drive better outcomes and ensure sustained success.
Challenge Many of our clients, before working with us, relied on manually verifying the information on an artwork. We observed that many were using either paper or Excel sheets for checklists before approving artworks. Some were not even using checklists, leading to significant risks in terms of errors and inefficiencies. This manual verification process is fraught with challenges. Firstly, it is incredibly time-consuming; each detail must be meticulously checked, often leading to delays in approval times.
Secondly, the absence of a standardized checklist means that different team members might focus on varying aspects of the artwork, leading to inconsistencies and potential oversights. Furthermore, manual processes are inherently prone to human error. The human brain is not designed to remember and cross-check every minute detail, especially under tight deadlines and high-pressure environments. As a result, crucial elements can be missed, leading to costly mistakes and rework. Lastly, the lack of a unified system for tracking these checks means there is no easy way to audit or review the process, making it difficult to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
Solution Digital checklists inside artwork management software are the answer. By integrating digital checklists into the approval workflow, each artwork before final approval has an attached checklist that standardizes the review process. Reviewers can systematically go through each item, ticking off boxes as they verify details, ensuring no aspect is overlooked. Each checklist is attached to an artwork and enables us to track each box that has been checked, creating a documented trail of the review process.
This not only enhances the accuracy and completeness of the checks but also significantly speeds up the approval process by eliminating the need for manual cross-referencing. Moreover, digital checklists can be customized to suit the specific requirements of each project, ensuring that all regulatory, branding, and quality standards are consistently met. The software also allows for real-time collaboration, so multiple team members can review and update the checklist simultaneously, fostering a more integrated and efficient workflow. Ultimately, this digital approach reduces the risk of errors, ensures compliance, and streamlines the entire artwork approval process, leading to faster time-to-market and higher-quality outputs.
Challenge Archiving is key. The problem is that today many artwork coordinators and graphic designers store everything in the cloud on SharePoint, Dropbox, and other drives. This creates numerous folders and subfolders, and documents are named manually. This results in a slower process because it becomes difficult to find the right artwork, or there is a risk of using the wrong artwork.
The current method of archiving often resembles a digital maze, with team members spending an inordinate amount of time searching for specific files. The lack of a standardized naming convention exacerbates the issue, leading to confusion and potential mistakes. Imagine a scenario where a designer needs to retrieve an older version of an artwork for a quick revision. In the absence of a centralized, well-organized repository, this seemingly simple task can turn into a time-consuming ordeal. The inefficiency of this process not only delays project timelines but also increases the risk of using outdated or incorrect versions of artwork, which can have serious implications for branding and compliance.
Furthermore, the decentralized nature of cloud storage solutions means that access permissions can become fragmented. Different team members might have varying levels of access to different folders, creating bottlenecks where some cannot proceed with their tasks until they gain the necessary permissions. This disjointed approach to file management can lead to significant delays, especially in fast-paced environments where time is of the essence. Additionally, the lack of a unified system makes it difficult to maintain version control, track changes, and ensure that everyone is working with the most up-to-date information.
Solution A central artwork database that classifies all artworks with different tags and metadata. This way, the correct information can be found with the click of a button.
By implementing a centralized artwork database, companies can revolutionize their archiving process. This database uses tags and metadata to classify artworks, making it incredibly easy to locate specific files. Instead of sifting through countless folders and subfolders, team members can simply use search functions and filters to find exactly what they need in seconds. This not only speeds up the retrieval process but also minimizes the risk of errors by ensuring that everyone has access to the same, up-to-date versions of each artwork.
Moreover, a central database can be configured with role-based access controls, ensuring that team members have the appropriate permissions to access the files they need without unnecessary delays. This streamlined approach enhances collaboration, as all team members can seamlessly share and review files in a cohesive environment. The database also supports version control, automatically tracking changes and maintaining a history of revisions. This ensures that the integrity of the artwork is preserved and that any modifications can be easily traced and audited.
In essence, transitioning to a centralized artwork database transforms the archiving process from a convoluted and error-prone task into a streamlined, efficient operation. This not only enhances productivity but also fosters a more organized and collaborative work environment, ultimately leading to faster project completions and higher-quality outputs.
Challenge We notice that companies still using outdated processes tend to lose track of what has previously been done. As managers, we often need to have all different versions and edits within a central place. Going back in time enables improvement and time gains.
Solution Use artwork management software to track all versioning. This ensures that all edits and versions are recorded and easily accessible for reference and improvement.
R-stream offers an advanced label artwork management software, designed to address these challenges effectively. With R-stream, you can automate regulatory updates, centralize all artwork data, streamline communication, automate data transfers, track KPIs, utilize digital checklists, maintain version control, and more — all within a single platform. This comprehensive solution enhances efficiency, reduces errors, and accelerates your time to market.
R-stream stands out by offering a holistic approach to artwork management that integrates seamlessly into your existing workflows. Imagine a platform where every piece of artwork is automatically tagged and categorized based on your specific criteria, making retrieval almost instantaneous. With real-time updates and notifications, you can ensure that all stakeholders are always in sync, minimizing the risk of miscommunication and delays.
The software’s capabilities extend beyond just managing artwork. It allows for robust KPI tracking, giving you insights into performance metrics that matter most to your business. This means you can not only monitor progress but also identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies quickly, enabling you to make data-driven decisions that propel your projects forward.
Moreover, R-stream’s digital checklists ensure that every detail is meticulously verified before approval, significantly reducing the risk of errors and rework. The platform’s version control feature is a game-changer, maintaining a detailed history of all edits and versions, making it easy to revert to previous versions if necessary and ensuring that you always have a clear audit trail.
One of the standout features of R-stream is its ability to automate regulatory updates. In industries where compliance is critical, this feature ensures that all your artworks meet the latest regulatory standards without manual intervention, saving you both time and potential legal headaches.
By consolidating all these functionalities into a single, user-friendly interface, R-stream eliminates the need for multiple disparate systems, simplifying your tech stack and reducing overhead costs. Its intuitive design means that even team members who are not tech-savvy can easily navigate and utilize the platform, fostering greater collaboration and productivity across departments.
In summary, R-stream is not just a tool but a strategic asset that transforms your artwork management process into a streamlined, efficient, and error-free operation. It empowers your team to focus on creativity and innovation, rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks. With R-stream, you’re not just keeping up with the industry standards; you’re setting them.
Explore R-stream and transform your artwork management processes today. Contact us to learn more at sales@r-stream.eu, because we are human after all. Visit our website at www.r-stream.eu !