If you’re reading this you and your team probably manage thousands of artworks a year: from packaging, to labels, to digital assets, you name it. Between emails, phone calls, reminders, artworks with change requests, new design specifications, and last minute jobs, there’s no doubt you have a busy work day.
If all the above makes you feel stressed it could be because you have not found the right system to help you with all of your workload … YET.
With that in mind I would like you to take a look at Twona AMS, a highly customizable Artwork Management System which is simple and easy to use, and can be integrated with other tools to automate your workflow, all without you having to be a coding expert.
With Twona AMS you will find a one stop shop for your design process, from beginning to end. So what can you expect from Twona AMS?
Twona AMS can provide you with…
Tailored workflows
A complete overview of you and your team’s workload
The ability to allocate time and resources accordingly
A way to oversee the complete process of a project from one single location
A tool to collaborate with your team, add messages, and leave notes
Quality assurance tools, such as graphic and content comparison directly from your job request
A way to share documents and get artwork approvals internally or from external parties
The ability to keep version control and history of all your files
Automation of tasks that can be repetitive
Integration with other applications already used in your organization to avoid duplication of activities
If this sounds lovely, you don’t need to wait any longer to regain control of your workflow and increase your efficiency.
Checking our website is free, and getting yourself a license is too!
An Artwork Request is the start of the journey for a design agency. It contains the description of work that needs to be done on a design so that it meets all the necessary requirements to be ready to print and produce. This is applicable to both new designs and edits, and covers the process until it has gotten the sign off from all necessary departments and external parties.
Your design agency/studio needs a good request so that they can translate those requirements into a good artwork version.
Why is a perfect artwork request/briefing important?
It guarantees that you, as a client, get what you are expecting from your designs
It will reduce the number of back-and-forth iterations to complete the project
It assures that the chance of error is kept to a minimum
It makes turnaround times faster
Sounds simple. But in reality, it is not always so.
Why is that?
The reality is that many of the people making change requests do not create their information themselves, but they receive it from a third party (or sometimes even fourth). Frequently in a different language.
Furthermore, the level of understanding and knowledge about design/printing specifics of everybody involved in the artwork process varies a lot: across organisations, across different roles, across countries. It is literally impossible to expect that every single person involved knows the same, and that they are good at translating that information into an actionable instruction.
When that happens, and not enough/clear information is provided, it is very easy to fall into a trend that leads to extra time to ask questions and get answers, and to obtain and provide the right details (measurements, keylines, logos, images…).
What is then the perfect request?
The perfect request is one that describes the changes required in a way that makes the outcome anticipated clear and agreed on by both the requestor and the executor, but also other parties that may need to get involved later (e.g. manufacturer).
The perfect request should cover 5 main areas:
Product guidelines – becoming familiar with the client’s guidelines is a pre. All designs must follow these, so they become a hidden requirement after the first iterations with a customer, but nonetheless, a very important item to request at the beginning or refer to.
(Manufacturing) technical requirements – any printer/manufacturer requirements are important to understand so that the artworks are not sent back for adjustments at the last step of the process.
Key data – including the text, changes to this, and graphics that the artwork needs to include and any earlier mockups or open artworks that may exist.
Keylines – attach these always to a request, as using a wrong one will require big changes to your artwork versions.
Format specifications – dimensions and other details about the artwork.
Obtaining this information may require interaction between different departments. It may be best to ask the experts on each area to pitch in to your request so that you get the right information in one go. Also important to have one system where to collate it all, rather than letting it fly through emails and attachments. But we can talk about that another time!
The important thing is to establish a great collaboration between your design agency and your quality and/or regulatory teams. They, together, need to manage the workflow process in a way that brings an artwork from request to execution with the least amount of changes and time to market.
And this collaboration starts with defining what is for your company a perfect starting point, using the above criteria, and what information needs to be provided and by whom at the start of the process.
Do you already know what YOUR perfect request looks like?
Share with us your perfect briefings via: marketing@twonas.com!
Leveraging digital tools on the workplace might seem a topic of 1980, but believe or not, a significant portion of professional packaging related companies still manage their process manually (think emails or even paper trails).
Let me point out some of the fundamental key points on the importance of a proper digital workflow for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products:
A proper digital workflow allows for efficient collaboration and communication among the design team, production team, and stakeholders.
It also helps to ensure that the final product meets regulatory requirements and guidelines, as well as brand standards.
Utilizing digital tools, such as design software and project management platforms, can greatly improve the accuracy and speed of the design process.
The use of digital mockups and automated proofing can also aid in the identification of potential issues before going into production, saving both time and costs.
One thing that can be helpful is to use a digital asset management platform to keep all design files, including images, text, and vector graphics, in one central location. This makes it easy for team members to find what they need and for the team to collaborate on the same version of the design.
On a side note, “Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance”
So, as a quick summary: proper digital workflow is essential for managing the design of packaging materials for pharmaceutical products. It allows for efficient collaboration, ensures regulatory compliance, and helps to minimize errors and costs.
If you’re looking to improve your packaging design process, we invite you to contact the team at twonas.com and we’d be more than happy to help you out.
