If you’ve ever been part of a product marketing project, you’re aware of the many moving parts that carry a catalog from conception to print. Artisan Colour has developed an effective and budget-conscious workflow after more than 20 years in the catalog industry. After considerable testing, we’ve experienced that the easiest way to keep your project on track and on a budget is through the addition of catalog automation software.
Classic catalog production is very time-consuming, with a bevy of professionals touching the project at each step. Often, the creative team needs to complete three steps: collection, layout, and production. This process can be simplified by adding automation to specific areas of work. Custom production workflow software allows your data to move automatically, eliminating human error.
Collection: Product Marketing Asset Search
Do you implement metadata, keywords, and tagging strategies for asset search-ability?
This is one of the most important parts of an asset-driven project, especially when it’s being driven by multiple people and/or teams. There is nothing that kills a deadline faster than an asset search delayed due to a lack of organization! Data-driven search makes it easy to find that perfect file to complete the issue, without spending hours searching through folders upon folders of image libraries.
Artisan has incorporates a custom data asset management system that’s highly searchable. Images, videos, documents, and art files can be uploaded and distributed by multiple users, each with its own unique login. This system is called Color Vault, and it can be accessed 24/7, anywhere with an Internet connection. Assets can be securely stored for years, making them available whenever needed for reference or reuse.
5 Additional Reasons to Use Color Vault:
- Highly Organized & Structured Image Bank
- On-the-fly specification adjustment (crop, resolution, colorspace)
- Advanced Search using Keywords and Metadata
- Multi-user accessibility for Teams & Partner Associations
- Speed-to-Market
Product Marketing Layout: Digital Changes
After collecting the appropriate assets, the design team creates the catalog layout. When using the automated approach, instead of each working file being replicated and renamed on individual devices, it can be updated with the most recent file in the system.
By using a linked data source, users don’t need to manually edit content and re-proof on each device. If a product attribute or price changes, users can refresh their edit within the program and the image file will automatically update to the new version. Users can also use the same templates with different data to produce catalogs for unique market segmentations.
Artisan Colour orchestrates overlapping technology using Applescripts, EnFocus Switch, Pitstop, Photoshop, and smart folders to automate batch file conversions. The final images can be repurposed from print to any digital channel with their specific channel specifications predefined (pixel and resolution requirements, etc.). In this way, Artisan helps businesses with overworked creative teams offload certain content creation functions, freeing people up for more important tasks.
Production Marketing: Soft Proofing
The production step of the catalog process involves fine-tuning layouts and product information. The design team gives a final look-over, followed by sales and marketing. They’ll be checking to ensure color accuracy and product information is consistent and correct while tweaking final design choices such as image placement, font consistency, and general consumer appeal. Once this is finalized, management provides final approval.
The amount of time spent on this critical component of the production process can be minimized by using soft proofing tools like OmniProof, Artisan’s custom digital proof collaboration software. OmniProof makes it possible to increase team collaboration and efficiency simultaneously at independent locations without sacrificing color accuracy.
With OmniProof, You Can:
- > Review and collaborate catalog proofs via iPad with multiple team members
- > Comment in realtime by digital pen, typing, or voice to text
- > Check individual rounds of proofs using before/after layers to validate
- > View and approve changes quickly without transport
- > Share with stakeholders and partners
Your projects and pages are all in one place, digitally stored, and available over the Internet. Our custom software ensures your content is all correct prior to printing or publication, saving time and money for expensive and deadline-crushing reprints or last-minute uploads.
Custom-Built Catalog Automation
Enhance the efficiency of your catalog production by transitioning from your current manual process to Artisan Colour's workflow automation. Experience faster turnaround times, reduced costs, and minimized errors in your catalogs.
Asset search-ability is easy, pre-media digital derivatives are flexible and quick to update, and soft proofing for color reviews can be done collaboratively. For more information, contact us today!
