Organization in the Digital Age
With digital assets representing a large investment by brand owners, organization and management are of critical importance.
WHAT'S IN A package? Prior to the addition of cereal, hand cream, aspirin, or bug spray, the essential elements of a package or label include text; graphics; regulatory information; photos; CMYK, RGB, and 3D images; templates; line art; logos; layouts; and PDFs—to name just a few.
The process of making that package involves every stage in the packaging supply chain, from engineering to marketing and legal to purchasing and production. Factor in additional legal requirements and regulatory information for food, pharmaceuticals, and other regulated industries, version history, materials specifications, etc.—distributed across many departments, in many hands, in many stages—and the result is a diffuse mass of disparate data that is beyond the power of simple archiving to organize and access. Complex, multilayered packaging information can get lost in translation at any stage among various departments, where too many cooks can, and often do, spoil the broth. The answer: Enter digital asset management (DAM).
Bring order to content chaos
Any digital media file with value to an organization is a digital asset. In the aggregate, unstructured digital and analog assets are known as "content." Basically, digital asset management works like a hierarchical database, although it typically goes much further by promoting controlled information and content-sharing among suppliers and partners. DAM systems provide centralized storage for packaging media on a hard drive or disk subsystem, which then functions as a structured, highly accessible digital warehouse for digital assets.
It's important to note that the workflows that generate the "rich" assets typical of consumer product packaging are dynamic, reflecting requirements that change as regulations change or as flavors, colors, or ingredients are added, subtracted, or modified. Consequently, DAM tools and DAM systems must be able to accommodate the hundreds of file formats used in modern package design—everything from multilayered Photoshop and Illustrator files to those produced by 3D modeling and rendering. In the fiercely competitive world of consumer packaging, DAM systems must, above all, be secure, while also permitting access to authorized internal and external users. DAM software typically is able to mesh with any core prepress system that includes add-ons for packaging applications.
Money to burn?
Time is money. For companies with plenty of either to waste, DAM holds few enticements. However, for budget-squeezed ad agencies, package designers, and other creative professionals that need to make the most of both, DAM can greatly enhance their ability to locate, manage, and archive digital files and the "metadata" (format, authors, versions, permissions, etc.) that describe them. DAM systems enable creative professionals to recall these elements for use in new jobs, saving the time and energy that would be needed to recreate a project from scratch, avoiding redundant project approvals and shortening the overall time to market.
For consumer product companies, the ability to organize, track, manage, archive, and retrieve their digital assets plays a critical role in managing a global brand presence, as well as in protecting their brands from regulatory or legal challenges, and the disruption that can arise from an unforeseen change in print provider. For converters, DAM saves production time and labor by avoiding unnecessary rework and by enabling the fast, efficient recall of package elements for preparation and modification. DAM's revenue potential as a value-added service also makes it an area of growing interest for converters and commercial printers with a packaging profit center. In all cases, beneficiaries of DAM will outdistance competitors in quality, efficiency, and time to market.
One way or another, DAM helps
The functionality of DAM systems varies widely. Fundamentally, however, all such systems are designed to improve users' control of their valuable digital assets. Because the value of any digital asset is based on its accessibility, effective DAM solutions are based on software that is flexible enough to integrate with an organization's existing systems and features an interface whereby users can locate, retrieve, modify, and redistribute the desired assets. Bells and whistles abound, but most DAM systems enable automated searching, acquisition, organization, and storage of digital assets; automated routing and approval; efficient content management and delivery; and the ability to quickly modify and update assets, as needed. A DAM system may also make it easier to archive outdated materials offline, where they remain inactive but accessible, or to remove them altogether.
The most comprehensive DAM systems are installed on the customer's hardware and are designed to provide complete, enterprise-wide support with a broad range of functionality and configurability. Providers include Interchange Digital, a subsidiary of Schawk Inc. (PaRTS); Mystic Management (DCS 6.0); 3M Global Packaging Services/Packaging Content Management Software; Canto (Cumulus); and Interwoven (MediaBin Asset Server).
Workflow-based systems are less expensive and easier to configure. Examples include Artwork Systems (Mnemo); Esko-Graphics (WebCenter); MetaCommunications (Digital Storage Manager); and Kodak (Kodak EyeMedia and Synapse TeamWorks, see sidebar). Hosted, Web-based systems reside on the provider's hardware and are administered by the provider. The initial start-up cost for these Application Service Provider (ASP)-based DAM system tends to be lower, but typically requires an ongoing financial commitment. Providers include Paxonix (PaxPro), Phototype (Photoscope), eMotion (DAM solution), and HAHT Commerce Inc. (Consumer Products Suite).
Better safe than sorry
Every link in the packaging supply chain has an important stake in the timely and secure collection, retrieval, and redistribution of content. The long-term benefits include greater return on investment, cost reduction, streamlined production, better communication and collaboration, shorter time to market, and increased revenues.
by Jean-Marie Hershey
Prepress editor
jmh@writehandcom.com
