Emails Are Painful. Explore How Artwork Approval Software Can Transform Your Packaging Approval Process.

Amidst the challenges of email-based approval processes, the transformative power of artwork approval software emerges as a game-changer for agencies and businesses seeking to revolutionize their packaging approval workflows.

As the name suggests, this blog is about ditching the cumbersome process of approving artwork and packaging files over endless email threads. We’ve all been there—countless back-and-forth emails, confusion over the latest file version, feedback getting lost in the clutter, miscommunication galore. It’s tiring, chaotic, and a real productivity drain.

Making matters worse, critical details can slip through the cracks during this messy review process. A slight color discrepancy, a misaligned logo, or a teensy text error on packaging can have enormous implications for brand reputation and legal compliance once printed at scale.

There has to be a better way, right? We believe, GoVisually’s customers show that using dedicated online proofing software streamlined their artwork approval process by up to 60%. 

No more interminable email threads – feedback and approvals happen in one centralized space. Time spent on endless back-and-forth? It slashed by over huge numbers for most teams.

But the benefits go far beyond just saving time. With an online proofing system:

• Artwork versions are tracked automatically.
• Feedback is anchored directly to specific areas on the proof.
• Legal/regulatory checkpoints are enforceable.
• Approvals follow structured workflows & approval paths.
• Complete audit trails capture every decision.

What Is Artwork Approval Software?

Artwork approval software is a unique online proofing platform designed to facilitate the review and approval process of creative assets such as packaging labels, branding files, marketing collateral, etc. 

Do you know how to get started with design proofing? If not, check out this video, which will help you learn the best 10 steps to get started on GoVisually for design proofing.

Especially for CPG brands, it acts as a centralized hub where stakeholders can witness, comment on, and sign off on the art of packaging and labeling before it goes into production.

The online proofing software market is undoubtedly on the rise. But what is it like?

That size was already worth an impressive USD 1.1 Billion by 2023. However, that’s just the beginning. The theories show that:

• This market is expected to continue its growth trajectory and, in fact, reach the US. a staggering $1.62 trillion by 2030.

• As a result, we can expect a positive compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2030 of 5.65%.

• These statistics highlight online proofing solutions gaining widespread adoption among businesses and organizations of all sizes.

• There is no doubt that organizations are beginning to recognize the enormous value of these specialized tools.

Key features 

First, these solutions offer several key features:

• Markup tool: Provide factual information by directly referring to the evidence. This feature allows you to see the details accurately and clearly.

• Business approval: Customise your approval processes and configure usage-based permissions to simplify them. This will require the right people to take the proper steps, which will increase productivity.

• Version control: This feature allows you to monitor your business’s progress and make informed choices by easily comparing all versions.

• Compliance investigations: Automatically process the collection of legal and regulatory warrants for peace of mind. This ensures that your work meets all necessary standards with ease of hand testing.

• Discussion & Collaboration: Share and discuss the project progress through insightful dashboards. This enhances progress visibility, teamwork and enables real-time collaboration, making projects more dynamic and engaging.

• Quality gateways: Establish configurable checklists and quality control centers to maintain high standards. These gates ensure that your business meets quality requirements at every step.

Challenges overcome

Currently, the traditional method of reviewing packshot PDFs and art files via email is fraught with inefficiencies and risks, namely:

• Version crashes: Without control, the response often ends with an older file version. This can lead to confusion and delays in the research process.
• Lost feedback: Valuable information can easily get lost in never-ending email threads. This makes monitoring critical investments difficult and can hinder growth.
• Unstructured assessment: If a standardized assessment or review process is not used, conclusions can be inconsistent and unclear, leading to inefficiency and misunderstanding.
• No accountability: The inability to trace consents and decisions creates confusion and accountability issues. Have a clear record of who agreed to what is necessary for successful operations.
• Barriers to compliance: Gathering the necessary upfront approvals can present significant challenges. Overcoming these barriers is essential to effectively meeting regulatory standards and deadlines.

Artwork proofing software addresses these pain points by providing an online platform dedicated to proofing cycles. Specifically, the reviews are directly based on actual evidence with full references. Similarly, the business approval process is implemented based on pre-defined business rules. Finally, a comprehensive audit trail captures any comments and approvals for future reference.

Who Needs Artwork Approval Software?

Artwork approval software is essential for any brand or organization that needs to review and approve creative files like packaging artwork, labels, branding assets, marketing collateral, etc. Specifically, it’s precious for CPG brands with frequent packaging & label changeovers and multiple stakeholders involved.

Key groups that can benefit significantly from online testimonials include:

1. CPG brand managers: Thus, as custodians of brand integrity, brand managers have the critical task of ensuring that packaging and labels properly adhere to brand guidelines, down to the smallest detail. As a result, review cycles involve internal teams and external organizations/suppliers, where there is a concerted effort to achieve equity.
2. Regulatory/legal teams: Compliance checkpoints now play an essential role before art files get the green light for production. So, these teams need a user-friendly way to navigate their review and approval process smoothly, ensuring all legal boxes are ticked before moving forward.
3. Packaging engineers: Now, even minor manufacturing flaws, such as discoloration or mismatched text, can be significant issues when the press hits the scales. Engineers rely on diagnostic tools to capture this information quickly, preventing costly mistakes.
4. Creative/agency teams: Creative and agency teams tasked with bringing creativity to life rely on artwork approval software to seamlessly incorporate input from multiple stakeholders. This software lets them quickly update their artifact files, reducing the need for lengthy analysis and ensuring efficient and consistent workflow.
5. Project managers: Because effective project management is essential, project managers require identification of project status, approval processes, and the ability to push stagnant reviews based on priorities. This visibility empowers them to keep projects moving, address challenges quickly, and maintain momentum for successful project completion.

Essentially, artwork approval software provides value for everyone who invests in the packaging artwork supply chain – from creators to regulators to business teams. It provides a dedicated online platform for collaborative approval throughout this process.

How Can Artwork Approval Software Help?

Label and artwork management software is intended to streamline the proofing approval workflow for packaging artwork, labels, branding assets, and other creative files. It solves all the major pain points that plague traditional email-based review cycles. Let’s explore the key features and capabilities that make it such a game-changer:

1. Enable seamless collaboration across internal teams, external agencies/suppliers, compliance reviewers, and other stakeholders: All eligible people are placed in a centralized online proofing environment. Feedback won’t get lost in separate email channels.
2. Robust version control capabilities: Make sure everyone is always working on the latest file changes. You can easily compare changes to see what changes have been made. 
3. Audit trail: Document any actions, comments, and decisions related to approvals made during the process. This advanced diagnostic capability makes it easier to identify problems, prove compliance, and understand why certain decisions were made.
4. File downloading and viewing permissions: User activity is restricted correctly based on workflow steps. This protects your digital assets from unintended sharing or premature leaks.
5. Insightful dashboards: Provide visualization of project status, approval processes, cycle times, and more. There are no more opaque “black boxes” surrounding artistic development.
6. Private commenting channels: Allow your internal team to talk “backward” without disrupting the main research thread. This is perfect for quick alignment before giving a summary.
7. Native plugins/extensions: Make installing apps like Adobe Photoshop foolproof, and start viewing and installing new versions directly from your creative tools.
8. Rich visual annotation & commenting capabilities: The administrator can directly add details, suggestions, and symbols to relevant areas of the evidence. There are no more ambiguities that need further clarification.
9. Attach reference files: Include their notes to provide meaningful design context. Throwing packaging dye-line into the mix makes alignment checks much more manageable.
10. Checklist features: To confirm mandatory pre-approval checks, you must meet branding guidelines, legal/regulatory compliance, and publishing issues.

So by using these top 10 artwork approval features, you can cut down revisions by 50% and significantly increase the project turnaround period.  

Kick Off Your Artwork Approval Process with GoVisually’s Software Today

In summary, relying on email for packaging review and approval solves chaos. Let’s face it: the constant back and forth, lack of context, loss of feedback, and lack of accountability add up quickly. Not to mention the high risk of falling into creating artistic flaws.

So, what is the solution? The answer lies in specialized design approval software that provides a centralized online proofing environment explicitly designed for creative content such as packaging files, branding, and assets.

With powerful features like visual presentation tools, automated version control, comprehensive audit trails, and enforceable approval workflows, this solution transforms an otherwise messy, opaque process into a transparent and creative collaboration that works well.

Now, what’s next? If streamlining stressful approval cycles by catching packaging mishaps before they’re done sounds appealing, it’s time to explore artwork approval software options. Tools like GoVisually streamline CPG for frequent packaging changes in many internal and external stakeholders. They are precisely tailored to meet the specific needs of the products.

By ditching those endless email threads in favor of a purpose-built online proofing system, your teams can save significant time while de-risking your entire artwork supply chain. Less rework, more accountability, smoother collaboration – these are some tangible benefits you can realize.

In conclusion, take a closer look at artwork approval software and see how it can transform a persistent organizational headache into a finely tuned process for your brand. Painless packaging approvals are undoubtedly well within reach with the right tool in place. 

Why not get started today with Label Artwork Approvals by GoVisually?