Saving Your Image
Local Companies Go Hi-Tech To Archive Customer Files
By Sue Wasserman
She should have been sitting pretty. All the ads her company was planning to run over the next few months had already been created. A simple phone call to a trade magazine and they'd know to pick up the artwork from a previous issue. She was free to concentrate on other work. Until a return call from the advertising manager let her know he'd be happy to pick up the old artwork if only they had it. "What do you mean you don't have it," the overworked communications manager remembers saying rather testily. After multiple phone calls, several aspirin, and a few choice words later, she was still at a loss for the original film. Since the ad deadline was still a few days away, the problem was relatively minor. She simply called the firm's graphic artist and had him create two new sets, one to send to the magazine, another to keep on file in the office.
Admittedly, losing artwork was a rare occurance because her graphic artist and printer typically housed everything the company created. But when it did happen, not only did it make a small, unnecessary dent in an already inadequate marketing budget, it also emphasized the unfortunate fact that there was no system in place for keeping track of production materials.
Fast forward a few years, taking into account the latest greatest design software and imagine what today's challenge is like. Just think of the number of digital assets you're responsible for ... photography, illustrations, documents, multimedia. All of which are costly to create and produce. It would be ideal to have the ability to share these assets and reuse them whenever possible. But can everyone who needs those assets take advantage of them? Can a company designer in Minnesota gain easy access to artwork housed in Atlanta? Are the files easy to find, or stored somewhere in a box marked "never to be seen again?"
Fortunately, technology gurus live for devising new tools to automate processes. Multiple software packages now exist which completely automate the image archiving and retrieval process. Industry buzzwords, of course, abound ... Media Management, Digital Asset Management, Electronic Library, Digital Archive, Image Bank.
Let's get away from the buzz words for a moment and define this new tool for managing images. Marsha Wyatt of Wace USA, Inc., a pre-press company which offers image management capabilities to its clients, defines image management as a consistent means for archiving, organizing, accessing, viewing, retrieving, and distributing digital content. Digital content is simply any electronic file(s) that is valuable to an organization including: photographic images, audio, video, page layouts, 3D renderings, and illustrations.
Call it a high tech library if you will; one central location where every image is filed. How does it work? "Each image we store has an identity and a description based on client requirements," Wyatt notes. "We furnish clients with a hard file which includes thumbnails and codes for each image. Using the World Wide Web they can dial up and retrieve any image in low resolution form. A client may want this particular image, but new text. If they need a high resolution file, they just order it. Because everything is done electronically, it totally eliminates a need for paper."
Part of the allure of image management systems is the ability to maximize budgets while maintaining quality brand awareness. "Why spend unnecessary dollars reshooting a product that's already been shot hundreds of times," Wyatt wonders. "And if you give an image to twelve different people can you really hope they'll achieve exactly the same look? Just think of how many times you've seen a package or an ad in a magazine for a particular product and the two don't look the same. Thanks to image management, the same image used to create bus wraps is also being used to create envelopes or billboards."
Image management also helps clients maintain control, cites Sherrill Moss, Senior Vice President of Advertising Technologies, Inc. (ATI). "For example, in a corporation where a number of people have access to creative files, an image management system ensures that files which should no longer be used are no longer used." ATI Account Services Supervisor Lauri Martin adds, "Image management eliminates confusion over such issues as who is in possession of certain artwork because it's all documented in each image file."
And it's not just about archiving art files. "An image management system can also be used to store things like documents and PowerPoint presentations," Martin comments. You can even access employee training manuals via the Web without ever having to print them."
As with any new technology, the key is educating clients as to the level of services currently available as well as the potential benefits they will receive. Moss believes, "This technology is still new to a lot of people. Once people realize they can keep low resolution information at their fingertips via the Web, it will really catch on." The trick is providing just the right amount of technobabble. As Wyatt has experienced, people often get so inundated with technology information they decide not to do anything at all.
TO INSTALL IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCE ... THAT IS THE QUESTION
Every library requires a librarian to input, maintain, and update stored information. Therefore, one of the most important decisions customers must make is whether to bring an image management system in-house or have an outside company manage the function. "It depends on the risk people want to take," notes Dan Safran, Chief Information Officer for Wace. "If you install a system internally and choose the wrong product, you can't recoup the money already spent. When you're not happy with the company you're outsourcing with, you simply end the contract. There's also the issue of changing technology. What may be state of the art now will be obsolete within three years, forcing you to reinvest in the most current technology as well as training for the employees who maintain the system. I encourage people to look at core competencies. If you're a beverage manager, do you really want to run a system that's got nothing to do with beverages? Or would you rather contract with a company which handles such systems on a consistent basis?"
Companies like Wace or ATI can perform the librarian function themselves just as easily as they can sell and install a system. "We've got a number of systems in our back pocket," Safran comments. "Our preference is to tailor a system for a particular customer's needs rather than shoehorn them into any one existing system. There are a lot of software applications," he warns, "all of which are a bit different. Not that one is necessarily better than another, but they each have different attributes. It can be incredibly confusing."
This is why it's vital for the customer to understand exactly what they're trying to accomplish. Wace has created a special task force which performs a needs analysis to learn what such a system will be used for, how it will be used, and who will be using it. Typical questions include: How should files be organized and coded? Should everyone be able to access all information? What information needs to be linked together? If the individuals accessing the system are located in a single office, can it be accessed via intranet? Or will users be working from numerous geographic locations? Wyatt adds, "Once we understand the requirements, we spend a great deal of time putting together and testing a system before releasing it because, like any new product, there can be bugs. And it's not uncommon for clients to say, 'This isn't exactly what we had in mind.' We want to make certain everything is working as it should before we go live."
THE SECURITY ISSUE
When it comes to thinking about installing or taking advantage of image management software, the most common misconception among those interviewed concerns unauthorized individuals being able to gain access. "Media Assets, which is the system we use, has several levels of security," ATI's Moss notes. "You might give everyone access to the files stored, but only certain people access to retrieve, or alter files. Wyatt agrees, "Access codes are assigned according to client needs. Even if some hacker did manage to get in, all they'd get was a low resolution image. Besides, we watermark our low resolution images rendering them unusable for anything other than position only."
CREATING AN IN-HOUSE DATABASE
Brian Joyner, Director of Information Systems for the Atlanta office of BBDO, could have chosen from a multitude of canned image management applications. Instead, he chose to create his own. "Part of my job was to analyze work flow and learn how computers and technology could increase our capabilities and efficiencies. What I knew was that we had a massive inventory of artwork, especially transparencies, and there was no one individual who know where, or even what, everything was. I knew there was existing software out there, but no company offered exactly what I wanted, so I created a database using our Filemaker Pro software."
Although Joyner admits the system could be used for even more, he believes its implementation has benefitted the company. "One of the things we did was put bar codes on the sleeves of each transparency, and then entered those same codes onto the computer. That code is scanned anytime the work is checked out, enabling us to know who has the piece and whether or not we've got it on hand. The bar codes were one of those things I felt very strongly about incorporating, and it wasn't something I found on any of the canned applications."
Another feature that is frequently taken advantage of is the key word search. "Sometimes you can't remember what something might have been filed under," Joyner notes. All you need to do is key in a few words about any given entry and you should be able to bring it up."
One of the greatest benefits to the company has been the decreased risk of using artwork after usage contracts had expired. "In the past, that had always been something that was difficult to track because the contracts were often hidden away in someone's filing cabinet. Having that contract information directly in front of us has saved us time, money, and embarrassment."
A MATTER OF COST
Okay, so it sounds promising. How much will it cost? Accustomed as they are to hearing the question, vendors hesitate to guesstimate the cost of installing a system. "The price," Safran says, "depends on what you want to create. The systems we create are totally customized, which is why it's impossible to quote off the top of your head." If you are accessing a vendor's system, you may pay an upfront consultation for determining system requirements. Once the system is in place, costs may be based on Web hits or simply a fee per retrieval. Again, because it is still so new, companies like ATI are still determining what is the best method for pricing. The only thing they will guarantee is that clients will save time and money by eliminating duplicated efforts.
SHOULD YOU JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON?
Does image management make sense for your business? Says ATI's Martin, "A client has to generate enough information that keeping up with it is a challenge. If you can store information conveniently on a hard drive, there's probably no need. Once you've got documents you want to retrieve consistently, this is definitely something you need to be researching."
Should you decide jumping on the image management bandwagon will be the best thing you've ever done for your business, Safran has only one note of caution. Be sure to study your existing process to determine specific requirements before you make any decisions. A little planning goes a long way in implementing a system that will meet your needs now and in the future.