As a creative director, you constantly walk the line between creativity and management. On one hand, you’re the visionary — responsible for pushing creative boundaries and guiding your team’s artistic direction. On the other hand, you’re the manager — responsible for ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standard.
It’s no secret that creativity doesn’t always happen on schedule, but deadlines are often non-negotiable. The right tools can help ease the tension inherent in modern creative work, letting you focus on what you do best — creating — while keeping everything running smoothly.
By strategically implementing a few well-chosen tools, you can spend less time juggling tasks and more time bringing your ideas to life.
We’ve divided our essential tool review into five key categories. If your toolkit is lacking or not producing results, these reviews will help you find the right solutions to enhance your workflow.
What we'll cover
Table of contents
Collaborative proofing tools
Every creative project involves multiple rounds of feedback and approvals. Whether you create graphics, videos, or marketing content, collecting input from clients, stakeholders, and your team is a key part of the job. However, relying on traditional methods — like chasing down approvals via email — can significantly slow things down.
In the creative industry, collaborative proofing tools take the headache out of that process. They bring everyone into a shared digital space where feedback is easier to gather, review, and implement. With the right tool, you can optimize approvals, keep track of different versions, and ensure all feedback is collected on one platform.
Here’s how a collaborative proofing tool can make life easier for creative directors:
- Automated workflows and digital approvals: No more waiting for manual sign-offs. These tools automate the process, freeing up time for more important things.
- Version control and comparison tools: No more reconciling multiple versions of the same asset or digging through competing email threads. All feedback stays organized in one place, right where you need it.
- Brand management: Consistency is key. These tools ensure colors, fonts, and logos align with internal or client brand guidelines.
Ziflow
Ziflow is an enterprise-grade online proofing platform trusted by top brands and agencies to deliver exceptional creative work at scale. It’s built to handle everything from complex workflows with multiple layers of approval to high-volume projects that require fast, accurate feedback. With support for over 1,200 media formats, Ziflow can handle just about anything you throw its way.
Ziflow is considered one of the best creative approval software solutions available. It offers a full suite of proofing features and capabilities that make it easy to manage even the most complex review processes. From frame- and pixel-accurate annotations to version comparison systems, Ziflow is a powerful tool that gives you everything you need for nuanced collaborative discussion.
Plus, Ziflow adapts to the specific content type you’re reviewing — whether it’s a website, banner, or video content— making feedback more efficient and precise.
For busy creative directors, Ziflow is a huge time (and cost) saver. On average, it reduces the time spent on review and approval processes by 59%, allowing you to complete creative projects faster and with 30% fewer versions.
Ready to see how much time you can save? Try Ziflow for free today
GoVisually
If you’re looking for a simple, fast solution for reviewing and approving designs, GoVisually is a strong option. It’s a streamlined tool designed to cut through the clutter and make the approval process easier.
GoVisually covers the basics: version control, visual markup, revision tracking, notifications, and approval workflows. What it lacks in feature depth, it makes up for with ease of use. The platform is intentionally designed to be more of an entry-point solution than an enterprise-grade solution. Most verified G2 reviews are from smaller teams that don’t need all the bells and whistles of a more complex system.
While it’s not as feature-packed as Ziflow, GoVisually shines when you need mark up simplicity. If you’re part of a small agency or an internal creative team looking for an affordable option, this tool’s competitive pricing makes it a no-fuss solution that can certainly get the job done.
Project management tools
Every creative project involves many moving parts, from assigning tasks to tracking workflows and deadlines, and project management tools are perfect for keeping it all organized. While proofing tools streamline the approval process, project management software is crucial for everything that happens before and after that point.
These tools help creative directors map out the entire project lifecycle, whether it’s coordinating designers, copywriters, or other team members, ensuring everything stays on track from ideation to delivery. Here are three of the best options for creative orgs:
Asana
Asana simplifies project management by providing a clear, visual way to manage your tasks. For creative directors managing large, multi-team projects, Asana’s Kanban-style boards allow you to easily track each stage of your team’s workflow — from brainstorming to final approval.
Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create and assign tasks and monitor progress without getting lost in the details.
monday.com
monday.com offers a highly customizable platform that combines project management with customer relationship management (CRM) features.
If you oversee both internal teams and external clients, monday.com’s CRM capabilities offer an easy way to track deliverables and client communications in one place. It’s particularly useful for creative directors who need to manage external partnerships while keeping team projects organized.
Jira
Originally built for software development, Jira is great for creative teams that thrive on iterative processes and frequent feedback loops. While it’s known for being used by tech teams, its project tracking and workflow management tools can also benefit creative directors who oversee digital content projects, where rapid development and constant updates are the norm.
If your team has some technical capabilities and handles high volumes of digital content, Jira can help you stay on top of everything.
Design, prototyping, and wireframing tools
Project management helps organize tasks, but design and prototyping tools are where the creative work happens. These tools let your team take concepts and turn them into something tangible — whether it’s a product design, a mockup for a website, a video storyboard, or a fully interactive prototype.
Here are some of the best design tools for creative directors to bring ideas to life:
Adobe Creative Cloud
A long-standing industry staple, Adobe Creative Cloud is the company’s cloud-based iteration of Creative Suite. It offers design software and creative tools like PhotoShop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, InDesign, and After Effects.
Whether your team is involved in graphic design, video editing, social media content creation, or laying out print materials, Creative Cloud offers a range of templates to ensure consistency.
For directors managing creative teams with diverse skills, it’s a must-have, as it supports everything from photo editing and vector graphics to video production and animation. With cloud-based access, your team can collaborate seamlessly and keep all assets in one place.
Miro
Miro is a collaborative whiteboarding tool perfect for brainstorming, sketching ideas, and mapping creative strategies.
This cloud-based tool works from anywhere, so it’s ideal for remote or distributed teams, as everyone can contribute in real time, no matter where they are. Creative directors can use Miro to visually organize ideas during early concept stages, helping teams align before moving into full-scale production.
Figma
Figma stands out for its ability to design and prototype digital assets, with a focus on web and app design. It’s a favorite among creatives who need a no-code framework for creating interactive designs.
Figma’s collaborative features also make it easy for teams to work together, which means you can get client or stakeholder input earlier in the process and avoid rework later.
Sketch
Sketch is another great tool for designing and prototyping digital content. It’s known for its intuitive interface and high-quality output. Designers at all levels can use Sketch to create realistic prototypes quickly. It’s also compatible with Figma files (.fig), making it easy to switch between the two platforms if needed.
However, it’s worth noting that Sketch is a Mac-only app, which may limit accessibility for teams using other platforms.
Asset management and organization tools
As your creative team grows, so does your asset library. Over time, managing all those files — whether it’s logos, videos, or design elements — can be overwhelming.
Asset management tools help organize everything, so you’re not wasting time hunting down the right file version. Here are two standout tools that can make your asset management smoother and more efficient:
Bynder
Bynder is an enterprise-grade digital asset management (DAM) platform that helps large organizations and agencies keep their content organized and easily accessible. Named a 2024 Leader in Forrester Wave for its scalability and integration capabilities, Bynder’s AI-drive search ensures that your creative team spends less time looking for assets and more time focusing on creativity.
Its scalability makes it a great fit for companies handling a high volume of digital assets, ensuring everything stays streamlined as your asset library grows.
Brandfolder
Brandfolder by Smartsheet offers a straightforward DAM solution, making it a favorite among creative teams needing to quickly access and share assets. It’s well-reviewed for its ease of use and has earned multiple awards, including G2’s Leader badge for both Enterprise and Small Business in winter 2024.
Brandfolder’s performance-tracking feature gives valuable insights into how materials are being used. It’s a great option for creative directors who see the need for DAM but find other enterprise-grade tools too complex.
Collaboration and communication tools
When you’re managing a creative team, clear communication is everything. Whether it’s a quick question, group discussion, or intuitive digital collaboration, having the right tools can make all the difference. Email alone just doesn’t cut it, and miscommunication can slow down projects or lead to missed details.
That’s where collaboration and communication tools come in. Whether you’re organizing a quick brainstorming session or managing communication across a global team, tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom ensure that details don’t fall through the cracks.
- Slack: A channel-based communication tool with roots in chat. Now, it contains video meeting functionality, a workflow builder, and lightweight collaborative design and project management tools.
- Microsoft Teams: Built into the Microsoft 365 family, Teams is perfect for organizations already using Office tools. It combines chat, video, and file sharing, all in one place.
- Zoom: Known for its video capabilities, Zoom also offers team chat and file-sharing, making it a solid option for virtual meetings and remote collaboration.
Find out how Ziflow empowers creative directors
Creative directors and art directors rely on Ziflow to review and approve a wide range of creative assets — from web designs and videos to print materials — working seamlessly with the project management, design, and collaboration tools we’ve covered. It’s an ideal platform for helping creative professionals stay focused on executing their vision, no matter the type of visual content.
By centralizing the proofing and approval process, Ziflow ensures feedback stays focused on the right creative elements, saving valuable time. Team members can view frame-specific and pixel-specific feedback, while stakeholders can easily compare versions to see how their input has influenced the project.
