How to use version control to overcome chaos

Creative work is all about iteration. Mind-blowing, world-changing content doesn't just appear: it's developed through endless rounds of ideation, sketches, edits, and feedback.

That poses a challenge for creative teams. They need a version control system (VCS) that can handle multiple media, assets, and stakeholders with complex and iterative workflows. They need tools to manage compliance, collaboration, approval, and accuracy without inhibiting creativity.

Collaborative proofing software streamlines version management with design-friendly features and automation. It centralizes feedback, tracks changes, users, and version history, and gives stakeholders a window into the work. Some collaborative proofing solutions even offer extra features like visual comparison tools for different versions of a document.

Read on to find out why creative teams need the latest in version management to stand out — plus, see examples of collaborative proofing in action.

What we'll cover

Why document version control solutions won’t work for creative teams

Standard document version control has been used by technical writers and software developers for a long, long time. It does the job. But creative teams work with different assets, and often more assets, than in other lines of work.

For example, a technical instruction manual is one file of text, and a basic website is one file of HTML source code. Thus, there is only one document to manage in each scenario.

But a suite of brand assets can involve multiple photographs, artworks, videos, logos, text, and sound. Each asset might go through multiple stages of ideation, prototyping, mock-ups, sketches, compliance checks, feedback, and review.

Brand asset management involves a lot of complex version control. And complexity is only growing over time: 75% of marketers and creatives say that the volume and complexity of assets have gone up.

Why every creative team needs a version control solution

Increasingly, creative teams are moving away from design version control and using more flexible, collaborative proofing tools like Ziflow that boast version control functionality instead.

Here are the most important benefits of version control software for creative teams.

Creative workflows are complex, with many assets and stakeholders

Centralized version control was made for simple systems. Each project starts with a master file, then individual team members make their own copies — each with its own serialized number — before compiling all the edits into a final version of the document.

But the system is flawed. Some VCSs aren't adapted for creative projects, which work in multiple media formats and often change rapidly.

With complex workflows and multiple stakeholders, people can get stuck on older versions of files instead of seeing the latest iteration. They can get mixed up between numerous version numbers and file naming conventions. Stakeholders waste their time commenting about the wrong file, and feedback and edits get duplicated.

Basic document version control just doesn't work for creative teams. There are too many assets and stakeholders in play.

Managing speed and control in asset production

Collaborative proofing software works a lot faster than document version control. Let's say a draft document is ready for feedback. The stakeholder receives a recent version of the file and makes comments. Then changes are made and added to the source file.

Purpose-built tools for creative teams have features that simplify the whole process. Stakeholders can view and comment on the source file directly, with their actions tracked and audited. Follow-up tasks can be assigned in real time.

Result: faster workflows without any loss of control or quality.

Ad agencies often have complex workflows and a high volume of work with many different stakeholders, often requiring multiple rounds of feedback.

That means they need flexible version control systems that can scale quickly across all different forms of media. They have to ensure regulatory compliance and brand consistency across campaign channels, including print, digital, television, and social media. 

Most importantly of all, they need ways to get feedback and approval from clients, often on tight deadlines. 

"[Collaborative proofing software] is a game-changer", explains Robert, Senior Workflow Manager at Bohan Advertising Agency. "Clients love it. They're able to share proofs with other colleagues in other departments or even with leadership. The sharing capabilities are phenomenal."

Unlike agencies, a marketing team within a brand only has one "client": the brand itself. However, they still have to work with a high volume of content across all types of media and with tight budgets and deadlines. 

Collaborative proofing software like Ziflow, where everyone works on the same version of a file, makes it easier for small marketing teams to get work done. They can collaborate in real time and see instant feedback from brand managers, marketing managers, and any other relevant internal stakeholders.

In-house creative teams

In-house creative teams have different priorities and challenges from marketing teams. Instead of facing outward to customers, they work with internal stakeholders — creating assets that are valuable, unique, and aligned with brand identity.

For example, The Op Games is a board game publisher which creates licensed versions of classic board games. Everything they produce has to align with the original game, intellectual property, and The Op Game's own high standards.

"[Ziflow] hooked me from the very beginning," says Scott Gardner, Director of Product Operations. "It's seamless and very easy to use. People know exactly where they stand, what their project status is. They can get in, get out, and move on."

He set up automations and integrations with other project management software that The Op uses, such as Airtable. "It definitely has increased our speed tremendously."

Healthcare

Creative teams in healthcare obsess over one word: compliance. Every asset they produce has to comply with regulatory standards and privacy regulations, especially for sensitive patient data.

Every small change to a file has to be recorded in version history with a clear audit trail. It also has to be medically accurate, so creative teams in healthcare often collaborate with professional clinicians and researchers. 

How do they juggle all those regulations and stakeholders?

"Instead of sending feedback and questions [to individuals], it can all be in one place with Ziflow," says Benjamin Del Fante, Senior Account Manager at Fingerpaint Group, a healthcare solutions company. In the past, he's had problems with stakeholders missing feedback because it's too arduous to keep up with emails or other messaging formats.

"When we send Ziflow links, they can quickly comment and we usually get feedback from them on a more consistent basis. It makes my job a lot easier."

In such a highly regulated industry, compliance helps healthcare providers avoid costly compliance mistakes.

Enterprise CPG brands

Consumer packaged goods brands (CPG) face complex creative challenges.

They have to maintain brand consistency across product lines and marketing channels, as well as meeting industry standards. They work on product lifecycle management, keeping products in alignment with the brand all the way from early product development to marketing campaigns.

In some cases, they're even involved in concurrent retail collaborations, which come with their own regulations, marketing channels, and brand guidelines.

Darey Brands is a dairy products company that houses four brands, some of which have been around since the 1930s. When they planned a rebrand, they used collaborative proofing software for up-to-date approval and revision control.

"Before Ziflow, we were routing our files individually through email", says Chantelle Bogue, Senior Graphic Designer. "Our packaging approval process has gotten easily 70% quicker."

Fashion and sports brands are constantly creating new assets, with seasonal collections and frequent revisions to product designs.

Their creative teams collaborate with designers, manufacturers, and retailers all at once. And it's not just product design: they also have to ensure compliance across visual merchandising assets for retail displays, store layouts, and other marketing materials.

Version control systems are essential to keep track. That's why NHS Inc., the oldest skateboard company in the world, launched its own brand compliance system with Ziflow to handle over a dozen brands.

"We have so many brands and only so many hours in the day," says Trill Santin, Licensing Coordinator. "Making sure that everything gets seen by everyone [working on a project] while staying on that deadline is one of our bigger challenges."

Creative teams in entertainment and media deal with highly specialized content formats. They need specialist version control systems and production workflows to match.

For example, releasing a film could involve tracking changes to content rights, licensing agreements, and intellectual property — alongside all the creative details.

Linney Film is a multimedia studio that's attached to a marketing agency. They regularly work with animators, camera operators, producers, and VR experts as well as agency staff and clients.

"It's a collaborative process… [and] it's always against the clock," explains Luke Dennis, Head of Film at Linney. "In order to get everybody's thoughts and opinions, we all need to be [working on] the same cut, at the same point, so everybody can see each other's comments."

His team uses Ziflow so that they can collect feedback from all stakeholders across every type of media they use. Fast upload speeds and software integrations have also helped to speed up the work.

Find out how to streamline your version control system with Ziflow

Creative teams need a version control system that's as flexible, fast-thinking, and collaborative as they are.

Ziflow is collaborative proofing software that's built for creatives — with smart automations, multimedia formats, and real-time feedback for faster review and approval.

Find out how we're upgrading version management for 21st-century creatives.