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3 Ways to Harness AI For Design Efficiency

ai creative solutions Apr 04, 2023

The creative industry runs on urgency. Everyone needs everything yesterday. Or better yet, last week. When it comes to creative industries like ad design, content marketing, and B2B marketing, technology is now an essential part of the workflow. But the right creative tech stack can do more than streamline processes and make collaboration more efficient. At our creative agency, we leverage technology by using AI-driven tools to help us define urgency levels quickly and accurately. Here’s how you can leverage AI to help your team determine and channel urgency. 

 

1. Streamline Project Management

Clients rely on our team to deliver quality work within tight deadlines. With project management software like Asana, we can indicate urgency levels quickly and modify them as needed, so everyone on our team and our clients stay on the same page. The inclusion of these urgency levels helps us better manage our workflow, so we can deliver results on time. These settings are also flexible, so when an urgent project came in one afternoon last week, we were able to notify every involved team member of new priorities by simply modifying the urgency level and due dates on their respective Asana tasks. When everyone got to work the next morning, they knew by looking at their Asana task list they needed to re-focus their efforts, and they had all the files and info at their fingertips to get started. 

 

2. Minimize Work & Feedback Loops

To more efficiently manage feedback, we use popular tools like Frame.io and Figma. Our creative agency has found these tools incredibly useful, especially when working with clients like industrial manufacturing unicorn Augury. We create business videos for Augury to demonstrate the impact their solutions have had on clients, and it is vital to deliver the final product efficiently. Frame.io, for instance, is great for video feedback for digital marketing agencies like ours. When clients like Augury need to pinpoint a specific moment in a video to change or edit something, they can leave clear comments on that exact second of the video. Plus, our animators receive notifications when feedback is left, so they can respond immediately. With these powerful tools, we can create iterations in a shorter timeframe and gather detailed feedback from clients. Frame.io also has the functionality to send multiple versions at once. So when our animator wanted to show Augury a different option for a cool transition, he simply included that in the same link and let them know there were several options available. The Augury team left feedback about what they loved from version 1 and what they preferred from version 2, leaving our animator with the exact information he needed to build the iteration they wanted - no ad hoc call or huddle required. 

For graphic design work, software tools like Figma save us valuable time. We can create templates much more efficiently and even design entire websites from scratch. Designers are able to work on a file simultaneously, which speeds up internal collaboration. You can also easily copy and paste from one file to another, empowering creatives to repurpose great work and speed delivery time of critical assets while still preserving content quality and increasing its impact. For example, we know that videos we’ve made for Augury to showcase their success to their customers have helped them retain and upsell existing accounts. So when Augury needs a new video product for a client meeting and we only have 5 days to turn it around, we can leverage existing designs in Figma from previous content to get a massive headstart on this urgent request. 

Since Figma also has useful comment functionality, our creative designers share the file they’ve been working on directly with clients. By improving communication, we avoid misunderstandings that can hinder the efficiency of the workflow. In the past, we had to convert every new design iteration into a PDF which then had to be shared with the client. In Figma, clients can leave feedback directly on the design, with the ability to highlight specific sections to ensure we know exactly what requires editing. You can limit individual users to view-only access, ensuring you get feedback while avoiding too many fingers in the design pie, so to speak. The collaboration capabilities of these tools are not only efficient but also incredibly effective in improving the quality of the content we deliver.

 

3. Optimize Communication

The key to keeping calm and carrying on as a creative agency is fast, efficient communication. Using these apps helps us facilitate communication among our team members and clients. We leverage Slack to keep a constant flow of information. After every client call, we send a short summary of the call to our client channel with a list of priorities and action items for their team and ours. Our team also leverages Slack automation, so each client receives a weekly message with a link to their Asana board so they can keep track of projects and ensure our priorities are still in sync. The same message also shares a link and their login info for our proprietary digital asset management software eShelf, where clients can find all of their approved assets and source files, neatly and visually organized. 

 

Bottom Line

You need an agile, flexible creative team in order to truly harness the power of design-related AI tools. The creative industries have always had a strong focus on collaboration, but technology helps us take that up a notch. The collaboration and feedback capabilities made possible through these tools are game-changers for individuals and teams in the industry. With AI-driven tools our design team can prioritize tasks more effectively, enabling us to focus on unique aspects of our craft. 

Using the right AI tools helps us drive business growth, for both our clients and our creative design agency. Embracing these powerful tools is fundamental to optimizing workflow, which is why design and marketing teams need to explore the full potential of technology in their content creation process. If you’re looking for ways to make your creative workflow more efficient, why not explore these powerful tools? With the right design tech stack and the right creative partner, you can get back to business — faster.

 

Editor's Note

As Founder and Creative Director of Gallery Design Studio, Caroline Petersen is a thought leader in the creative industry. Her approach has always been to use technology to complement the human creative process by leveraging AI-driven tools and apps to get the job done effectively and efficiently. In fact, Caroline recently published an article addressing how automation can be harnessed to optimize urgency within the creative process in Forbes

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