How to Build the Best Creative Approval Process for You
Last updated on by Cody Miles
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You’ve got some version of it: sending a file to your approver, receiving feedback, doing revisions, getting that final approval. Those are the bare bones of the process — but how well is yours working for you? If you’re combing through emails to find feedback or struggling to remember if you sent the proof to the next person in the workflow, you’re wasting your valuable time.
You need an approval system in place that works well and gets approvals. A good system will save you time, stress, and ultimately, money.
The Approval Process Needs:
- A method for sending your proof through an approval workflow
- A way to get your approvers to review in a timely manner
- Feedback you can act on
- A revision system that keeps all versions organized
- Overall, good organization
All of these features are key to building the best creative approval process for you — and they all need to allow flexibility and customization to fit your needs.
Sailing Through Those Workflows
Your creative approval process should save you the hassle of manually moving through the chain of approvals. A workflow feature is a must-have, even if you usually send to one approver — when you need it, you’ll be glad it’s there.
Your proof should move from one reviewer to the next as it’s approved — or be kicked back to you if it’s not — until final approval is given by the head honcho. No more wondering if you remembered to send the proof along.
Flexibility is key:
- Send to approvers one-by-one or all at once
- Edit workflows or rearrange approvers without starting over
Tick Tock, Time to Review
The goal of the creative approval process is approval. The way to achieve that is through timely review of the proof for comments and revisions.
Your system should include:
- Automated reminders to keep the proof top-of-mind
- Customizable reminder frequency (daily, weekly, every other day)
- Deadlines visible to approvers in reminder emails
This eliminates the need to manually track deadlines and improves reviewer engagement.
Give Me Something to Work With
One of the most important aspects of your creative approval process is obtaining actionable feedback. The best kind is contextual feedback — comments placed directly on the image or file so you know exactly what the reviewer is referring to.
Look for features like:
- Markup tools (boxes, arrows, highlights)
- Custom approval checklists for reviewers to confirm key items like spelling or placement before approving
Take Two
Revisions are a given. It should be easy to send a new version of your file, and all versions should be grouped together for organization.
Version stacking lets you and your approver:
- Compare changes across versions
- Reference previous comments
- Confirm requested changes were made
Swabbing the Decks
Organization is the key to a low-stress work environment. This means organizing your proofs, not just your desk.
Email-based approvals quickly become messy. Your approval software should provide:
- Sorting by approved/not approved
- Custom filters or tags to group proofs
- Clear status tracking
The Gist of It All
Key features like workflows, reminders, contextual feedback, and organization are integral to a creative approval process. But overall, you want a system that is flexible and allows customization:
- Group vs. sequential workflows
- Individualized reminder schedules
- Approval checklists tailored to your needs
- Organization that works for your process (even by color theory if you want!)
You know your process best. Your approval software should adapt to you.
Come Sail With Us
At Ashore, we’re masters at going with the flow and adapting with the winds. Come sail with us and see if we’re the ship for you.