¹is an independent consultant and software developer based in the San Diego area. Ron's 20-year career includes a variety of development positions at Dainippon SCREEN, Scitex, DK&A, and Pound Hill Software.

Abstract

Advertising agencies make money providing innovative solutions to promote their clients' brands and services through an increasingly wide spectrum of media. Innovative creative solutions today typically involve innovative technology to support its creation. But in contrast to the readiness to adopt new technology that assists in creating artwork or automates formatting of final output for production, the adoption of systems to manage the creative process has not been as rapid. In the final analysis, it is all about time to market and the pressure from clients to accelerate the delivery schedule is ever-present. The challenge is to blend a creative workflow with the digital production workflow to achieve a satisfactory ROI — while minimizing disruption and keeping up with a manageable maintenance regimen — that fits the objectives of the organization.