If you're leading a creative team or are a part of one, you're bound to be juggling multiple projects and deadlines on a daily basis. It can be tough to stay organized and ensure that everything is on track, especially when you're working with a team. 

From innovative ideation to consistent delivery, there are many stages and tasks that need to be organized and completed efficiently. This is where creative workflow management tools come in to save the day. These smart solutions streamline processes, improve collaboration and communication, and help ensure consistently high-quality results. 

In this blog, we'll take a look at some of the best creative workflow management tools on the market, their best features and benefits, and how they can help you tackle your next project with ease. So, let’s dive in!

1. Artwork Flow

Artwork Flow offers users a highly flexible and comprehensive creative workflow automation solution. The platform helps you build even the most complex workflows with ease and ensures complete visibility of your creative operations from start to finish.

Features to note

• Flexible workflow visualizer
• AI-powered online proofing
• Automated brand and regulatory compliance
• Powerful digital asset management
• Version control
• Dynamic feedback

Drawbacks

• Artwork Flow does not offer a free version of the product.

Final thoughts

Artwork Flow is a great choice if you’re looking for a comprehensive workflow automation tool. Alongside an impressive workflow management solution, it also comes with a robust digital asset management system that makes it a complete solution for brands looking to scale their creative operations rapidly. While there’s no free version of the software, users can still try it free for 7 days before opting for an economical plan per user or talk to sales for a customized enterprise solution. 

2. Bynder

Bynder is an established name in the brand asset management space and is now improving its creative workflow feature to supplement its host of features.

‍

Features to note

• Configurable workflow
• Annotations and comments
• Tickets to assign tasks
• Version control
• Digital asset management

Drawbacks

• Doesn’t offer much in terms of customization.
• Downloads all versions of the asset rather than any particular version.
• Users have encountered bugs while using the product.

Final thoughts

Bynder is a fine option to look at if you’re going after a creative collaboration tool that also helps you manage your brand assets effectively. However, it’s not the ideal option if you’re looking for greater customization of your operations and the occasional bug within the product could have a say on your team’s overall performance.

3. Wrike

Wrike is an end-to-end workflow management solution that can be used to speed up creative reviews and approvals.

‍

Features to note

• Kanban boards to track project progress.
• Gantt charts for project scheduling.
• Online proofing tools.
• Trigger automated workflows.
• Project resource planning.

Drawbacks

• Offers limited visibility during projects.
• Little flexibility in managing tasks.
• Customization is a challenge.

Final thoughts

Wrike is a solution that has been geared strongly towards project workflow management and collaboration, so it’s a good choice if you’re looking exclusively for a creative workflow management tool. However, the solution falls short on providing sufficient visibility or flexibility while managing projects. Users will also find it difficult to effectively customize the solution to their needs.

4. Air Inc.

Like Artwork Flow and Bynder, Air Inc is another option that offers creative collaboration tools alongside a brand asset management solution. 

‍

Features to note

• Kanban boards to track project status.
• Version control.
• Dynamic feedback.
• Smart search.
• Integrations.

Drawbacks

• Limited features in the free version.
• Bandwidth issues may cause the platform to lag.

Final thoughts

Air offers users a platform with both creative collaboration and digital asset management, which makes it a good choice for brands that need to manage all of their marketing and branding operations in one place. However, the free version of the platform offers few features to users and it may not be the most economical choice if you want to make the most of the platform.

5. Ziflow

Ziflow is a creative collaboration and digital asset management solution aimed at helping marketing agencies simplify their workflow.

Features to note

• Autoroute project management
• Email notifications
• Version management
• Compliance management 
• Pixel ruler

Drawbacks

• Inconsistent upload quality.
• Inefficient review process.
• Clunky folder structure.

Final thoughts

Ziflow workflow tools make it a choice to consider for marketing agencies that don’t need too many branding solutions to support their creative workflow. That said, issues with upload and review quality mean it may not be the most efficient solution in the market and could lead to workflow issues in the long run.

Wrapping up

Ultimately, choosing the right creative workflow management tool can make a huge difference to your team’s creative output and ultimately impact your brand. Each of these solutions here have specific features that may help your organization improve the quality of their work, but if you’re looking for a solution that offers a comprehensive branding asset management and creative collaboration platform with creative intelligence  without affecting your budget significantly, then Artwork Flow would be your best bet. 

If you’d like to know more about how the platform can fit your team’s requirements, start now with a 7-day trial or book a quick demo with our experts today for a customized walkthrough.