Building a Scalable DAM Framework

Written By Andrea Feldman

Digital Asset Management | Workflow Optimization

The Challenge

At Draper's & Damon's, thousands of creative assets moved through Quad's Digital Asset Management (DAM) platform, supporting high-volume e-commerce and catalog production. Creative, merchandising, marketing, and e-commerce teams all relied on the same assets—but each needed them organized differently.

The greatest challenge wasn't organizing assets—it was designing a system that supported two very different workflows. Art Directors needed imagery organized by catalog page and campaign, while the retouching team required a structure optimized for version control, colorway management, and rapid production updates.

As asset volumes increased, these issues resulted in:

  • Time lost searching for files

  • Duplicate work and version confusion

  • Increased risk of using incorrect imagery

  • Workflow bottlenecks between creative and production teams

  • Delays responding to urgent business requests

The Goal

  • Standardize file naming and metadata practices

  • Support both creative and production workflows

  • Simplify version tracking and colorway management

  • Reduce production errors

  • Scale efficiently as asset libraries continued to grow

The Solution

Auditing Existing Workflows
I began by evaluating how different departments searched for, referenced, and managed creative assets throughout the production lifecycle. Through discussions with Art Directors, merchandising teams, production partners, and retouchers, I identified the key information needed for efficient asset retrieval, including the following metadata and categories including product identifiers, colorways, campaign information, and revision status.

Developing Standardized Naming Conventions.
Working with the on-set Digital Tech, I implemented standardized naming conventions before assets entered the DAM. Product identifiers, colorways, and campaign information remained consistent from image capture through final delivery. I also established metadata standards and governance practices that aligned folder structures across departments, improving searchability and reducing duplicate or mismatched assets.

Successful implementation required cross-functional adoption. I created documentation and naming guidelines while working directly with stakeholders to ensure the workflow supported each team's daily responsibilities.

The Outcome

Faster Asset Retrieval
Teams located the correct files and versions more quickly, reducing search time, version confusion, and delays responding to urgent requests.

Stronger Cross-Functional Collaboration
A shared organizational framework aligned creative, merchandising, and production teams, improving communication and reducing friction throughout the production workflow.

A Scalable DAM Foundation
The resulting workflow established a framework that could scale with the asset library, maintaining consistency, accuracy, and operational efficiency as volume grew.

Key Skills Demonstrated
Digital Asset Management • Workflow Optimization • Process Improvement • Change Management • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Production Operations • Documentation & Training • Automation

Business Impact

By standardizing digital asset organization and implementing scalable workflow processes, I worked with cross-functional teams to improve operational efficiency, reduce production errors, and create a more reliable system for managing high-volume creative assets across the organization.

Andrea Feldman
Next

Preventing a Product Color Mismatch