Why artwork management systems beat project management tools

The packaging and labeling landscape is changing faster than ever. Global teams must manage regulatory updates, artwork variants, multilingual content, and accelerated launch cycles — all while maintaining absolute accuracy. Traditional project management tools can track tasks and deadlines, but they fall short when it comes to the complexity of packaging artwork workflows.

A purpose-built artwork management system (AMS) like Cway goes far beyond task tracking. It manages version control, artwork briefs, approvals, copy changes, regulatory verification, digital assets, multi-market variations, and workflow automation — all in one controlled, auditable environment.

Below, we break down the key differences between project management tools and a dedicated artwork management system, and why packaging teams rely on Cway to deliver faster, more accurate artwork at scale.

Common Challenges in the Artwork Management Process

1. Maintaining Consistent Quality Standards

Artwork teams must ensure that every variant meets brand guidelines, technical requirements, and print specifications. Without structured controls, inconsistencies quickly creep in — leading to rework, quality issues, or compliance risk.

2. Regulatory and Legislation Changes

From ingredient updates to multi-market legal requirements, packaging teams must stay compliant. Manual tracking across emails, PDFs, and spreadsheets creates gaps that increase the risk of costly recalls.

3. New Product & Variant Creation

Each new SKU introduces artwork updates, layout changes, new claims, translations, or structural variations. Managing this across spreadsheets or email-based workflows slows launches and increases the likelihood of error.

4. Change Control Management

Artwork projects involve many stakeholders: marketing, regulatory, packaging development, suppliers, printers, and agencies. Tracking revisions manually or through generic tools makes it difficult to ensure teams are working from the correct version.

5. Serial and Parallel Workflow Complexity

Artwork often requires regulatory review, translation, design, proofreading, and technical validation — sometimes simultaneously. Without automated workflows, bottlenecks emerge and deadlines slip.

6. Approval Bottlenecks & Misaligned Feedback

Email approvals, PDF markups, or chat-based feedback create confusion, lost comments, and unclear ownership. This slows down sign-off and increases launch risk.

What Do Project Management Tools Offer?

Project management tools like Asana, Airtable, Trello, or Monday excel at:

• Task lists

• Timelines

• Resource allocation

• Generic workflow creation

• Cross-team communication

They are versatile but not specialized.

These tools aren’t built to manage:

• Artwork briefs

• Packaging specifications

• Version control of regulated files

• Content comparison

• Compliance checks

• Multi-market variants

• Print-proof workflows

• Supplier & agency collaboration

• Artwork-specific audit trails

They can track what needs to be done — but not how artwork should be created, controlled, or approved.

Artwork Management System vs Project Management Tools: Key Points

1. Scope & Purpose

Project Management Tools:
Built for general tasks across any department.

Cway Artwork Management System:
Designed specifically for packaging artwork and labeling workflows, including:

• structured artwork briefs

• approval flows

• content & artwork comparison

• regulatory validation

• variant management

• version control

• full artwork lifecycle tracking

Cway ensures teams follow a controlled, compliant, and repeatable process.

2. Digital Asset Management (DAM)

Project Management Tools:
Basic file storage with limited tagging, inconsistent version naming, and no regulatory context.

Cway:
A built-in digital asset library designed for packaging teams.

• automatic version control

• advanced tagging & metadata

• artwork & dieline libraries

• easy retrieval and reuse

• approved asset distribution

This ensures teams always work from the right file, right version, right market.

3. Regulatory & Compliance Controls

Project Management Tools:
May rely on third-party add-ons or manual checks, creating fragmented workflows.

Cway:
Purpose-built compliance tools:

• automated comparison for copy, layout, and graphics

• tracking of legal, ingredient, and market-specific changes

• approval trails with sign-off accountability

• workflows tailored to regulatory checkpoints

This reduces risk and helps teams avoid expensive recalls.

4. Workflow Automation

Project Management Tools:
Flexible but generic, not tailored to artwork lifecycle logic.

Cway:
Automation built for packaging workflows:

• structured sequential & parallel flows

• automated routing based on role or market

• escalation rules

• due-date tracking

• Pulse insights to identify bottlenecks

Cway gives teams the control needed to scale artwork across multiple product lines and markets.

5. Collaboration & Feedback

Project Management Tools:
Comments may scatter across tasks, PDFs, and chats.

Cway:
Centralized, artwork-specific collaboration:

• unified markup tools

• consolidated comments

• tracked decisions

• artwork comparisons

• automated audit logs

Nothing gets lost, misinterpreted, or duplicated.

Why Packaging Teams Choose Cway for Artwork Management

Cway combines artwork lifecycle management, approval workflows, compliance support, asset libraries, and Pulse analytics in one unified platform.

Teams gain:

✓ faster artwork approvals
✓ fewer errors and miscommunications
✓ full lifecycle visibility
✓ repeatable, compliant workflows
✓ easy management of multi-market variants
✓ faster time-to-market

Project management tools show progress.
Cway shows the entire artwork lifecycle — and controls it.

Conclusion

Generic project management tools can support task tracking, but they cannot support the complexity of packaging artwork. An artwork management system like Cway is purpose-built to help teams manage compliance, workflows, versions, assets, and approvals — all in one place.

For brands managing high artwork volumes, frequent updates, and multi-market packaging demands, Cway offers the control, speed, and visibility necessary to deliver accurate, compliant, and consistent artwork every time.