Packaging Artworks Control

Location: /Project/Default.aspx?pid={ProjectId} (Project Info tab)

Navigation: Open any Packaging-type project from the Dashboard or project search. The Packaging Artworks section appears automatically on the Project Info tab when viewing a Packaging project. The control is not visible for other project types (Creative, Cores, Consulting).

Overview

The Packaging Artworks Control is the centralized workspace for managing individual artwork items within a Packaging project. Each packaging project typically contains multiple artwork pieces representing different product labels, cartons, or packaging components that need to be designed, reviewed, and delivered to the client.

This control enables project teams to create, track, price, and manage the complete lifecycle of each artwork piece from initial entry through final billing. The interface presents artworks in a structured table format, displaying comprehensive product specifications, design identifiers, pricing information, and workflow status. Users can add new artworks, modify existing ones, create alterations (revised versions), copy artworks between projects, and view the complete history of changes.

The control integrates deeply with the per-piece pricing system, enabling automatic calculation of charges based on packaging level and complexity combinations. This eliminates manual price calculations and ensures consistent, accurate billing for each deliverable.

Business Value

Why Does This Matter to the Company?

1. Granular Deliverable Tracking - Unlike project-level tracking, the Packaging Artworks Control enables management at the individual deliverable level. When a project contains multiple label designs, each piece has its own record with specifications, pricing, and status. This granularity supports accurate scoping, better resource allocation, and precise client communication about specific items.
2. Automated Per-Piece Pricing - The system automatically calculates artwork charges based on configurable complexity levels and packaging types. This automation eliminates manual spreadsheet-based pricing calculations, reduces billing errors, ensures pricing consistency across the organization, and significantly speeds up the estimate-to-invoice cycle.
3. Version Control Through Alterations - Client-requested changes to artwork are tracked through a formal alteration system. Each alteration creates a linked version with complete traceability to the original. The system automatically determines whether alterations are billable based on client-specific free alteration allowances, ensuring accurate invoicing while honoring contractual agreements.
4. Billing Integration - Each artwork connects directly to time records and invoice line items. The visual BILLED indicator prevents accidental modifications to invoiced work, while the system maintains complete audit trails for financial verification.
5. Compliance Documentation - Product packaging requires extensive regulatory documentation including barcodes, country of origin, SAP numbers, and structure specifications. The control captures all compliance-related data in structured fields, supporting regulatory requirements and client reporting needs.
6. Rush Fee Management - When clients require expedited delivery, rush charges apply automatically based on configured percentages. The system calculates and displays rush amounts clearly, ensuring premium service is properly compensated.

Business Benefits

For Project Managers

• Work Volume Visibility: Instantly see how many artwork items a project contains and their completion status
• Pricing Control: Override calculated prices when client negotiations require adjustments, with clear visual indication of manual overrides
• Progress Monitoring: Track which artworks are complete, which have alterations, and which are awaiting complexity assignment
• Team Accountability: Activity logs show who created, modified, or copied each artwork and when

For Designers and Production Staff

• Clear Specifications: All product specifications (dimensions, barcodes, colors, materials) are visible in a structured format
• Design Reference Numbers: Art numbers, artwork references, and version numbers provide clear identification for file management
• Alteration Context: When working on a revision, the complete alteration chain shows the history of changes
• Asset Management: Integration with digital asset management (Celum) numbers connects design work to final file storage

For Account Managers

• Estimate Alignment: Artwork complexity assignments directly feed into purchase order estimates
• Billing Preparation: Per-piece charges appear on each artwork, supporting accurate invoice preparation
• Client Communication: Structured artwork data exports support detailed client reporting on project scope and charges
• Rush Fee Tracking: Rush percentages and calculated amounts display prominently for premium service documentation

For Finance and Billing

• Accurate Revenue Recognition: Per-piece pricing ties specific revenue to specific deliverables
• Alteration Billing: Automatic free/charged alteration determination based on client contracts ensures proper invoicing
• Audit Support: Complete logs of artwork changes, pricing, and billing status support financial audits
• Invoice Verification: Billed status indicators prevent duplicate billing and support reconciliation

Usage Scenarios

Scenario 1: Setting Up Artwork for a New Packaging Project

A project coordinator receives a request for five new product labels. After creating the packaging project, they open the Project Info tab and use "Add Packaging Artwork Item" to create each artwork entry. For each one, they enter the product description, part number, stock number, and any available specifications from the client brief. They select the appropriate packaging level (e.g., Primary Label, Carton, Case) and complexity level (e.g., Simple, Standard, Complex) to establish pricing. The system automatically calculates and displays the per-piece charge based on the client's rate category.

Scenario 2: Client Requests Changes to Approved Artwork

A client reviews delivered artwork and requests modifications to a label design. The designer opens the project and locates the original artwork. Rather than editing the existing record (which preserves the original state), they click ALTER to create an alteration. The system creates a new artwork record linked to the original, copies all specifications, and determines whether this alteration is free (within the client's allowance) or billable. The designer then makes the required specification changes. The original artwork shows as "altered" and the new alteration displays its sequence number (e.g., "ALTERATION #2").

Scenario 3: Copying Artwork to Another Project

A client has similar requirements across two packaging projects. Rather than re-entering all specifications, the project coordinator opens the source project, locates the artwork to copy, and clicks COPY. They can copy to the same project (creating a duplicate to modify) or search for another packaging project. The "Keep Complexity" option controls whether pricing information transfers with the copy. After copying, the team navigates to the target project to customize the copied artwork for its specific requirements.

Scenario 4: Handling Per-Piece Project Setup

A project initially started as standard billing but requires per-piece (complexity-based) pricing. When the user assigns a complexity level to an artwork for the first time, the system prompts "Will this be a Per Piece project?" Confirming converts the project to per-piece pricing mode, which automatically creates time records tied to each artwork's pricing. This ensures artwork charges flow correctly through the billing system.

Scenario 5: Managing Rush Deliverables

A client needs urgent turnaround on several artworks. The project coordinator edits each rush item and enables the Rush checkbox. The system applies the client's configured rush percentage (e.g., 50%) to calculate additional charges. The display shows both the base complexity price and the rush add-on, providing transparency into total charges. When the artwork is billed, both components appear on the invoice.

Scenario 6: Quality Review and Complexity Adjustment

During quality review, a supervisor determines that an artwork's complexity level underestimates the actual work required. If the artwork has not been billed and has no alterations, they can change the complexity directly. If alterations exist, they use the "Increase Complexity" function, which recalculates charges across the entire alteration family. The system prevents complexity reduction on artworks that have time records, protecting billing integrity.

Scenario 7: Preparing for Invoicing

Before month-end billing, an account manager reviews the project's artworks. They expand "View Artwork Charges" to see a consolidated view of all per-piece charges. Any artworks showing "Select complexity" in red need attention before billing. The manager ensures all deliverables have appropriate complexity assignments. Artworks already billed display "BILLED" prominently, preventing accidental modifications to invoiced work.

Industry Context

How Similar Functionality is Used Across Industries

Packaging Artwork Management Concept

Managing individual artwork items within larger projects is standard practice in packaging design, consumer goods marketing, and label production industries. Each physical package or label represents a distinct deliverable requiring separate tracking, specifications, and often separate pricing.

Common Industry Practices

1. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Companies: Brand owners maintain extensive libraries of label and packaging artwork, each with regulatory information (nutrition facts, ingredient lists, country-specific compliance data). The structured data fields in the Packaging Artworks Control mirror the information categories these companies require.
2. Label Printers and Converters: Production facilities track artwork from design through plate-making to press runs. Specification fields like structure type, dimensions, and print colors map directly to production requirements.
3. Pharmaceutical Packaging: Highly regulated environments require comprehensive audit trails and version control. The alteration system with automatic logging addresses FDA and global regulatory requirements for documented change control.
4. Retail Private Label Programs: Retailers managing hundreds of private label SKUs need efficient artwork tracking tied to specific products. The SAP number, part number, and finished good fields support inventory system integration.

Industry Best Practices Implemented

• SKU-Level Tracking: Each artwork represents a specific product SKU, enabling detailed cost allocation and margin analysis per item
• Version Control: Alterations maintain complete history without destroying original records, meeting audit and compliance requirements
• Structured Pricing: Complexity-based pricing follows the industry model where simple adaptations cost less than complex original designs
• Regulatory Compliance Fields: Barcode specifications, country of origin, and asset management numbers support supply chain and compliance requirements

Business Logic Details

Per-Piece Pricing System

The per-piece pricing system calculates artwork charges based on three factors:

• Packaging Level: The type of packaging (Primary Label, Secondary Carton, Tertiary Case, Shipper, etc.) establishes the base pricing tier
• Complexity Level: The design difficulty (Simple, Standard, Complex, or Multilanguage for multi-up versions) determines the rate within the packaging level
• Client Rate Category: Each client may have negotiated rates stored in rate categories, allowing different pricing for different clients

The system maintains a matrix of rates for each combination. When a user selects packaging level and complexity, the rate automatically populates. Invalid combinations (where no rate exists) appear disabled in the selection dropdowns, guiding users to appropriate choices.

Alteration Rules and Free Allowances

The alteration system follows specific business rules:

• Alteration Creation: Only the newest version in an alteration chain can be altered (preventing branches)
• Free Alterations: Each complexity level has a configurable free alteration count (often 1-3 free, then billable)
• Charged vs. Free Display: The system displays "ALTERATION #N" (red) for charged or "ALTERATION #N FREE" for included alterations
• Complexity Inheritance: Alterations inherit complexity from their parent artwork (since pricing is based on the original design)
• Multilanguage Exception: Multilanguage artworks cannot have alterations (each language variation is a separate piece)

Artwork Lifecycle States

Artworks progress through states that control available actions:

• New: Just created, all editing available
• Has Complexity: Pricing assigned, per-piece time record may exist
• Altered: Has been altered, complexity can only increase (not decrease or change)
• Has Time Record: Connected to billing, some fields become restricted
• Used in Approvals: Part of client approval journey, deletion prevented
• Billed: Invoiced to client, most editing disabled, displays "BILLED" indicator
• Estimated: Included in purchase order estimate, deletion shows warning

Status 2.6 Validation

For alterations, the system validates that project status 2.6 (Alteration status) has been set. If an alteration is added but the project hasn't gone through status 2.6, a visual reminder appears: "Please remember to select status 2.6". This ensures workflow compliance and proper status tracking.

Rush Pricing

Rush pricing applies a configurable percentage to the base complexity price:

• Rush percentage is client-specific (stored in rate categories)
• The calculated rush amount displays as: "$X + $Y (Z%)"
• Rush amounts persist in billing records separate from base charges

Key Features

Artwork Grid Display

Action Commands

Visual Indicators

Functional Components

Adding New Artwork

The "Add Packaging Artwork Item" link creates a new blank artwork record. All fields are initially empty. Users enter required specifications and select packaging level and complexity. The system validates required fields and prevents saving invalid combinations.

Editing Existing Artwork

The EDIT action switches an artwork to edit mode, displaying input controls for all modifiable fields. Dropdown selectors provide valid options for structured fields (packaging level, complexity, barcode spec, structure type, country of origin). The "Include in Total Count" checkbox controls whether the artwork counts toward project totals.

Copying Artwork

The COPY function provides two modes:

• Same Project: Creates a duplicate within the current project for modification
• Different Project: Searches available packaging projects and copies to the selected target

The "Keep Complexity" option controls whether pricing transfers (appropriate when copying between projects for the same client with the same rate structure).

Creating Alterations

The ALTER function:

1. Validates the artwork can be altered (newest in chain, has complexity, not multilanguage)
2. Creates a new artwork record with copied specifications
3. Links the new record to the original through the alteration chain
4. Calculates whether the alteration is free or billable
5. Marks the original as "altered" (no longer the current version)
6. Updates project time records for per-piece billing

Collapsible Alteration Groups

When artworks have alterations, the interface groups them together:

• Original artwork displays at the top of the group
• Alterations appear below with expand/collapse controls
• "Open alteration group" / "Close alteration group" toggle visibility
• Collapsed view shows only the newest version for streamlined display

View Artwork Charges

For projects with per-piece pricing, the "View Artwork Charges" link reveals a summary panel showing:

• All artworks with complexity assignments
• Individual pricing per artwork
• Rush charges where applicable
• Totals for project-level financial review

Relationship to Other System Components

Project Details Page

The Packaging Artworks Control appears on the Project Info tab of the Project Details page. It is conditionally visible only for Packaging project types. The control initializes with the current project ID and maintains state within the broader project context.

Time Tracking System

When per-piece pricing is active, each artwork with a complexity assignment generates a corresponding time record. This time record:

• Uses the per-piece activity type
• Captures the calculated rate as the billable amount
• Connects artwork changes to billing through the invoicing system
• Updates automatically when complexity or rush settings change

Invoice Groups and Purchase Orders

Artwork pricing integrates with the estimate and invoice system:

• Artworks appear as line items in purchase order estimates
• The placeholder system connects estimated work to actual artwork deliverables
• Complexity-based charges flow through to invoice generation
• The "Artworks to Estimate" dashboard widget tracks unassigned artworks

Approval System

Artworks link to approval journeys:

• Individual artworks can be selected for client approval workflows
• The "Used in Approvals" flag prevents deletion of artworks under review
• Approval status influences available artwork actions

Client Configuration

Client records define:

• Per-piece rate category (determining pricing matrix)
• Free alteration allowances per complexity level
• Rush percentage rates
• Available country of origin options (through invoice group)

Activity Logging

The system maintains complete audit trails:

• Every creation, edit, copy, alter, and delete action is logged
• Logs capture the user, timestamp, and action type
• The most recent log entry appears on the artwork row
• Full log history available via tooltip

Summary

The Packaging Artworks Control serves as the operational hub for managing individual deliverables within packaging design projects. By providing structured data entry, automated pricing calculations, controlled version management through alterations, and deep integration with billing systems, the control transforms complex multi-deliverable projects into manageable, accurately-priced work packages.

For companies delivering packaging design services, the control addresses key business challenges:

• Accurate Pricing: Complexity-based pricing ensures consistent revenue capture across all work
• Change Control: The alteration system manages revisions while maintaining billing accuracy
• Specification Management: Structured fields capture regulatory and production requirements
• Financial Integration: Direct connection to time records and invoicing prevents billing gaps
• Operational Efficiency: Copy functionality and specification templates accelerate project setup
• Audit Compliance: Complete activity logs support financial and regulatory audits

The Packaging Artworks Control enables creative services organizations to deliver packaging design work with the precision, traceability, and financial controls that enterprise clients require while maintaining the flexibility designers need to respond to creative requirements and client change requests.