Creating and publishing content can sometimes be chaotic. You may recognize it; pdf files sent back and forth between different departments. Last minute a quick email with corrections. On a text that has actually already been approved. Then three missed calls from the designer. Did something sometimes go wrong? And by the way, are there any illustrations missing?
It is a situation that they have dealt with quickly at Colorscan. The employees are therefore experienced in designing and publishing content. And they know better than anyone how to approach this as efficiently as possible. Director and owner Ben Davidson, proudly; ‘Colorscan was founded in 1989 as a lithographic company, with outsourcing of large-scale assignments as our specialization. Those early years were really different times. Making content ready for print was still all done manually. You can hardly imagine it now.’
From the ANWB to King Willem-Alexander
Colorscan moved with the times and with it her role also changed. The experience of then was combined with the knowledge of today. It led to a company that focuses on three pillars. Davidson: ‘Designing content for print is still our main focus. Think of trade magazines, which make us the market leader in the Netherlands. We produce around 90 magazines per month. Very diverse, which still surprises me every day. From food, catering, travel and technology to legal and fiscal. And better known to the general public; the camping monthly magazine of the ANWB and ProMotor, the motorcycle magazine of the Netherlands. We also take care of the design for that.’
In addition, Colorscan focuses on the creation and design of digital content, such as mobile applications and websites. The company also publishes its own books. Usually on behalf of business customers who, for example, want to publish an anniversary book. But also own publications such as A king to frame, a special edition about Willem Alexander. And at the moment the sequel about Queen Maxima is in the bookstore; A queen to love.
A partnership with Qonqord
The technology has grown enormously since the foundation of Colorscan. This makes designing and publishing content a lot easier. But the process to get from a concept to that publication remains a human work. A reason for Ben Davidson to look for the most efficient way to get from creation to publication: ‘There are many steps between the first concept and the final product. Whether it’s print or a website or an app. After an article has been written, it must first be designed. If the final destination is print, such a digital file must first be made technically ready for print. So that the file can go to the printer. And if you want to publish content digitally, there are completely different requirements.’
To solve this puzzle, Colorscan teamed up with Qonqord. A company that specializes in streamlining the path from creation to publication. Davidson: ‘They optimized our desired workflow. Using the latest software and hardware.’
No more roaming files
With the new approach, Colorscan is able to produce publications more efficiently. Both online and offline. From the first rough concept to making it ready for print, all steps are coordinated. And accessible to all employees in one environment. This prevents employees from working in different files. And there are loose files floating around within the organization. From the author to the designer, from photographer to editor-in-chief, they all work in the same environment. And are thus constantly aware of the latest adjustments.
With this streamlined approach, the person ultimately responsible easily keeps an overview. Are there any items missing? You can see it at a glance in the environment that Qonqord has set up. Ben Davidson: ‘We see that the quality of our content has improved since we started using this workflow and the software that Qonqord has provided.’
‘Less chance of errors, lower costs and more ease of use!’
Davidson: ‘I can see at any moment in which phase an article is. Has the editor-in-chief already corrected the content? Is the article too long or too short? Have the matching photos been delivered yet?’ In addition to fewer errors, the Colorscan also resulted in significant cost savings. ‘We can now deploy our employees much better. The time when one designer was waiting while the other was overflowing with work is over. Naturally, this cost efficiency is reflected in the price we pass on to our customers.’
As far as Ben Davidson is concerned, the collaboration with Qonqord can therefore be summarized in one sentence; ‘We design content with less chance of errors, lower costs and more ease of use!’
Would you also like to know how you can save costs by organizing your creation and publication processes in a smarter way? Mail to sales@qonqord.com
