A brand asset management tool is crucial for your business if you’re thriving to grow your brand every day. It helps organize, share, and save your brand assets in a centralized workspace. 

Here, we've compiled this glossary of BAM terms to help you navigate the (potentially) complex world of BAM with ease. From your usual terms like "brand assets" to the more technical "metadata", we've got your back. So whether you're a seasoned pro looking to refresh your knowledge or a newbie trying to get up to speed, here's your go-to guide on every essential BAM term you need to know.

Glossary of BAM terms 

A

Admin

An admin (or administrator) often sees your digital asset management tool. They’ll have full control of the system where they can set permissions, toggle all settings, and add new users. 

Ai 

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe Inc. It is suitable for graphic designers.

Artificial intelligence 

It is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. Specific applications of AI include expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine vision. See below for how AI plays in BAM

AI Tagging/Auto Tags

AI tagging uses Artificial Intelligence and image recognition technology to identify objects and other properties within an image (colors, text, etc). A keyword is then associated with each of these. AI tagging is usually executed when originally uploading and downloading assets.

API

Application Programming Interface or API is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. With respect to BAM, the creative assets stored in your BAM can be integrated into other systems such as your content management system.

Artwork

The artwork is the overall design of your packaging, including size, type, location, color, treatment of font, frames, art designs, and surface treatment. 

Audit logs

Audit logging is the process of recording activity within the software systems used across your organization. Logs contain information about the occurrence of events, their time, the responsible user or service, and the entity involved.

B

Brand assets

The brand assets convey the identity of a business and are easily recognizable by the consumers. It can be from logo to brand name, packaging, color palettes, taglines, mascots and more.

Brand Asset Management (BAM)

This is a subset of digital asset management tools. It focuses on workflows important to brand managers, such as version history and watermarks. 

Brand Compliance

A Brand Asset Management platform ensures your brand assets are compliant with your overall brand guidelines in order to main consistency across all marketing touchpoints.

Branding guidelines

Brand guidelines are rules a company sets for how it presents itself to the public, including its colors, fonts, voice, and design. By keeping the brand consistent, customers can have the same experiences throughout their journey with the brand.

C

Checklist

A checklist is a management tool that lists different tasks, activities, and behaviors that need to be followed to achieve a systematic result. It can help project managers keep track of project tasks, requirements, goals, and deadlines.

CMYK

The CMYK acronym stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black). Use CMYK for print media such as business cards, billboards, posters, packaging, and more.

Content Management System (CMS)

A Content Management System enables users to create, store, publish and update the content on a website, or other online services. A CMS allows anyone with access to post content to a site without the need for any coding knowledge. Examples include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.  

D

Dashboard

Dashboards contain all the information you need about any creative project. A dashboard lets you optimize file and workflow data into custom reports so that users can instantly see the data that is important to them. For example, on a BAM dashboard, you will find details such as recently uploaded files, files waiting on your approval, and files due to expire this month.

Digital asset management (DAM)

Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a communal term applied to the process of storing, cataloging, searching, and delivering digital assets or your computer files. These could be video, audio, images, print marketing collateral, office documents, fonts, or 3D models. Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems centralize assets so they can be located more easily and used properly.

F

File format

The file format describes the type of digital file you have. You would have definitely come across a few examples of file types such as .jpeg, .mov, .MP3, .docx, .ppt, .png, and more.

Filter Search

Filtering is a search tool that lets users specify their search to a certain section of a website or a specific document type. Controls like drop-down menus, checkboxes, or radio buttons will be used to allow users to refine their search criteria. In some BAM systems such as Artwork Flow, you can find 'Advanced Search'  where you can add or remove the sections you don’t need from your results.

G

GTM

A go-to-market (GTM) strategy is a step-by-step plan created to successfully launch a new product or service to the market. A good GTM strategy identifies a target audience, includes a marketing plan, and designs product messaging.

H

Hexcodes

Color hex codes are hexadecimal representations of colors in RGB format based on the amounts of red, green, and blue in each shade. As a key way of representing color formats digitally, color hex codes are an integral part of HTML for web design.

Hosting

Hosting refers to whether your BAM is hosted on the cloud or on-premise. An on-premise solution will need to be hosted on your own servers, which comes with several limitations including a lack of scalability and storage, and high costs associated with supporting the application. A cloud-hosted BAM means your brand’s visual content is secure and online - the modern solution for most businesses.

M

Marketing Operations Management (MOM)

Marketing Operations Management oversees an organization's marketing program, campaign planning, and annual strategic planning activities. Other responsibilities include technology and performance measurement and reporting and data analytics.

Metadata

Metadata is the data that describes and identifies a digital asset. It includes information such as the asset's filename, metadata fields, geolocation, Keywords, etc. Digital asset management systems rely heavily on metadata, as it’s critical for searching, retrieving, and managing your rich media assets.

O

Onboarding

Many BAM tools require an onboarding process. This is what happens after you purchase, and helps you and your team get up to speed with your new software. This can include getting an overview of the system, deciding on folder structures, considering upload workflows, and setting up your brand’s theme. Depending on the tool you purchase (and the size of your team), the amount of time it takes to onboard can vary.

P

PAM library

PAM (Perceptual Analysis Method) library refers to a collection of algorithms and tools used to analyze and measure the visual properties of a brand's digital assets, such as logos, images, and videos. The PAM library typically includes a set of software tools and APIs (application programming interfaces) that enable developers and designers to integrate perceptual analysis into their workflows and automate the analysis of large volumes of digital assets. 

Pantone

The Pantone Color Matching System is largely a standardized color reproduction system. By standardizing the colors, different manufacturers in different locations can all refer to the Pantone system to make sure colors match without direct contact with one another.

Pixel

Pixel is the smallest element of an image on a computer display, whether they are LCD or CRT monitor. A screen is made up of a matrix of thousands or millions of pixels. A pixel is represented by a dot or a square on a computer screen.

Printing vendor workflow

The print production workflow consists of various disparate systems—from production equipment to management information systems. During the production of a printed product, information regarding the product must be communicated between the systems in the workflow.

Proofing

Proofing enables you to annotate a file, image, audio file, or video and share comments with others. This generally is used when collaborating on files or seeking legal approval before a piece of creative is finalized.

R

RAW

A RAW file is lossless, meaning it captures uncompressed data from your camera sensor. These are usually very large files and this format is often referred to as a digital negative because photographers can then use software such as Photoshop to manipulate them before compressing them into a JPEG, TIFF, or PNG.

Render

BAM tools automatically generate web-optimized previews for most of the files you upload including images, video, audio, PDF, and PowerPoint. Artwork Flow proofs over 160 file formats with high-speed rendering and loads files instantly regardless of their size or the number of pages. 

Resolution

Resolution is the level of detail contained in an image. More specifically, it refers to the number of pixels that exist within that image. The higher the resolution, the crisper the image will be.

RGB

RGB stands for Red, Green, and Blue and is the standard color model used on a digital display screen.

S

SaaS

SaaS stands for Software as a Service. In the context of a BAM, SaaS enables you to manage your digital assets in the cloud, and on-premise implementation. SaaS products are provided as web applications that users access via a browser. SaaS BAM is also interchangeable with Cloud BAM solutions.

Searchability

Search enables users to find exactly the asset(s) they are looking for in a brand asset management solution.

Smart compliance

A smart compliance tool in brand asset management is a software application that helps companies ensure that their brand assets are being used in compliance with the company's branding guidelines, legal requirements, and industry standards. This tool typically automates many of the tasks associated with managing brand assets, including monitoring and enforcing compliance across various channels, such as social media, advertising, packaging, and product design.

Streaming

Streaming means the capability of media to be viewed at the same time as it is being downloaded. There are two basic varieties of media streaming: live and archived. Live streaming involves capturing the output from a camera or other digital source and relaying it to users in real time as an event takes place. Archived streaming takes assets that have already been digitized.

Style guide

A style manual, or style guide, is a set of standards for the design of documents, website pages, social media creatives, and any other form of brand identifier. The reason for their existence is to ensure complete consistency in style and formatting wherever the brand is used. They cover everything from how and where the logo is used to the brand colors and typography rules.

T

Tags

The tags typically contain information such as the asset's serial number, purchase date, and owner. They are used to make searches more effective. These should be objective words used to identify the content of your images and videos. For example, if you’re selling clothing, you might want to include keywords such as ‘men’, ‘women’, or ‘kids’. That means if you’re searching for product shots for a campaign about your new range of party wears, you’ll quickly be able to jump to the photos associated with that target group.

Taxonomy

Digital asset taxonomy is a classification scheme used to categorize and organize digital assets. It contains descriptive vocabulary and a consistent naming system to describe, tag, organize, and find assets quickly. 

U

UI/UX

User experience (UX) is the experience a person has when navigating and interacting with the BAM software. The user interface (UI) is the series of screens, pages, and visual elements — such as buttons and icons — that you use to interact with the BAM.

Usage Approval (aka Asset Request)

Usage Approval is a type of workflow in a digital asset management platform, enabling people to request approval before using a file which prevents files from going into unnecessary hands.

V

Variant

In brand asset management, a variant refers to a variation of a brand asset such as a logo, color scheme, or packaging design. Variants are created to differentiate a product or service from others within the same brand family, while still maintaining a consistent brand identity. For example, a product line may have different packaging designs that use the same brand elements but vary in color or imagery to appeal to different target markets.

Version Control

Version control is a very important feature of any BAM. It helps you find the most recent editions of creatives easily instead of spending precious time searching for the right and latest assets.

W

Watermarking

Watermarking means adding a logo, or a user’s time and date stamp information on top of the file when displaying in the BAM. The idea behind watermarking is to create a translucent image on the paper to provide authenticity.

Workflow

The sequence of any process by which a digital asset moves from creation to production to distribution.

By understanding the terminology and concepts associated with brand asset management, you can develop more effective branding strategies and improve the value of your brand assets over time.

This glossary provides a comprehensive overview of the key terms and concepts related to brand asset management, making it an essential tool for anyone involved in branding or marketing. Whether you are a brand manager, marketer, or business owner, this wordbook can help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in brand asset management.

About Artwork Flow

Artwork Flow is a powerful brand asset management tool you should watch out in 2023. In addition to its intuitive interface, the software offers features such as online proofing, version management, brand compliance, and more to increase the efficiency and communication within your team. To ensure if Artwork Flow meets your branding requirements, you can try out the platform’s 7-day free trial.

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