[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":74},["ShallowReactive",2],{"i-material-symbols:language":3,"i-material-symbols:person":8,"i-mdi:instagram":10,"i-mdi:youtube":12,"i-ri:linkedin-fill":14,"i-ri:twitter-x-line":16,"i-ri:facebook-fill":18,"post-organizing-digital-assets":20,"i-material-symbols:person-outline":68,"i-material-symbols:calendar-month":70,"i-mdi:schedule":72},{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":7},0,24,false,"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M8.125 21.213q-1.825-.788-3.187-2.15t-2.15-3.188T2 11.988t.788-3.875t2.15-3.175t3.187-2.15T12.013 2t3.875.788t3.175 2.15t2.15 3.175t.787 3.875t-.787 3.887t-2.15 3.188t-3.175 2.15t-3.875.787t-3.888-.787M12 19.95q.65-.9 1.125-1.875T13.9 16h-3.8q.3 1.1.775 2.075T12 19.95m-2.6-.4q-.45-.825-.787-1.713T8.05 16H5.1q.725 1.25 1.813 2.175T9.4 19.55m5.2 0q1.4-.45 2.488-1.375T18.9 16h-2.95q-.225.95-.562 1.838T14.6 19.55M4.25 14h3.4q-.075-.5-.112-.987T7.5 12t.038-1.012T7.65 10h-3.4q-.125.5-.187.988T4 12t.063 1.013t.187.987m5.4 0h4.7q.075-.5.113-.987T14.5 12t-.038-1.012T14.35 10h-4.7q-.075.5-.112.988T9.5 12t.038 1.013t.112.987m6.7 0h3.4q.125-.5.188-.987T20 12t-.062-1.012T19.75 10h-3.4q.075.5.113.988T16.5 12t-.038 1.013t-.112.987m-.4-6h2.95q-.725-1.25-1.812-2.175T14.6 4.45q.45.825.788 1.713T15.95 8M10.1 8h3.8q-.3-1.1-.775-2.075T12 4.05q-.65.9-1.125 1.875T10.1 8m-5 0h2.95q.225-.95.563-1.838T9.4 4.45Q8 4.9 6.912 5.825T5.1 8\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":9},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M9.175 10.825Q8 9.65 8 8t1.175-2.825T12 4t2.825 1.175T16 8t-1.175 2.825T12 12t-2.825-1.175M4 20v-2.8q0-.85.438-1.562T5.6 14.55q1.55-.775 3.15-1.162T12 13t3.25.388t3.15 1.162q.725.375 1.163 1.088T20 17.2V20z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":11},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M7.8 2h8.4C19.4 2 22 4.6 22 7.8v8.4a5.8 5.8 0 0 1-5.8 5.8H7.8C4.6 22 2 19.4 2 16.2V7.8A5.8 5.8 0 0 1 7.8 2m-.2 2A3.6 3.6 0 0 0 4 7.6v8.8C4 18.39 5.61 20 7.6 20h8.8a3.6 3.6 0 0 0 3.6-3.6V7.6C20 5.61 18.39 4 16.4 4zm9.65 1.5a1.25 1.25 0 0 1 1.25 1.25A1.25 1.25 0 0 1 17.25 8A1.25 1.25 0 0 1 16 6.75a1.25 1.25 0 0 1 1.25-1.25M12 7a5 5 0 0 1 5 5a5 5 0 0 1-5 5a5 5 0 0 1-5-5a5 5 0 0 1 5-5m0 2a3 3 0 0 0-3 3a3 3 0 0 0 3 3a3 3 0 0 0 3-3a3 3 0 0 0-3-3\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":13},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"m10 15l5.19-3L10 9zm11.56-7.83c.13.47.22 1.1.28 1.9c.07.8.1 1.49.1 2.09L22 12c0 2.19-.16 3.8-.44 4.83c-.25.9-.83 1.48-1.73 1.73c-.47.13-1.33.22-2.65.28c-1.3.07-2.49.1-3.59.1L12 19c-4.19 0-6.8-.16-7.83-.44c-.9-.25-1.48-.83-1.73-1.73c-.13-.47-.22-1.1-.28-1.9c-.07-.8-.1-1.49-.1-2.09L2 12c0-2.19.16-3.8.44-4.83c.25-.9.83-1.48 1.73-1.73c.47-.13 1.33-.22 2.65-.28c1.3-.07 2.49-.1 3.59-.1L12 5c4.19 0 6.8.16 7.83.44c.9.25 1.48.83 1.73 1.73\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":15},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.94 5a2 2 0 1 1-4-.002a2 2 0 0 1 4 .002M7 8.48H3V21h4zm6.32 0H9.34V21h3.94v-6.57c0-3.66 4.77-4 4.77 0V21H22v-7.93c0-6.17-7.06-5.94-8.72-2.91z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":17},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M10.488 14.651L15.25 21h7l-7.858-10.478L20.93 3h-2.65l-5.117 5.886L8.75 3h-7l7.51 10.015L2.32 21h2.65zM16.25 19L5.75 5h2l10.5 14z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":19},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14 13.5h2.5l1-4H14v-2c0-1.03 0-2 2-2h1.5V2.14c-.326-.043-1.557-.14-2.857-.14C11.928 2 10 3.657 10 6.7v2.8H7v4h3V22h4z\"\u002F>",{"postType":21,"id":22,"author":23,"date":26,"modified":27,"title":28,"slug":29,"seoTitle":28,"seoDescription":30,"excerpt":31,"trimmedExcerpt":32,"content":33,"readingTime":34,"featuredImage":35,"postCategory":41,"relatedPosts":46},"post",10750,{"id":24,"name":25},"author-0301142015","Canto","2021-06-15T16:32:47","2026-04-15T16:39:15","5 tips for organizing your brand’s digital assets","organizing-digital-assets","Most teams waste weeks – even months – each year searching for files. These five tips will help you get organized and win back your team's time. ","Here are 5 tips for organizing digital assets to make the best use of them for the greater good of your company or organization.","Here are 5 tips for organizing digital assets to make the best use of them for the greater good of...","\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies are producing more digital content than ever before, with growing collections of images, graphics, video and other digital assets. However, keeping track of all those digital files can quickly become a huge drain on resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We polled hundreds of marketers and found most teams waste weeks – even months – each year searching for media files. 54% of those surveyed view searching for digital content as a frustrating waste of their work time, and 41% said digital disorganization has even caused them to delay releasing new materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how can you win back your team’s time so they can get back to the work they’d rather be doing? In this article, we’ll go over our five top organization tips to get more out of your digital assets.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-1--1-start-with-the-assets-you-use-most\">1. Start with the assets you use most\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Few marketing departments start with a clean slate as they revamp their \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fdigital-asset-management\u002F\">digital asset management\u003C\u002Fa> system. Reorganizing while marketing operations are running can be a challenge, but setting priorities makes it much more manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Start with the assets people use most. Keep fielding the same content requests from the sales team? Set up that part of your library first. Need to get product images to distributors? Create a custom portal for pre-approved imagery, so they can download what they need without having to go through you.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One-stop shops for digital assets that get a lot of use, including high res and low-res imagery, different formats and even predefined sizes for social media can save massive time by cutting down requests to designers and creatives for reformatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-2--2-create-a-folder-structure\">2. Create a folder structure\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sitting down with your team and deciding on a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-create-a-folder-structure-a-step-by-step-guide\u002F\">folder structure\u003C\u002Fa> will pay dividends down the road. You don’t want to rely exclusively on folder structure to find things – your assets should also be searchable – but grouping images and other files by category will make browsing easier in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adopt whatever folder categorization schema makes sense for your organization. That could be by product line, campaign type, images with people – you name it!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-3--3-label-your-images-with-metadata\">3. Label your images with metadata\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most important thing you can do in regard to \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fphoto-organization\u002F\">photo organization\u003C\u002Fa> is to tag each image with appropriate keywords. This will make images searchable, so people don’t have to know where they’re saved or click their way through a folder structure to find them.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Liberally tag images with keywords that describe the image’s category, color, subject matter, product relationship or any other categories that makes sense for your operation. For large collections, you might want to introduce certain keyword standards. For example, a clothing brand might tag all their photos with a season or the name of a collection.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Image recognition software, like Canto’s Smart Tags and facial recognition, can speed up the process by automatically tagging all the images in your library with the basics of what they depict.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more about adding metadata to your assets, check out our blog post on \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fblog\u002Fgetting-organized-keywords-tags\u002F\">taxonomies, keywords and tags\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-4--4-create-a-system-for-versions-and-alternates\">4. Create a system for versions and alternates\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An often overlooked aspect of organizing visual media is the number of versions created on the way to a finished visual asset, especially for organizations with thriving in-house creative teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s a good idea to hang on to past versions and in case you ever want to revisit an asset. Robust media libraries, like Canto, keep a history of file versions, a sort of digital paper trail that tracks the evolution of a particular asset.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many teams also have alternate versions of assets, like translations, different imagery options, or different versions for different audiences. Linking alternates to one another and using metadata to provide context for how each version should be used keeps everyone on the same page and prevents confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-5--5-keep-file-numbers-down-with-download-options\">5. Keep file numbers down with download options\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies invest a lot in creating digital assets, and you’ll want to use most assets more than once. The same image may appear on a billboard, in a social media campaign, and in an email newsletter – all requiring drastically different formats and resolutions.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are a few ways to deal with this challenge. The manual method is to save different versions of the file: low res and high res, different dimensions (optimized for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more), a cropped version, a differently cropped version, the cropped version in a different resolution. It can quickly get out of hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digital asset management systems like Canto offer an alternative. Each asset appears only once in the library, and users can select the format they need when they download it. Presets optimized for different uses make the process even easier. A social media manager using an image for LinkedIn just needs to select the “LinkedIn” preset to get the perfect dimensions. A marketing manager can crop a square photo into a rectangle for an email newsletter, without having to duplicate the file in the library.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This turns a media library into a one-stop shop where everyone can get the formats they need easily, without creating chaos and clutter.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"toc-6--the-bottom-line\">The bottom line\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, your content marketing strategy is only as effective as your means to organize your digital assets. Follow these tips to empower your team and get more out of your media content.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\">\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Febooks\u002Fbeginners-guide-to-digital-asset-management\u002F?utm_source=page_blog&utm_medium=content_cta&utm_campaign=canto_content_fy25&utm_content=page_organizing_digital_assets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003Cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"250\" src=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2024\u002F07\u002F06193532\u002FCopy-of-ROI-CTA-blog-post.png\" alt=\"An orange Canto banner that reads "The beginners guide to digital asset management - free guide" with an image of three tiered ipads with pictures of models on fun background colors to the right of the text\" class=\"wp-image-70159\" srcset=\"\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2024\u002F07\u002F06193532\u002FCopy-of-ROI-CTA-blog-post.png 850w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2024\u002F07\u002F06193532\u002FCopy-of-ROI-CTA-blog-post-450x132.png 450w, \u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2024\u002F07\u002F06193532\u002FCopy-of-ROI-CTA-blog-post-768x226.png 768w\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fa>\u003C\u002Ffigure>",4,{"url":36,"url_md":37,"alt":38,"height":39,"width":40},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2016\u002F03\u002F19192629\u002Fphoto-1453799527828-cf1bd7b2f682-scaled.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2016\u002F03\u002F19192629\u002Fphoto-1453799527828-cf1bd7b2f682-450x301.jpg","Birds eye view of a building with large windows and dim lights with several people working at a large table by the windows",1710,2560,[42],{"id":43,"slug":43,"title":44,"path":45},"digital-asset-management","Digital Asset Management","\u002Fpost-category\u002Fdigital-asset-management\u002F",[47,54,61],{"featuredImage":48,"postId":49,"slug":50,"title":51,"description":52,"path":53},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2017\u002F11\u002F19195047\u002FiStock-480243667-1-450x300.jpg",10760,"dam-or-consumer-solutions","Which is better: DAM or consumer file sharing solutions?","A digital asset management (DAM) solution is more sophisticated than a consumer file storage solution. But when do you need one or the other?","\u002Fblog\u002Fdam-or-consumer-solutions\u002F",{"featuredImage":55,"postId":56,"slug":57,"title":58,"description":59,"path":60},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2022\u002F07\u002F19184637\u002Fcollaborative-workspace-feature-450x263.jpg",61133,"how-to-design-a-collaborative-workspace-with-digital-asset-management","How to design a collaborative workspace with digital asset management","Building a flexible, collaborative workspace for hybrid and fully remote teams is easier than ever with a DAM platform like Canto.","\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-to-design-a-collaborative-workspace-with-digital-asset-management\u002F",{"featuredImage":62,"postId":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"description":66,"path":67},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.canto.com\u002Fcdn\u002Fen\u002F2025\u002F08\u002F13140105\u002Fcreative-teams-feature-450x225.jpg",70928,"signs-your-creative-workflow-is-slowing-you-down","5 signs your creative workflow is slowing you down and how to fix it","Learn the 5 signs that your workflow is slowing your content and creative team down and how you can take action to help them work smarter.","\u002Fblog\u002Fsigns-your-creative-workflow-is-slowing-you-down\u002F",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":69},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M9.175 10.825Q8 9.65 8 8t1.175-2.825T12 4t2.825 1.175T16 8t-1.175 2.825T12 12t-2.825-1.175M4 20v-2.8q0-.85.438-1.562T5.6 14.55q1.55-.775 3.15-1.162T12 13t3.25.388t3.15 1.162q.725.375 1.163 1.088T20 17.2V20zm2-2h12v-.8q0-.275-.137-.5t-.363-.35q-1.35-.675-2.725-1.012T12 15t-2.775.338T6.5 16.35q-.225.125-.363.35T6 17.2zm7.413-8.587Q14 8.825 14 8t-.587-1.412T12 6t-1.412.588T10 8t.588 1.413T12 10t1.413-.587M12 18\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":71},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 14q-.425 0-.712-.288T11 13t.288-.712T12 12t.713.288T13 13t-.288.713T12 14m-4.712-.288Q7 13.426 7 13t.288-.712T8 12t.713.288T9 13t-.288.713T8 14t-.712-.288M16 14q-.425 0-.712-.288T15 13t.288-.712T16 12t.713.288T17 13t-.288.713T16 14m-4 4q-.425 0-.712-.288T11 17t.288-.712T12 16t.713.288T13 17t-.288.713T12 18m-4.712-.288Q7 17.426 7 17t.288-.712T8 16t.713.288T9 17t-.288.713T8 18t-.712-.288M16 18q-.425 0-.712-.288T15 17t.288-.712T16 16t.713.288T17 17t-.288.713T16 18M5 22q-.825 0-1.412-.587T3 20V6q0-.825.588-1.412T5 4h1V2h2v2h8V2h2v2h1q.825 0 1.413.588T21 6v14q0 .825-.587 1.413T19 22zm0-2h14V10H5z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":73},"\u003Cpath fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 20a8 8 0 0 0 8-8a8 8 0 0 0-8-8a8 8 0 0 0-8 8a8 8 0 0 0 8 8m0-18a10 10 0 0 1 10 10a10 10 0 0 1-10 10C6.47 22 2 17.5 2 12A10 10 0 0 1 12 2m.5 5v5.25l4.5 2.67l-.75 1.23L11 13V7z\"\u002F>",1787720504021]