The economy stinks. so work smarter.

In these challenging times, many digital design studio managers are asking themselves (and their artists) "how can we be more efficient & competitive ?"

This is "The Big Question" being pondered as companies of all sizes are feeling the pinch caused by the global economic downturn.

BOXXlabs is often asked to advise our customers in the area of workflow and resource optimization -and we have some tried and true suggestions for "best practices" that can extend your company's capabilities and help make the most of what you've got:

• Use the right tools for the job. Investing in quality software with the specific features you need for the type of work you do most often is a great way to allow talent to shine and to get more work through the pipeline.
  

• Learn and make use of efficient scene construction. There are almost always more than one way to get the aesthetic effect you are going for in your software apps. But it's easy to get "sloppy" (even without realizing it) and to construct your 3D scenes or 2D comps in ways that are perhaps quicker to setup - but which are going to take longer to render -or otherwise bog down the system unnecessarily. This is especially common for artists who taught themselves the application(s) they use. My advice is to get yourself a well-reviewed book for your chosen app- or at least go over the manufacturer's tutorials again and make sure you are using the recommended workfows and design approaches. And if you are managing a team of artists -insist on having your people pay attention to this.
  

• Learn the tricks, shortcuts and "cheats" in your applications and use them like the "power-users" do. Reading books & online forums -and taking some inexpensive online courses are great ways to learn about these.

• For 3D artists - LEARN TO USE A COMPOSOSITING APPLICATION. I can't count the number of accomplished 3D artists who have told me they will NEVER go back to rendering out everything in a single pass. Indeed, rendering out your 3D scene elements in multiple "passes" or "layers" and then compositing them together in tools such as After Effects, fusion or combustion is one of the very best ways to bring speed and flexibility to your work.

• Finally, there's nothing like screaming-fast hardware for speeding up your work and allowing you to deliver new, higher levels of quality to your clients. If believe there is value in using proven, professional tools for your chosen trade, then making an investment in new workstations or dedicated rendernodes is a no-brainer!

We're all going to make it through this economic "crisis". It may not be easy -and some of us will likely receive some "batttle scars". Just remember, some of these things none of us can change.
But there are also many things that each of us have some control over.

Now go forth and make art!