The Artwork Manager: Skills & Challenges for a Critical Role

Do you ever wonder what it really means to be an artwork manager today?

And how is that role evolving as organizations accelerate product launches, face mounting regulatory complexity, and explore new AI-driven workflows?

In a recent expert panel, artwork leaders from Eli Lilly, SC Johnson, Pharmanovia, and Yoplait came together to “unbox” the realities behind one of the most cross-functional—and often misunderstood—roles in packaging and labeling.

What emerged was a candid, deeply aligned conversation about skills, visibility, organizational dynamics, and the future of artwork management.

Every panelist pointed to the same core competencies, painting a clear picture of a role that is equal parts project manager, problem solver, communicator, and risk mitigator.

Artwork touches dozens of stakeholders, systems, and regulatory requirements. The ability to navigate the associated complexities is essential.

As Zerfass put it, “There’s a process behind nearly everything that we do.”

Panelists consistently emphasized that artwork managers must communicate effectively across regulatory, design, marketing, quality, supply chain, and external manufacturing partners.

Each role and department requires different needs, terminologies, and priorities.

Artwork errors are high stakes events. Fixing them requires depth, not shortcuts.

Gundy emphasized the importance of not giving up on the root cause analysis of errors.

“Don’t stop at the third or fourth ‘why,’” she said.

Artwork accuracy underpins certification, safety, and launch readiness.

Marcon stressed the importance of traceability when managing artwork containing critical regulatory information.

She stated that rigorous quality checks are essential for assuring compliance, regardless of the industry.

With hundreds—or even thousands—of artworks per year, nothing works without discipline.

Workarounds happen, but they must be limited to temporary fixes.

“Too often our temporary fixes become permanent fixtures,” Zerfass explained.

Strategic decision-making increases the likelihood of a better and long-term approach to problem solving.

Artwork managers must uphold process discipline while staying adaptable when timelines compress.

Marcon emphasized that artwork managers must ride a fine line between assertiveness and flexibility.

All the panelists agreed: artwork is vital. However, it is also frequently misunderstood, especially at leadership levels.

For instance, many teams only realize its importance when something goes wrong.

Part of the challenge is that artwork work is intangible.

It’s easy to visualize a bottle or a production line. But the workflow behind a label? That’s much harder to conjure.

Artwork teams must therefore proactively communicate impact.

For example, at SC Johnson, Gundy’s team is working directly with the marketing and safety teams to co-develop strategic label guidelines: “While we are partnering on this initiative, we are holding the cross-functionals accountable to map out and write down what needs to happen to ensure accurate content, from their expertise, is provided for labels.”

When stakeholders internalize the process, everything improves.

At Pharmanovia, process improvements backed by data became a compelling narrative for leadership.

As Turff explained, presenting data on reduced lead times and higher right-first-time rates helped position artwork as a strategic contributor.

Artwork managers are evolving from invisible to recognized business contributors.

Communicating the importance of artwork means speaking two languages.

Zerfass’s ‘Dreams and Dollars’ method clarifies why artwork matters.

The ‘Dreams’ appeal to mission and purpose: faster artwork means faster launches, which means faster access for patients and families.

The ‘Dollars’ reframe artwork in financial terms: fewer delays, reduced risk, earlier revenue, and more predictable operations.

If an artwork team can shave two weeks off artwork development, they can potentially launch two weeks earlier, Zerfass explained.

This dual approach helps leaders understand both the emotional and commercial stakes of artwork quality and speed.

There is no getting around the impact of AI.

But don’t worry, it’s not a replacement for artwork managers.

Rather, the panelists see AI as an enhancer that requires human oversight, judgment, and creativity.

Zerfass emphasized this when he explained that while AI can detect errors, an ideal future state will be when AI can predictively prevent errors.

Gundy added that not all AI tools are ready for production-critical environments. When tested by her team, “The results were so inconsistent that the use of the tool would have done more harm than good,” she noted.

When it comes to AI in production-critical environments, key future-ready skills include:

• Understanding how AI tools work
• Knowing how to validate outputs
• Designing smart prompts
• Maintaining creative and strategic judgment
• Ensuring regulatory compliance in automated workflows

In short, technology will accelerate artwork, but humans will still make it accurate, compliant, strategic, and meaningful.

One key takeaway from the panel was unmistakably clear: artwork managers don’t just manage files. They manage people, processes, risk, data, and change.

Their work influences:

• Speed-to-market
• Compliance
• Cost
• Brand trust
• Product safety
• Supply chain continuity
• Cross-functional alignment

As packaging, regulations, and digitalization become more complex, artwork managers will only grow in importance.

Are you ready to strengthen your artwork operations?

If so, connect with our team to explore how modern artwork management tools can reduce risk and accelerate launches.

Explore Esko WebCenter or contact us today.