How The Op Games increased the speed of their creative review process with Ziflow

When you manufacture board games, every product has a lot of moving parts (see what we did there?) But really, the box art, rule books, game boards, cards, tokens; each component needs design review, and when you’re managing licensed IP products, the review process gets even more complex. Uploading components one by one and routing them through a fragmented communication process is impossible to scale.

Scott Gardner, director of product operations at The Op Games, a game manufacturer and publisher based in Carlsbad, California, found Ziflow during a search for a better online proofing tool. After starting a free trial, he was sold.

Who is The Op Games?

The Op Games is a board game manufacturer and publisher based in Carlsbad, California. Their creative process involves designing multi-component products with complex review requirements, especially when working with licensed intellectual property that requires external approval.

The challenge: a fragmented creative process

Before Ziflow, the creative review process was scattered across different communication channels with no centralized workflow. Scott spent time researching online proofing solutions that could connect and streamline things more efficiently. After doing his homework, he found Ziflow.

“It hooked me from the very beginning, and was not a hard sell to our VPs. It was: ‘this is what we’re doing’ and they said ‘perfect! Let’s go.’”

How Ziflow transformed their workflow

The batch review process was the biggest win. Instead of uploading components one by one, the team can submit multiple pieces for review simultaneously. For a product with a dozen different components, that’s an immense time saver.

“The batch review process honestly was a massive, massive game changer.”

Ziflow also integrates with Airtable, their project management tool. Status updates flow from Ziflow into Airtable in real-time, notifying the team when something needs action or when a review is complete. And the platform’s color separation tools, side-by-side viewing, and Adobe Creative Suite integration add layers of utility that go well beyond basic review and approval.

Scott’s verdict

Scott describes Ziflow as far more than just a creative review and approval platform. The seamless navigation, the ease of use, and the depth of features have made it successful across The Op Games’ entire company. Everyone knows where their project stands. They can get in and get out, and then they can move on.

Watch the full story

Hear Scott’s full take in the video below.

Ready to streamline creative review for complex products?

If your products have multiple components that each need review, Ziflow’s batch review process and project management integrations keep everything organized. Get a demo today and see the difference for yourself.