Case study · Production automation

A team rebuilding the same files every week. We fixed it.

A short story about apparel production. Same custom orders coming in, same setup work going out, mostly by hand.

We replaced the busywork with a script that reads the order data and lays out the file. Same hierarchy, same names, same export, every time.

Setup time

−80%

After the workflow shipped. Hand-keying out, data flow in.

The problem

Manual setup did not scale.

For each final apparel setup file, a production artist had to do the same lookup and rebuild work, by hand, on every order.

Open and re-read the order.

All the production details, every time, from scratch.

Locate the right master and setup file.

Hunt through folders for the matching design and cut file.

Copy art into the setup and align by hand.

Repeat for every size, every panel, every variation.

Update colors, enter variables, place size bug.

Names, numbers, personalization, color swaps, one at a time.

The solution

Embed production logic into Illustrator.

An automated Illustrator script workflow that reads structured order data, enforces a clean layer hierarchy, and lets the artist focus on review instead of repetition.

01 · Read

Read structured order data.

Names, numbers, colors, sizes, personalization, and size bug flow from the order, not the artist's memory.

02 · Match

Match master and setup files.

The script references the correct master design and setup file by predefined naming and structure.

03 · Collect

Collect artwork by hierarchy.

Design elements are grouped, collected into the separate apparel pieces.

04 · Apply

Apply variables and color.

Names, numbers, personalization, and color swaps are populated from order data, not hand-keyed.

05 · Place

Place size bug and labels.

The correct size bug is selected and placed based on the matched size and panel setup.

06 · Export

Save, export, and log.

The final production files are saved with consistent naming, with results and errors tracked for review.

Results

Time back, fewer mistakes,
more consistent output.

Setup work that took most of a day became a review-driven pass. Repetitive setup work shifted to the script, leaving the artist to verify quality.

Common production mistakes

Steps automated. The same logic, the same hierarchy, every time.

Less

Time per file. Setup work that took most of a day became a review-driven pass.

Standard

Consistent file naming, layer placement, and export structure across artists and orders.

Approach

The best creative operations work is quiet. Fewer surprises, clearer approvals, more reliable output.

Melanie Lumanog

Next step

Have a workflow that should be a system?

If your team is rebuilding the same files every week, there is almost always a cleaner hierarchy and an automated path behind it.

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