Understanding the Purpose of an Asset Library#
The purpose of an asset library is to collect, manage, and categorize various available design assets so that they can be easily accessed when needed and quickly utilized in subsequent design processes.
Assets in the library can include vector graphics, photographs, color combinations, icons, fonts, or any other content that can be replicated and used in visual design. An asset library helps reduce repetitive work, improve efficiency, enhance quality, and focus efforts on innovative design.
Determining the Structure of the Asset Library#
Generally, when organizing the structure of an asset library, ensure it meets your needs and is easy to use. You can categorize assets by type, purpose, or create your own folder structure to make it easier to find what you need.
To better organize the asset library, you can also add tags to make assets more searchable. Additionally, you can use software like Eagle to manage assets. Eagle supports multi-level folder structures and visual previews, enabling effective management of the library’s content.
Collecting, Filtering, and Preparing Assets#
Collecting, filtering, and preparing assets are crucial steps in building an asset library and often the most time-consuming.
First, we need to collect as many assets as possible, select the most suitable ones based on actual needs, and discard unsuitable ones.
Then, carefully filter the collected assets to ensure each one meets the library’s requirements.
Finally, prepare the assets by checking their quality, adjusting dimensions, removing noise from images, etc. Only after completing all these steps can the asset library be handed over to users for easy access.
Storing Assets in the Asset Library#
Ultimately, assets need to be stored in the library, which should accommodate different types of assets, such as vector graphics, photographs, color combinations, icons, fonts, or any other content that can be replicated and used in visual design. Here, you can use asset management software like Eagle, which helps manage the library’s content more effectively with features like multi-level folder structures and visual previews.
Updating the Asset Library Content#
To ensure the asset library remains fresh and effective, regularly updating its content is necessary. Periodically review the library’s content, remove outdated assets, add new ones, and update tags to make searching and finding required assets easier.
Protecting the Asset Library’s Security#
To protect the asset library’s security, establish certain security policies and take necessary measures to prevent accidental data leaks or damage. The best security strategy is to store the asset library in multiple locations, such as hard drives and cloud storage servers, ensuring accessibility under any circumstances. Additionally, you can set various access permissions for the library to ensure only specific individuals can access it, preventing unauthorized use.
Assets are references that designers need to organize in advance, effectively improving design efficiency and ultimately impacting the cost and quality of the final design.
The general asset collection process consists of three steps:
- Collection
- Organization
- Retrieval
Collection#
During the collection phase, it’s best to use tools that support all platforms, with web versions being ideal. I recommend websites like Pinterest and Huaban as the first choice for asset collection.
Its recommendation algorithm for similar assets within folders is particularly useful, making it easy to collect materials on similar topics without having to search the entire website.
More ideas are based on algorithmic recommendations. The more similar images you collect, the more the algorithm trains, and the more accurate the recommendations become.
- Pinterest requires a VPN for access, and Huaban may be temporarily unavailable due to policy changes. These are risks to be aware of and mitigate.
As a second choice, specific resource-sharing platforms can yield many great images. For example:
Unsplash recommends related collections based on the ones you’ve organized, making it very convenient to find associated materials.
The websites mentioned above have grouping features, allowing you to categorize collected assets based on your preferences.
Organization#
During the organization phase, import image assets into secure directories for easy retrieval later.
It is recommended to use Eagle, which supports multi-level tree structure categorization, effectively organizing images into various directories.
Select any directory to view previews of all assets within it. You can also tag or add notes to specific images.
- Use Eagle’s batch import feature to save materials grouped in Pinterest or Huaban in bulk to your desired cloud storage. Similar techniques can be applied to collect other types of assets in bulk.
Additionally, the new version of Evernote is recommended, as it includes an asset library feature, and its synchronization speed in China is quite good.
Retrieval#
Assets are retrieved using titles and tags as keywords. Define what type the collected assets belong to, and once you search for similar materials, you can effortlessly place them into the designated asset library.
I particularly like Eagle’s smart tagging feature. The algorithm lists recommended tags based on the names of the tree directory, including current and parent-level names. In a well-developed tree structure, this feature is very useful. Adding new tags based on existing ones significantly reduces the workload of tagging.
In Eagle, selecting an image allows for more detailed editing, such as adding new tags, notes, moving categories, viewing image specifications, etc. Manage the asset library more meticulously according to your needs.
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