A Sample Master Keyword List for Digital Asset Management in Creative Workflows
August 25th, 2010 by Jim Kidwell
A keyword list is a series of words or phrases used in a digital asset management (DAM) system to organize metadata tags and simplify file searches. Extensis has created a keyword list of terms inspired from our experience with graphic design and marketing communications workflows. The list could also be used for PR, advertising, print and publishing, retail, and media workflows.
A master keyword list includes a predefined list and taxonomy of search terms. This provides users with the convenience and consistency of choosing from an existing list of tags when applying keywords or other metadata to images, photos of people or products, videos, marketing collateral, and sales literature. With keyword lists users can quickly choose from a menu of available keywords instead of manually typing in search terms.
Our sample keyword list for creative workflows can be used as is, or as a starting point. The list can be edited using any text editor or within many DAM systems after import. We recommend reviewing the list with stakeholders, especially those who will be searching or tagging assets. Remove any terms that do not apply, add any relevant terms that were not included, and rename terms as needed to fit your organizational vocabulary. For example, “Customer Story” could be called “Customer Profile” in your organization.
