National Geographic magazine, the flagship publication of the National Geographic Society, recently switched to the K4 Publishing System as part of its migration from QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign. The new editorial software, along with a redesigned, more efficient workflow, has shaved weeks off of the production process and boosted productivity across the organization.
National Geographic augmented its new workflow system with a custom internal portal for keeping an eye on content in production. K4 constantly updates the portal with previews and proofs of layouts at any given moment. The result is an internal, Web-based "ready reference" that users can easily access, showing all stories and issues in their latest incarnation.
In concert with implementing K4, National Geographic transformed a complicated paper workflow into a streamlined digital one that has shortened the typical production time by as much as 45 percent. K4 also brought transparency to a workflow that spans multiple floors and involves more than 100 staffers at the magazine. Following this success, NGS has also decided to use K4 to manage content for National Geographic Traveler, a travel-centric magazine published eight times a year.
