And Web is, well, web. And all internal work is put in the Proof Lab and given a project number – just like our client projects. No matter what type of work you do in Photoshop, keeping organized PSD files is an extremely important task. So, for instance, a project folder might be named: “3186_business_stationary”.  Now, you’ll notice that I used underscores instead of spaces in the name of that folder. HTML is a folder for all static markup; clean, without CMS implementation.Live is a folder for all final web files for the live site, possibly including database backups. Ok, well now is where things start to get complex – the individual project folder structure. Congratulations – your design files, and your life, are now organized! If you select your color scheme early in the design process, make sure to create swatches for your colors. There are six different versions of what you THINK is the presentation. Every design firm has their own project management systems, but most will have a numbering system to go along with each project. You will receive an email with instructions. But this is important stuff! Guides and Grids are useful tools to help you position and transform objects on your pixel grid. Each project folder is named with the project number and the project name. In this case you’ll want to have a folder inside the client’s folder named something like Branding or Assets. Iv been struggling recently with the organisation of my files, i'm a ui designer and my design files have been slowly building up throughout the years. Now, if a client orders a full stationary set like business cards, letterhead and envelopes, we will typically put this together into one project. Just double click the one you want to use and it will auto-generate a project folder structure for you. Now that you’ve selected your naming system, gather your design files and rename them according to the new system. This simple step will save you a lot of time and the hassle of having to rename all of your previously saved project files. They’ll need fifteen minutes to print it and fifteen minutes to get to the meeting. There are several ways to structure your files, but some of the basic ways include: structuring them by date, by genre or by client. You start opening the latest files hoping one of them is the approved version of the presentation. I like to mark my files as "FNL" to indicate client approval, meaning the file has been prepared for print with bleed/crop marks. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. It’s important that the naming conventions and numbers on your folders coincide with what’s in your company’s project management system, whether that’s Proof Lab or something else. Stock photos should have their own folder. As soon as you think "I'll rename that one later" your system is doomed! If you have a programmer in your company, just explain what you’re trying to do and I’m sure they’ll be able to help. Basically, every proof, design file, piece of content, etc, that is approved by the client gets moved into this folder. Here’s a break-down of our current system: And now let’s look at our expanded project folder: Whoa! !” Ok, yes, I’m not going to lie. This article will probably be a little boring compared to our normal articles. The systems and concepts I’m about to discuss were developed by Go Media in house over the course of 14 years in business. If you are having problems recovering your password contact. But we believe in working smarter, not harder. Do you have tons of files on your computer or on a flash drive? It’s been fifteen minutes already and you’re still trying to make heads or tails of all the files. We would LOVE to hear how other firms approach this issue. All content is © Copyright MediaCollege.com except where stated otherwise. k=y._={s:[],t:[+new Date],c:{},l:a}; This just makes good sense. Naming each, and every, layer, one-by-one might sound time-consuming, but it is actually one of the best ways to improve the efficiency of your Photoshop workflow. Your IP: 45.119.80.112 You can always use Layer Filtering from the top of the Layers Panel to search for layers by their name or their color labels. This folder has exactly what you would expect – a long list of folders with names like Nike, American Greetings and Lincoln Electric. Now, this is just one scenario where having an organized file structure is important to your career as a graphic designer. Then you’ll just have to rename it and drag it into the appropriate client folder. You are right, sometimes when the final design has been printed clients will spot additional changes. There are lots of options in Photoshop that can help you to align objects with one another. Panic starts to set in as you rush over to your fellow designer’s computer. Once you have these naming conventions and folder structures in place you will quickly find them to be second nature. Resources are where we keep anything we may need on the project like images, content, logos, etc. Also, they’ve decided to change some images.  They have their meeting in one hour and they need you to make changes and e-mail over the revised presentation. )  On the Beast we have a folder called Clients. If so, PLEASE COMMENT at the end of this article. But when you open the latest files there are missing image and you don’t have the proper fonts installed on your computer! When you fail to deliver the revised presentation on time your client drops you. You’ll be using that branding for a variety of their projects, so you won’t want to hide those branding assets inside of a specific project folder. Here is a quick breakdown of what the folders are. The Crit stands for critique. We would LOVE to hear how other firms approach this issue. They have about 4 different models of helmet that we’ve built templates for.These templates are used for all their projects, not just one. Things such as computer failures and … This will enable you to update all those instances at the same time, just by editing the source. Within each client folder we have a folder for each project that we do for them. Enter your username or email to recover your password. I mean REALLY, what a pain in the butt.” Well, yes, if you manually created these folder structures for each and every project you would probably waste a lot of time. I mean REALLY, what a pain in the butt.” Well, yes, if you manually created these folder structures for each and every project you would probably waste a lot of time. This just makes good sense. Another folder that we sometimes put into the Prf folder is a Crit folder. Within your Dropbox folder, create a folder with a name that represents the contents of that folder. The file structure within Mgmnt should be fairly self-explanatory. Or perhaps someone out there has an even better system or ideas in mind. Ok, here’s the scenario; a client calls you because he just picked up the presentation your firm designed from the local Kinko’s and they’ve found some typos. You start opening the latest files hoping one of them is the approved version of the presentation. Still easy enough so far, right? So, here ya go: So, this is the extent of the folder structure we used for many years. Design file names and folder structure are a key ingredient to your success as a graphic designer. The Ai folder is filled with Adobe Illustrator files; Fnl contains all final approved files. Well, it only looks this big and complicated because I’ve got every folder expanded, and this file structure assumes a fairly large project with lots of different software being used.  Obviously, you will only create the folder structure that you’re going to need. The file structure within Mgmnt should be fairly self-explanatory. The Print folder within the Fnl folder is where we save our print-ready files. There is no clear folder structure. Pretty simple so far, right? Martin is a Hungarian graphic designer, digital artist and an Adobe Certified Expert and Instructor (Design Master). It’s not actually necessary in this case, but all folders that will be put on the web and all file names put on the web cannot have spaces. By choosing your organization system early, you can establish consistency throughout your projects. More info. Open your design from your Canva homepage, then click on File, Make a … Then you’ll just have to rename it and drag it into the appropriate client folder. Although this is more structured than random letters and numbers, it can have the same problem of not being able to remember the source name or project initials in the future. Ok, here’s the scenario; a client calls you because he just picked up the presentation your firm designed from the local Kinko’s and they’ve found some typos. But we believe in working smarter, not harder. Or another not-so-elegant solution are the these: [download id=”70″]. This folder has exactly what you would expect – a long list of folders with names like Nike, American Greetings and Lincoln Electric. We're looking for exceptionally creative minds and skillful hands to contribute to this growing marketplace. Rsc is resources. I like to mark my files as "FNL" to indicate client approval, meaning the file has been prepared for print with bleed/crop marks. So, without further ado, let’s dive into how Go Media structures its folders. For instance, you may acquire a client that already has all their branding done. Custom Design Service Available, or simply email us your Print Ready Files.--- Full Color ONE Side ---2 ft x 5 ft Banner w/ Grommets - $ 29. What matters is that you can easily identify that folder as the folder containing your design files. Envato Tuts+ tutorials are translated into other languages by our community members—you can be involved too! If you need to use several versions of a layout in Photoshop, you should use Layer Comps instead of saving separate PSD files for each version. So, let’s start first with that – the naming convention for the files. Now, I know your next concern; “Isn’t it a complete pain in the butt to create these folder structures each time you start a new project? Earn generous monthly royalties, project opportunities, and gain recognition while doing what you love. While every one has their own method of doing this, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and practices on organizing graphic design files. But when our projects grew in size, we realized there were still some problems. Start by determining where you’ll save your files. Text might look to small, colors are off etc. February 18, 2018 February 18, 2018 Karen organize image files, organizing images, organizing jpgs If you are like me, you are constantly downloading not only SGV Files but even just images from the internet for ideas for another time. Within six months you’re addicted to heroin and living on the streets. So, we’ve installed a little piece of software called AutoHotKey. The systems and concepts I’m about to discuss were developed by Go Media in house over the course of 14 years in business. In the proofs folder you’ll notice that we break the proofs down into rounds (Rd1, Rd2, Rd3). What file was sent to the printer? For starters, all of Go Media’s design project files are held on a single server that we affectionately call “The Beast” (the actual name has been changed to protect the innocent – us.) You might choose to name that folder something like “Art Files” or “Design Portfolio”. An individual project would be something like a logo design, website design or brochure design. Flash is all source and SWF output for Adobe Flash files. Divide your assets into separate folders according to what they are. The Ai folder is filled with Adobe Illustrator files; Fnl contains all final approved files. No, what you need is a file naming and folder structuring system! Ok, well now is where things start to get complex – the individual project folder structure. But if we had a project in Power Point, for instance, we would also have a PP folder in there. Vector shape layers, for instance, can be merged together without having to rasterize them.