Importance of File organization

As more and more of our lives exist in the digital environment keeping files organized is extremely important. There are many ways to approach structuring your files, you could organize by keeping folders at the same level or by nesting folders within folders creating a multi-level structure. Some people like to organize their files by year while others by project type or client name.

What Makes a Good Folder Structure?

A strong folder structure and labeling system is one that is flexible, can be expanded upon when necessary, allows for easily using the search feature on your device to find any document, and allows you to retain unedited and edited files.

Suggested Structure

​I have spent many years in the industry, my preferred system of organization is having a folder for each client or educational institution, with folders nested inside for each project. Each project folder contains project assets organized in folders:​
  • Archive--This is the final design that was delivered to the client, also includes all edited images used in the project, font files, native file, and universal export file (for example PDF, JPG, PNG, etc.).
  • Copy--All text files including client iterations used in the project.
  • Images--Original images supplied by the client or ones you took, you never know when you might need the original file.
  • Iterations/Variations--Contains all the variations of the projects with notes from the client.
  • Resources
 Business Folder
  1. Business Paperwork organized by type
    1. Contract and Proposal Templates
    2. Design Resources
    3. Pricing Guides
  2. Client Billing — organized by client, then by date. I keep this separate from client projects as I do billing on days I am not designing. 
    1. Client 1
      1. 2020
      2. 2021
    2. Client 2
      1. 2009
      2. 2010
      3. 2016
  3. Client Contracts — organized by client, then by date. 
  4. Client Projects
    1. Client Name - Business
      1. Project Type 1
      2. Project Type 2
    2. Client with multiple businesses — If a client has more than one business for which I do work, I organize by client name and then business name. 
      1. Business 1
        1. Project Type 1 (for example, Brochures)
          1. 2008 Brochure
          2. 2010 Brochure
      2. Project Type 2 
      3. Project Type 3
    3. Business 2
    4. Business 3
  5. Friends and Family — I try to avoid making work for friends and family, but when I do I try to treat them like a client. 
    1. Friend / Family name
      1. Project Type 1
      2. Project Type 2
    2. Friend / Family name
  6. Pro Bono — Free work created for charity purposes, NOT spec work. 

Education Folder
  1. School
    1. Certificate
      1. Work organized by course name and project type
    2. Degree 1
      1. Work organized by course name and project type
  2. School
    1. Degree
      1. Work organized by course name and project type
For education / class you might consider:​
  • Course Folder. Labeled, Class Number-Class Name-Semester; Example: ART146-Intro to Computer Art-22SU (I abbreviate Spring as SP, Summer as SU, Fall as FA, Winter as WI).
    • Course Information Folder. Contains the syllabus (you need this sometimes for transferring credits or proof of completion), policies and procedures, instructor contact, and any other basic info regarding the course itself.  
    • Project Folders. A folder for each of the course projects. Labeled, 01 Project-[insert a short descriptor]; Example: 01 Project-Illustrator Practice Tools
      • Project Files
      • Statement(s): .doc, .pages or .txt format
      • Variations Folder: Store iterations of the project if you have multiple versions; this way you always know what the newest file is.
      • Resources Folder: 
        • research and bibliography of resources
        • brainstorming and sketches
        • image/font licenses
        • meeting notes with date, time, location of meeting, list of attendees, agenda, critique with images that outline discussion points and requested changes along with whom requested the changes
        • project contact(s)
        • documentation of collaborators, designer role, and design brief
        • any other supporting documents

File Naming Conventions

Here are some useful tips to follow when naming your files:
  • Use alphanumeric (letters and numbers)
  • Use Sentence-case for folders and all Lower-case for files
  • End each file with an eight-digit date. I format it like this yyyy-mmdd (i.e. 2022-0525)
  • Do not use special character like ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) . These characters are part of languages and coding and can cause file corruption.
  • Do not use spaces, instead use a hyphen as a space between words
  • Always end with a dot and file extension 

Example of a strong file name: icons-fruit-bw-2022-0525.ai
Resources
Chris Matusek | Copyright © 2023