Pipeline & Workflow
Key question
Where is the current version?
Design projects generate hundreds of files: drafts, images, fonts, exports. Without a clear organisation system, time and nerves are wasted, and in the worst-case scenario, the wrong version is printed.
Learning objective: You can name files consistently, create a folder structure, track versions clearly, and back up data.
Order saves time, disorder costs money.
3.1 / File names and versions
Date, project, content, version.
A consistent file name shows at a glance what a file contains and which version it is. A tried-and-tested format is: date, client, project, content, version.
01
File name
Uniform, without spaces or umlauts.
02
Folder
Same structure in every project.
03
Version
Track who changed what, and when.
Spaces, umlauts, and special characters can cause issues on other systems or on the web. Words such as 'final' don't help: there is almost always an even newer version.
The version number says more than "final".
3.2 / Folders and Assets
Everything a project needs, in one place.
A fixed folder structure, numbered by phase, makes every project immediately clear, even for colleagues. Images, fonts, and logos are collected together in an assets folder.
Linked files, such as images in a layout program, must be included when sharing. The "Package" or "Create Package" function gathers all the required files.
Same structure in every project.
3.3 / Backing up
No file without a backup.
A proven rule is 3-2-1: three copies of the data, on two different media, one of them off-site, such as in the cloud.
Cloud services and version histories help restore earlier versions. For customer data, it is important to check where the data is stored and who can access it; Swiss data protection law only permits the transfer abroad to countries with adequate protection or with contractual guarantees.
Three copies, two media, one offsite location.
Exercise
Tidy up
Task: Tidy up an existing project.
STEP 1
Creates the folder structure.
STEP 2
Renames all files according to the pattern.
STEP 3
Moves old versions to the archive.
STEP 4
Have someone else find the current print file and time how long it takes.
Evaluation: How long does it take for someone else to find the current version?