Question on file architecture for saving customer artwork and work files...

[judead]

How do you guys save your files? Our current architecture is we have a alphabet listing of folders like A-B and last name of the customer resides in these on a network drive. Once you get into the folder that is when everything kind breaks down and as the customer grows you now have all of these random named files... Is there a organized way of doing these? I like the thought of maybe doing the artwork in a folder inside of the customer's last name calling it by invoice number. The only hesitation by doing it that way would be how would you find artwork if you didn't remember the invoice number and they are a big customer? Also naming files for jobs how do you handle that? We are a small shop that has grown significantly in the last three years so I was curious how to handle this before it becomes a even bigger problem...

Thanks guys in advance...

 

[Trip59]

That's basically how I do it as well. Invoices go into each customer's top directory (or do until I stop manually creating them) with the customer number (2 digits for state, 4 digits for month and day and 5 digits for customer number). Jobs are all in the main folder, though resources and more complex jobs each get their own folder.

Now, one thing I wanted to add, something I've done for years, started when everything we did was hand coded software and web development, is a file versioning convention. I teach this to my students and get more feedback about it than any single other item.

Each project starts out with a name, whatever name you use with _v1a at the end. Small revisions change the letter, a-z, then aa, ab, etc. This is each couple of saves, whenever I've done more than I could easily redo in a half hour. BIG changes, such as a different direction or major shift in approach get a new number. So the first file is _v1a or version 1 alpha, and then each gets renamed with saves as I go. With the low cost of storage and ridiculous sizes of drives, it makes no sense to try to over-conserve. The nice thing about this method, especially with code based projects, is that I can jump back in time and pick up to go in a new direction or recover an element that was discarded, but later decided to include. Final versions wind up with the same name, but the various extensions, so a .AI may wind up with a .pdf, .svg, .eps, etc but they're all named the same so they're easy to identify.

I estimate that this saves me an average of a few hours a week and has completely saved an entire profit margin on a few jobs with persnickety clients who flip flop all over the place.

 

[nikdoobs]

Each job we do for a customer gets its own folder within the customer's folder. We just use job names.

Example:
customers/s/signs101/4x10 Aluminum


Within that job folder I will have multiple folders to keep organized. I usually have a folder for quotes, drawings, photos, logos, etc.

Having an organized folder system is crucial. I've worked for places who have a terrible architecture and it takes 20 minutes sometimes to find a folder you are looking for.

Also, we have a company dropbox account which we use as our server. I highly recommend it. We get unlimited storage. All of our files are stored offsite so even if our building burns down, our files will still be backed up. Our files are easily accessible anywhere and we can use the dropbox app on our phones to access any file or upload photos.

 

[eahicks]

Ours is similar to this, but we add a little more description to the file name.... for example: Customers/S/Signs101/Alum - 18x24 No Parking

This makes searching much easier, especially when you want to duplicate a sign, say for another customer, and think "I made that for so-and-so several years ago, who was that?" and just do a search in the entire jobs folder.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I start with Untitled1.cdr and go up as jobs come in

I'm now on untitled833.cdr

:ROFLMAO:

 

[judead]

I start with Untitled1.cdr and go up as jobs come in

I'm now on untitled833.cdr

:ROFLMAO:

Thanks guys really good ideas. Except for this one... I bet you have a hard time finding old files

 

[shoresigns]

Here's roughly what ours looks like.

//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design v2.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof Template.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof-1.jpg
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/quote/Quote calculations.xlsx
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/source/FileFromCustomer.pdf
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo CMYK.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo PMS.ai

The folders for each job are maybe a bit lacking in terms of an order #, but the "Descriptive Job Name" is usually descriptive enough to find things, and it usually matches the order name in Signvox.

Also, I don't believe in making "A" "B" C" alphabet folders. This is an utterly useless waste of time, clicking through an extra branch of your directory tree every time you want to open up a file. My predecessor used this and I changed it immediately.

 

[James Burke]

We create a directory using the customer's name, and then we paste the following set of folders whereby we categorize things by file type (shown below).

Most of the application folders (AI, Corel, SignLab, Gerber) have ready-made templates (or "tuned" preferences) that are ready to start a new job in just a few seconds, and all we have to do is re-name the files to the correct job number. This idea finally came to us after "starting fresh" for the gazillionth time.

Other file folders (Jpeg, PDF, MS Excel, MS Word, Zip) are simply repositories that help us keep the other things we make, or "collect" from the customer, in very tidy order.

If they are a steady customer with a variety of new jobs, we will then create sub folders in their main folder, but this time, they will be categorized by a job number. Each job number folder gets a new set of the file folders shown below. It's extremely fast and the work flows like magic.

We pdf all our customer emails (signed artwork approvals, etc...) and place them in their respective folders for fast, easy reference.

There's a file folder for every type of file we receive, create or otherwise handle. There's a place for everything...and everything is in its place. I never have to go on wild goose chases when it comes to looking for files.

A lot of times during long tedious edits, we will name a particular job file according to the job number, date and the time of day so we can easily "step back" and start fresh without too much trouble. Sometimes we end up with a dozen or so revisions, but they all stay categorized in their proper file-type folder.


JB

 

[SignVOX]

Also you can put this path in signVOX with every design...

Here's roughly what ours looks like.

//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design v2.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof Template.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof-1.jpg
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/quote/Quote calculations.xlsx
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/source/FileFromCustomer.pdf
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo CMYK.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo PMS.ai

The folders for each job are maybe a bit lacking in terms of an order #, but the "Descriptive Job Name" is usually descriptive enough to find things, and it usually matches the order name in Signvox.

Also, I don't believe in making "A" "B" C" alphabet folders. This is an utterly useless waste of time, clicking through an extra branch of your directory tree every time you want to open up a file. My predecessor used this and I changed it immediately.

Also in signVOX when you have your jobs and corresponding designs(proofs) there is a field you can put in the actual path name (like above) so next time when you open this job and want to find the folder/path where the actual art files are, you can easily reference it from there.

 

[shoresigns]

We create a directory using the customer's name, and then we paste the following set of folders whereby we categorize things by file type (shown below).

Why do you categorize by file type? The file type has little to do with the purpose. If your designer is looking for artwork files that the customer sent, they'll have to check the JPEG folder, the GIF folder, the DOC folder, the AI folder, the PDF folder, the EPS folder, the TIFF folder, and the PSD folder. That doesn't sound efficient at all, especially considering you could just put all the files in one folder and click the column heading at the top to sort by File Type.

 

[SolitaryT]

CAPS = FOLDER
Lower = Filename

JOBS/CUSTOMER/12345 BASEBALL BANNER/12345 C 48x96 banner LastName print.eps

All files saved in a (CUSTOMER) folder, each job with their own invoice number and a brief description (12345 BASEBALL BANNER). Within the folder under their invoice, I break down files like this:

[Invoice Number] [Company Initials] [Project Size] [Substrate] [Contact] [File Purpose].extension

So let's say John Elway wants to order a 10x20 banner for the Denver Broncos for a garage sale, and his invoice is 20154. I'd have it set up like this:

"JOBS/Denver Broncos/20154 Garage Sale Banner/" for folders, and then the files in that folder may be:
20154 DB 120x240 banner Elway.ai
20154 DB 120x240 banner Elway proof 1.pdf
20154 DB 120x240 banner Elway proof 2.pdf
20154 DB 120x240 banner Elway print.eps
Denver Bronco logo.jpg

Whatever info I don't have, I'll leave blank and rename the file as I get more info. If it's an estimate and not an invoice, I put E81201 instead of just 81201. If I don't have either, I need a place to stash logos or artwork, I'll name the folder in the customer file with the date, for example: 20141415 Garage Sale Banner, and I'll rename it to E81201 and 81201 as I get approval for the next steps. I won't rename proof files, so some go out as simply "E DB banner proof 1.pdf" or something like that.

It's a great system that, by default, syncs with your POS software, regardless of what you're using (Cyrius, Activity, SignVOX), and, if someone comes in, gives you artwork, leaves for a few years, and comes back, at very least, you have a folder with their business and a date. It's a great system, even if it is just a little tedius.

 

[SolitaryT]

Here's roughly what ours looks like.

//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Design v2.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof Template.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/design/Proof-1.jpg
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/quote/Quote calculations.xlsx
//Cloud/Customer Name/Descriptive Job Name/source/FileFromCustomer.pdf
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo CMYK.ai
//Cloud/Customer Name/Logo/Logo PMS.ai

The folders for each job are maybe a bit lacking in terms of an order #, but the "Descriptive Job Name" is usually descriptive enough to find things, and it usually matches the order name in Signvox.

Also, I don't believe in making "A" "B" C" alphabet folders. This is an utterly useless waste of time, clicking through an extra branch of your directory tree every time you want to open up a file. My predecessor used this and I changed it immediately.

The problem with "Descriptive Job Name" is that it's totally subjective. Say you hire a new guy, and under your Customer Name, you've got a file called "Big Truck". This customer has done several big trucks, and they call asking for a proof. Now you've added the time of your new guy asking you which order it was, when he should have been able to get enough info from the customer to skip that step. Just because YOU know what the "Big Truck" is, you have to assume that nobody else you work with knows anything and be as detailed and reference-able as possible. It goes hand-in-hand with completely filling out work orders or entering enough info into your POS system. You'd be surprised how much production time is lost looking for old files in the typical sign shop.