9 Tips to Entry Level Digital Design

Know your process. That means setting up your computer to allow for easy navigation.

Format and group sorting tools which OS you are using.

1. File management processes you will waste time and energy back tracking trying to find you where you left off just to find one image somewhere amongst what may become hundreds of folders of design assets, documents sometimes even pages of links so always keep those things separate and clearly identifiable by optimizing folder accessibility, format and group sorting tools on what ever OS you are using. ↩︎

• Operating Systems

Windows, Macintosh, Chrome OS, Linux

• Format and group sorting tools

Manual filing, Hardrive (Internal/External), Third party, Cloud.

1. The Golden Rule: Logic Over Laziness

Before you even name a file, you need a structure. A deep hierarchy is often better than a wide one. Instead of having 50 folders on your C: drive, create 3–5 “Master” categories.

• Bad Structure: Documents > File1, File2, File3 (100 files total)
• Good Structure: Work > Clients > AcmeCorp > 2024 > Invoices

2. Standardise Your Naming Conventions

The secret to a searchable system is predictability. Use a standard format for every file you create.

The Pro Format: YYYY-MM-DD_Project_Description_v01

• Dates First: Always use YYYY-MM-DD. This ensures that when you sort by “Name,” your files appear in chronological order.
• Avoid Spaces: Some software and web servers struggle with spaces. Use underscores (_) or hyphens (-) instead.
• Be Descriptive but Brief: “Budget” is too vague. “2024-Q1_Marketing_Budget” is perfect.

3. Version Control: Stop Using “Final”

We’ve all seen it: Report_Final.docx, Report_Final_v2.docx, Report_REAL_Final_v3.docx. This is a recipe for disaster.

Best Practice:

• Use Version Numbers (v01, v02, v03).
• Only move a file to a folder named “Archive” or “Published” once it is truly finished.
• The “working” file should always be the one with the highest version number.

4. Folder and File Formatting Cheat Sheet

5. Maintenance: The “Inbox” Method

Organisation is a habit, not a one-time event. Create an “Inbox” folder on your desktop.

1. During the day, save everything new to the Inbox.
2. At the end of the day (or week), move those files into their permanent homes.
3. Delete what you don’t need immediately.

Pro Tip: Use “Tags” (on macOS) or “Labels” (on Google Drive) to add a secondary layer of organisation for files that belong to multiple categories.