Computer File Structure Like a PRO!!

So I’m sitting there one day talking to a friend of mine when the conversation of file structures pops up and he says he is always losing stuff on his PC and can’t find what he’s done before. I then realise this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this and actually had client ask me to re send artwork as they can’t find it so it is faster for me to find it on mine and re send it.

So as much as I think it may be a boring and mundane thing I do in my daily life I realised people may want to know of a way how to keep their digital in some sort of order.

What I will put below will not be a hard and fast rule to follow, the most important thing to remember is:

1. Everyone is different
2. Use a file structure that works for you.

This is the way I run the my file structures, but below I will show a few alternatives

So first of all I have my clients, each client therefore get a folder. Inside that folder I have more folders BUT each client folder follows the same pattern.

• Client A
  • Website
  • Print Design
    • Job 1
    • Job 2
    • Job 3
    • etc
  • Contracts
  • Quotes
  • Etc

So we see that every time I go into a client folder I know exactly where to find the file or folder.

People may no say, “Oh but if you just use windows wonderful file search it’ll find it for you.” No doubt if you have named the file correctly and remember what you named it, it will find it. But that relays on you naming it properly, remembering what it was called and searching for it correctly. With three things that can crop you up, I wouldn’t relay on it! Of course I do recommend even with a goof folder structure that you name your file correctly! More on that another time!

Another reason a good file system works is that I have heard of people trying to clutter clear a big folder for someone. Maybe a year has passed since they did a job and they think, “oh I won’t need that randomly named file, bet I got it and didn’t use it”. They delete it and release 6 month later they needed it inside another poster they had made. D’oh!! so again using a file structure where all files use for a project are in side means that if it’s in there you probably used it!

Now to throw a spanner in the works. Some of the work I do use MASSIVE file, namely photos and videos.  I used to have them all in the above file structure to videos was a folder right next to Print Design. HOWEVER, once those files starting getting so large that they filled the hard drive I asked what do I do?!

 

Do I have a hard drive for each client who gets needs one for their large files. Whilst that was a possibility, I decided against it and thought that a very large Hard drive for that individual “service” was necessary.

So whilst I still have one hard drive and actually one folder in the hard drive will all my clients in and the regular work and files for them, the two other hard drives I run have current filming projects in and another Hard drive for Photo jobs. Once in these hard drives I have each Client who needs a folder and then the type of projects and then the files.

• Filming HDD
  • Client A
    • Promo Facebook Ad
      • Raw Footage
      • Audio
      • Rendered Video
      • Project Files
      • Etc
    • Client B
      • Tutorial DVD 1
        • Raw Footage
          • Cam 1
          • Cam2
        • Audio
        • Rendered Video
        • Project Files
        • Etc
      • Tutorial DVD 2
        • Raw Footage
        • Audio
        • Rendered Video
        • Project Files
        • Etc

Hopefully you get the idea now!!

Some of you reading this blog may be thinking, well my business (wholesaler, retailer, therapist, etc) only really does a few documents per customer so I can just keep them all in one folder. Again, it’s not a hard and fast rule but even if you follow the files structure here and only ever have one document in each folder, it will still mean you can find the right document every single time.

What’s to say, however, you that run your file structure in a different way? Nothing!! I have detailed above how I run the file structure, but I run it that way because it follows how I think. I want to find a file, I think who is for first, then what type of project as it then what was it called.

But you may have to files things in the another way so your first folder set could be anything of the following and more:

1. Clients (my preference)
2. Job Type (also do this to a degree too)
3. Document Type (Invoice, Quote, Estimate, Consultation notes)
4. Year (2018, 2017, 2016 etc)

In fact I use every single of the above folder types but I run it in the order you see there, tier 1 through 4.

You however could flip it on its head completely and voila you have a file structure perfectly suited to your business and workflow.

I hope this can help those in need of a decent folder structure on their website and I look forward to hearing if it has helped you!