Foundational Habits

Day-to-Day Diligence - Filenames, Versions & Labeling

Do you have a systematic approach to how you name files? Can you use it consistently? Can anyone else understand it? Will that file be easy to find in six or twelve months? Do your file names relate to the project as a whole? 

What I want you to think about is how your file naming and versioning can support your future self and business partners’ needs. Too often we fall into the trap of just naming things along the way. Then only when someone mentions an old file you’re tasked with digging through old projects and hoping to find the correct version. This is where yesterday’s expediency is going to cost you time, and if you’re trying to track down someone else’s files it can be exponential time – enough that sometimes you just need to recreate the work. Sounds fun, eh? Or does it sound familiar.

I want to approach my work with a foundation that takes a longer-term look than any project’s immediate needs. Setting the cornerstone of a project with a systematic approach to naming is the mark of a craftsperson.

How about your version names? The “final_final_reallyfinal_thisisreallyfinal” file meme is real. My own approach has changed over the years and environments. Years ago, while building many catalogs, InDesign would increase the file size of documents with each save. Sometimes dramatically, that would then slow the app down enough to be bothersome. I began saving out versions with new file names and that made a difference in the overall file handling performance. I was concurrently saving new versions when those documents went through major pagination/product changes and move through their draft/proofing process. Those processes merged and evolved to what I use today.

Especially when working through new concepts with a team it can be easy to ‘work dirty’ and have one document with a mess of work in progress (WIP). Artboards with concepts, doodles and broken art all over the place. It happens. Save the mess - you may want to come back to it later. So, save a new version of your file and then purge art/content you don’t need in the new file. You’ll have them in the saved version. This will help keep your current file tidy and presentable should you need to walk a peer, partner or senior person through the work. Depending on the nature of your work environment, this process may be more or less formal. Personally, I want my WIP files to reflect craftsmanship and not look like a disaster zone.

Sidebar - Campaign Work

When it comes to campaign work, having a systematic approach is essential. Multiple threads of work across physical and digital realms being done by different teams and on different timelines its going to be complex. Having a commonly practiced naming convention will help keep deliverables, well – deliverable.

And, don’t forget to document your approach to this. Design a nice Standards document that you can share. It will add a level of polish, show you’ve thought through these operational details and that you care about the craft behind the creative.

Labeling – the rabbit hole

Just how far do you go with labeling and naming within your files depends in part on the nature of your work. If you’re working by yourself on a project that is a one and done, it’s up to you and how organized you want to be. But that’s the limit, just your own preference.

The moment you need to share the work with a peer, partner, team, or vendor all those details become important. The larger the project or team, the more exponentially critical that becomes. Should you share the work (finished or WIP) with people outside your organization or industry that’s another leap. This is part of the craft of being a creative.

Slow down, respect your craft.

This expertise in your craft, the patience for paying attention to these details, the opportunity to understand their impact on your work doesn’t happen by chance. Build this time into your work. Rushing through these steps and ‘working dirty’ without cleaning up behind yourself won’t be to anyone’s benefit. In time it will cost you and likely no-one else will care.

Take pride in your craft. Pressure to rush through the work will come from internal and external sources. This is something I would tell my younger self. “Slow down and pay more attention to your craft.” Feeling rushed doesn’t mean you’re actually being rushed.

This is easy to say, but for me, is a real challenge. Does it stem from some inherent insecurity that was fostered by years of working in an environment that nurtured that type of a hard and fast pace? Is it just me and now I’m seeing it? Is it the nature of work as a professional creative? Is it all of the above? For me - probably. For you?

Get the Numbers! – and build your book

Don’t take your own work for granted. Feeling really comfortable and/or secure in your role is fantastic, it can also be a trap and lead you to discounting your own value. Keep track in your own notes (and on your own device) of your work. Save samples, show examples, save your favorite feedback comments/quotes along with their attributions (who/what/where.) And critically – Get the Numbers! Make it part of your job to get the performance numbers. When they’re good, capitalize on them. Save notes with the examples – XX campaign resulted in XX growth, etc. Achieved XXX on XXX. They don’t need to be complex, just solid one-line examples of the success attributed to the work. When they’re not good, learn from them and consider how to put those challenges to work to impact future results for the better.

Now, do two things with those numbers. First - share them within your organization - up the ladder and across the aisle to your peers/coworkers who have been positively impacted by the work. Cultivate a cheering section, find a champion or two within your leadership. Second – build them into your book/portfolio. Show the work and back it with the numbers. Note any significant challenges or learning that impacted future work, keep notes and consider this step as part of closing out a project.

Recap:

Creatives – Most of the above doesn’t sound very creative, right? It’s not but is part of the profession. It’s a time investment. It enables you to speak with authority on how files are saved and organized. It shows that you care about how the sausage is made, not just the outcome. And Get the Numbers! Having the numbers can show the value that your creative work brings to the table both within your current role and for your future roles.

Project Managers – Not all creatives are especially organized and should welcome your help in becoming more so. If the creative team is missing documentation or a systematic approach put it on the table as a need. Is there a person on the team who has a more systematic approach to their work, recruit them. Help build these standards and then preach!

Marketers – I have two key takeaways for you - Learn the job numbering system and use it. A creative may not recall or know about previous projects and job numbers will help that. Campaign work that crosses channels can be complex and spread across a creative team, a job number is like a street address for the work. Second, support your creative team when they come to you looking for numbers. Collaborate on what numbers are most valuable to you and the team. This may be a small lift for you but include the creative in your performance reporting. Build a relationship with them, ask for help when putting those reports together.