File Naming
“Don’t get cryptic. Pretend future you will be drunk or senile (or both) when looking at these filenames and make the name easy to understand.” – David sparks
- ITEM# – Product Name & description (version, angle, packaged, creative, with model, lifestyle) TH92678 – Philosophy Tags, Packaged
- If no item number is available yet make sure product has Brand name & working product name along with an accurate description so it’s easily found in the future.
- If the item has customer specific item numbers (article number) in addition to an Advantus item number, use both numbers in the filename for easy retrieval.
- A good format for dates is YYYYMMDD (or YYMMDD). This makes sure
all your files stay in chronological order, even over many years. - Don’t make file names too long; longer names do not work well with all Types of software. Be brief yet descriptive. Avoid confusing abbreviations and unnecessary words. Generally about 25 characters is a sufficient length to capture enough descriptive information for naming. Omit articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions when sensible.
- Special characters should be avoided: ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) ` ; < > ? , [ ] { } ‘ “
- For sequential numbering, use leading zeros to ensure files sort properly.
For example, use “0001, 0002…1001, etc” instead of “1, 2…1001, etc.”
Use shortcuts
Ideally, your folder structure should create a single “home” for each file. But sometimes there’s overlap and it’s hard to figure out where a file should go. Rather than duplicating the file, create a shortcut. You can then move that shortcut to another location, but your original file stays in the correct folder. This should help eliminate duplicate files, incorrect versions and confusion.
Packaging Files
All packaging files should only be stored in I:\packaging. It does not matter if the files are used for mockups, presentations, or renderings, they all must be housed in this location for easy retrieval.
The packaging folder structure should be separated and saved by brand in subfolders. Brand is determined by the packaging style and saved in a logical hierarchy. Even if the item numbers correlate with another umbrella brand, keep the files together based on packaging styles. If a brand has multiple styles it is acceptable to have subfolders named logically, easily defining the different packaging styles (EX: “I:\PACKAGING\Wyla\MERMAID TRIMS”)
Every brand folder should have a subfolder named “_PACKAGING IN PROGRESS” for storing files that have not yet been approved reviewstudio. Once all edits have been made from the checklist and the files are ready for the vendor, the folder for that item must be moved from the “in progress” folder to the main folder for that brand before sending links to PD or vendors.
Every individual package file should be saved in its own folder named with the item number and the name of the product. This folder should contain a Master open file and an outlined printer-ready file. The master file must be named with the item number, have die lines restricted to a separate layer, and any unnecessary file elements removed (blank type boxes, old layouts hidden, extra elements off the artboard, etc.) The outlined version must have all links embedded, all fonts outlined and be saved with the suffix _OL
If packaging changes multiple times and you feel like we may need to revert to or reference an old file version, it is acceptable to save previous instances in a subfolder labeled \_OLD as long as the files are labeled with dates. Any old files can be deleted by any team members after 6 months from the revision date.
Product Images
Products are to be shot as requested. All requests must include item number, brand and a product name. After a photoshoot, files should be dumped from the SD card to “K:\NEW PHOTOGRAPHY” in a subfolder named by brand. All raw images should be renamed with Adobe Bridge or Bulk Rename Utility to reflect the product item number, name and brand.
After files are clipped and edited, raw files must be deleted and product Images must be stored only in I:\Product Images by brand subfolders. It is to be assumed that any files in the product images folders are the best quality possible and will be distributed to customers by any Advantus employee without checking with the graphics team. Please do not create subfolders, rearrange, or rename files and folders without consulting the graphics team. Many files are linked in our artwork and catalogs, and moving or changing them can cause significant issues.
Product images must only contain these subfolders:
• \_PRODUCTS IN PROGRESS (products not approved, not final, or incomplete)
• \PSD (2500x2500px CMYK .PSD file, product centered, outlined, and retouched)
• \Hi-Res (exact copy of master PSD file, saved as JPG)
• \Lifestyle (Shots in use with a model or in an environment, hi-res files only)
• \Lo-Res (1000x1000px RGB .JPG created from master PSD or Lifestyle images)
Many times we get image requests for our items to be renamed or resized to customer-specific specs. These images should not be housed on the I:\drive, but can be stored in the dropbox instead. _TO CUSTOMERS is the new home for all customer specific image requests. Subfolders can be named for Advantus brands which can be shared with multiple customers or be named for the specific customer.