How to Organize Project Files
A behind-the-scenes look at project file organization for editorial designers, typesetters, and freelancers
This month, I thought I’d make a post about how to organize! Organizing comes quite naturally to me, and while many freelancers hate the admin side of things (understandably so), I really love it (perhaps weirdly so). I’ve always loved color-coding, planning, itty-bitty details, project management, that sort of thing. So, I thought why not share a little peek into my organized world? (Though when I shared with my fiancé Alex that file organization would be the topic for Hadley House this month, he seemed to express some sarcasm with an “oh, wow—exciting stuff” and looked quite unenthused by the idea. It’s a good thing he’s not my target audience for this kind of stuff, but I do worry this still might not be the most fun thing to read for some people haha—but it’s important stuff! and we can make it fun I think. I hope!)
Hopefully, this behind-the-scenes look will be helpful for anyone (whether you love to organize and just want to see my system / compare it with yours, or if you hate organizing and need an example to follow so you can set up a good system that will work for you). Take what you’d like from it, leave what you don’t.
This isn’t the “right” way of organizing files, just my current way of doing so. Is there a “right” way? I don’t think so. As Bob Ross so eloquently put it: whichever way works for you, that’s the right way. And as I continue along, I may find a different way of doing things that I like better—there’s always room to improve and adjust.
Folder Organizing
Hot tip: if you have a Mac, and you’ve updated to Tahoe, you can create a custom color for your folders in Settings > Appearance > Theme > Folder Color.
The “Work” folder
In my OneDrive, I have a folder called “Work,” where each of my clients has their own folder.
Inside each client folder
Within each client folder, I store all of our projects together. Each folder is named by project, usually using the book/magazine title.
I also include a resources folder, which houses any resources I might need for all of these projects. This most commonly includes the publisher’s logos.
Inside each project folder
Within each project, I create folders for the various services I’m providing for that project (creative direction, cover design, interior design, typesetting, ebook conversion, etc.).
I also create a general folder, which includes some housekeeping items (such as our contract and invoices), and a resources folder, which usually includes content provided by the client for use in this specific project (such as the manuscript, any images, author bio, etc.).
Inside the service folders
Each service folder is usually divided into sub-folders by rounds: Round 1 (R1), Round 2 (R2), Round 3 (R3). I also include a DELIVERABLES folder to make it super easy to access the final deliverables for that service (i.e., print-ready pdfs).
The only service that usually differs is cover design, where I make sub-folders for the front cover design and the mechanical (which then houses the individual rounds for each).
Naming files
Once we get into the rounds, we get to the actual files!
(Within each round/version folder, I have a DELIVERABLES folder that’s specific to that round. Those are the actual files I deliver to the publisher after each round (as opposed to the FINAL DELIVERABLES folder, which houses only—you guessed it—the final deliverables.)
Files are named in this order (and separated by underscores):
Round/Version number (R1, R2, R3 or V1, V2, V3)
Service (Interior, Typesetting, Cover, Mechanical, etc.). Moving forward I might try to consolidate these names even further to avoid lengthy file names (such as using TS for typesetting, ID for interior design, FC for front cover, or MECH for mechanical).1
Abbreviated project title (this would be the book title in most cases)
The date I’m working on the file! This is the most important part of the naming system. If I’m about to work on the file again, I open the most recent file, and the very first thing I do is rename it (Save As > change date in file name to today’s date). This way, I keep very good version control! If I need to go back to something, I have all of those milestones I can go back to if needed (without having to restart the whole thing).
You may notice that I’ve included an additional number after some file names (2, 3) or scripts at the end. If I’m making a lot of progress in one day, or if I’m about to make a big/risky change, I may stop to save the file as another name, which means I’ll have more milestones saved (hence the 2 and 3 after 01-19-26—the 3 being the most recent of the files with this date). When I put scripts at the end of a file name, this is my “annotated” copy of the file, so I don’t mess up my clean version. I run a lot of scripts and GREPs before I typeset (and sometimes during), so I’ll save these copies under a new file name with scripts at the end so I know it’s a messy copy (these scripts copies are never something I’m working off of).
Backing Up
Back up your stuff!! I can’t stress this enough. I’ve been burned twice before where my files completely disappeared (thankfully, this was during high school so the stakes were a little lower, but the stakes always feel high when this kind of thing happens). Now that I’m juggling so many huge projects, it would be devastating if I lost all the work and would lead to schedule delays, lost time/money, and unhappy clients.
Here’s my system:
I have OneDrive connected to my computer/Finder, so I can easily save items there without needing to open up OneDrive on the web. I save everything here first (I repeat: I do not use OneDrive as a backup!)
Why, you ask, would I not use OneDrive as a backup, since it is (after all) considered a backup service? Because if you have it synced to backup your local files, and you accidentally delete one of those local files, well it also deletes from OneDrive. If you accidentally mess with a previous version on one of your local files, it also syncs that to OneDrive. Where is the backup in all of this? It literally makes no sense to me. Seems like a scam that tech companies have played on us, but maybe I’m just not getting some essential part of this service lol.
So: I use OneDrive to save the original files. (This just makes the most sense to me, but maybe you know something I don’t 🧐?)
Throughout the day, if I add, alter, or delete anything from OneDrive, I make a note of the respective folders that I’ve messed with.
Then, at the end of the day as part of my “closing tasks,” I backup these folders onto an external hard drive. This way, I stop the syncing and just manually back things up (like how things used to go, when things worked better, maybe because we actually used our brains instead of relying on technology to do everything for us—but I digress).
So, essentially: I don’t store any files on my computer because it eats up too much storage. I just use OneDrive, then backup to an external hard drive at the end of each day.
In conclusion…
This is my process for organizing my project files! I also use Notion religiously for keeping track of project milestones, notes, etc. (but I think that’d be too much to get into for one post!).
I hope it was helpful to see this behind-the-scenes look at the file organizing that goes into each project. If you implement any part of my process into your own system, I’d love to hear about it. Or, maybe you have a different method that you love using—I’d love to hear about that too. It always makes me happy to hear and learn from you.
And remember: whichever way works for you, that’s the right way <3
News for you!
Design
꩜ I absolutely love this guide to copyright for designers. So thoughtful and beautifully designed!
꩜ A fun guide on what creative career suits you based on your zodiac sign (is it really a coincidence that mine includes Editorial Designer?? The Virgo energy is real you guys.)
What I’m reading
★ Promising Young Women by Suzanne Scanlon (Dorothy, 2012)
★ You’re My Favorite Client by Mike Monteiro (A Book Apart, 2014)
★ House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Pantheon, 2000)
★ Granta Issue 174: Therapy (2026)
★ In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World, from Henry David Thoreau (Sierra Club—Ballantine Books, 1967)
What I’m listening to
☆ Phantogram | Eyelid Movies (2010): indietronica
☆ ML Buch | Suntub (2023): neo-psychedelia / dream pop
☆ Molina | When You Wake Up (2024): dream pop / neo-psychedelia
❤︎ Dear Hadley ❤︎
No submissions this month! Send me things, and I’ll answer them next time <3
Send me your InDesign questions, typesetting dilemmas, design rants, freelancing struggles, hot takes—whatever. I’ll respond to them either privately or in my Dear Hadley advice column. Your submission can be anonymous.
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Hadley Hendrix is an Editorial Designer based in Chicago, specializing in publication design and typesetting. She works with publishers, magazines, and authors to design, layout, and typeset the covers and interiors of their publications.
HadleyHendrix.com | Email Me | Hadley’s Hangout
Any time I analyze one of my processes, I always find something I want to do differently! 😅 (always improving and adjusting—perhaps to a fault)
I love this! My file org and naming system is very similar and it keeps me sane!