One of my biggest career-oriented regrets was not organizing my digital files from the beginning, when I first got my computer. It will help you tremendously to set up an organization system for when you need to go back and find projects, or just to keep your peace of mind. When it comes to building a website, having this system is crucial. I recommend devising a plan similar to an outline, in order to establish hierarchy among folders. It should break down from the most general topics to the most specific. When creating your list, think about what type of content you will be storing. Are you a student? Will you have schoolwork? Do you take a lot of photos? Do you freelance?

For me, I need a filing system for all of those plus more. Your needs are different, try to think of everything from the get-go. New circumstances will inevitably arise as you go along, and content will vary depending on each project. The basic outline I have consists of the following generic topics: BILLS, GROUND UP GRAPHICS, JEWELRY, PHOTOS, SCHOOL, WEBSITES.

Here is a sample outline with graphic design folders broken down.

If you plan on doing web design, pay particular attention to section III from the pdf above. This is how I suggest you set up your folders when creating a website. Later you might want to expand and organize your images folder, like if you are going to have a portfolio, but don’t worry about that at this point. Now you have the appropriate places to save all of your files.

Overview:
•    Organizing files early can save a lot of grief later on.
•    It’s never to late to re-arrange your files.
•    If you do web design — set up a folder named Websites on your hard drive, inside place a folder with the name of the site, and inside that place an images folder. (Refer to section III)

Tags: building a website, computer, Digital File Organization, files, filing system, folders, graphic design, Maintenance, organization system, organizing, set up folders for a website, web design