Each design project,
filed by stage

Briefs, concepts, revision rounds and final exports pile up in one folder until nobody knows which file is current.

The short answer

How do you organize design project files?

Give each project its own folder, then put numbered stage folders inside it: 01-Brief, 02-Concepts, 03-Revisions, 04-Final and 05-Delivered. Add a round number to every revision, like Logo-R2.pdf. The numbers keep stages in working order, and anyone can see what is current and what was sent.

  • One folder per project, with numbered stage folders inside
  • Round number in every revision name, never “final2”
  • A separate Delivered folder that holds exactly what the client received

The problem

Which file is the current one?
You should not have to open five files to find out.

Ottilie Brandvold · Client

Attaching my notes on the second round. The blue one from before is still my favorite.

Downloads

Logo_v3_FINAL.ai

logo new.png

Ottilie notes.pdf

Everything lands in one folder.

The brief, a mood board, three logo directions and two rounds of feedback all sit side by side, named whatever was quickest at the time.

Joaquin Perrault · Account manager

Client wants the approved logo files for the printer. Which ones did we send them?

Downloads

Marlowe logo

Marlowe FINAL

Marlowe export

Then someone asks for “the approved one.”

You know it exists. You are just not sure whether it is the file marked final, final2, or the one you exported last Friday.

And the wrong version goes out.

A revision that was rejected two rounds ago ends up with the printer, and now you are paying to reprint.

Wrong-version mistakes cost you reprints, a print vendor’s file-resubmission fee, a missed print slot and the client’s trust.

Without a clear stage structure, every new project repeats the same mess.

Try Filex free

How it works

Name your stages once, then upload. Filex sorts each project into them.

Tell Filex the stage folders you want in plain words. It reads each file and puts it in the right project and the right stage.

01

Upload what the project produces

Drop in briefs, exported PDFs, feedback notes, mockup images and final files. Names do not need to be tidy first.

02

Filex reads and files each file

It finds the project and client name and what the file is, uses the round number when the file shows it, and files it in the matching stage folder.

03

Open a project and see where it stands

Ask for “the latest revision for the Marlowe Bakery rebrand” or “what we delivered,” and get the exact files.

What you get

Every project in order,
from brief to delivered.

Files land in the right stage of the right project, and you can ask for any stage or version.

Clients & projects

Every file filed under its project, linked to the client.

Filex reads the client and project name on each file and links them. Open a project to see every stage in order.

Ottilie notes.pdf

Round 2 feedback: Marlowe Bakery logo

  • Project: Marlowe Bakery rebrand
  • From: Ottilie Brandvold
  • Feedback on round 2:
  • Brief: Marlowe Bakery brand brief

Found on page 1: “Project: Marlowe Bakery rebrand”

Groups

A whole stage, or a whole project, in one view.

Ask for “all revisions for the Marlowe Bakery rebrand” or “everything we delivered this month” and Filex gathers each match into one group. New files join as they arrive.

Describe a group…

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  • Export Organized Folders

Complete guide

The complete guide to organizing design project files

Numbered stage folders for every design project

Make the project the top-level folder, then give every project the same stage folders inside it. The numbers matter: they force the folders to sort in the order the work happens, no matter which app or operating system shows them.

Use the same five stages every time, even when a project skips one. When all projects look identical, you stop thinking about where things go and a new teammate can find their way around on day one.

  • 01-Brief: the client brief, references, scope and the signed quote
  • 02-Concepts: early directions, sketches and mood boards
  • 03-Revisions: one file per round, plus the feedback that caused it
  • 04-Final: the approved master files, with sources and fonts
  • 05-Delivered: a copy of exactly what the client received

How to name design files so versions never collide

Start with the client and project, then what the file is, then a round number: Marlowe-Bakery-Logo-R2.pdf. The round number is the key. It replaces words like final, new and latest, which stop meaning anything after the second revision.

Keep feedback with the round it caused. A file called Marlowe-Bakery-Feedback-R2.pdf next to Marlowe-Bakery-Logo-R2.pdf tells the story of the project without anyone writing it down.

  • Pattern: Client-Project-Item-R2.ext
  • Rounds are R1, R2, R3. Never “final”, “final2” or “new”
  • Export names can add a size or format, like -Web or -Print

How to handle versions, rejected options and sent files

Never overwrite a revision, and never delete a rejected one while the project is open. Clients circle back, and “the blue one from before” is only recoverable if round one still exists. Move retired options into a subfolder of Revisions instead of removing them.

Treat Delivered as a record, not a workspace. When you send files, copy them into 05-Delivered and leave them untouched. If the client later says the print was wrong, you can see exactly what they were given, separate from whatever you changed afterwards.

  • Keep rejected rounds in Revisions/Archive, not in the bin
  • Final holds working masters, Delivered holds what was sent
  • Add a date to delivery folders if you send more than once

How people usually automate this

Designers often begin with a template project folder they duplicate for every new job, sometimes with a short script or a Finder or Explorer shortcut that creates the five stage folders and fills in the client name. Cloud drives and project tools like Figma, Dropbox or Frame.io help with version history inside one app, but they rarely file the loose exports and PDFs that come from everywhere else.

The gap is the daily filing: someone still has to drag each export and feedback PDF into the right stage. You can keep doing that by hand, or describe the stage rule in plain words and let Filex read each file and place it.

  • By hand: a designer drags each export and feedback PDF into the stage folder after every round, and the habit slips on deadline week
  • Script or tool: a duplicated template folder or Frame.io-style version history tracks one file, not the project, and loose PDFs still need a manual drag
  • Plain-words rule in Filex: say what each stage holds once, upload the exports, and check where each file went

What this won’t do with your design files

It files and renames files. It does not open or edit your design files, merge versions inside a layered file, or judge which concept is better. It also relies on text it can read: a bare image with no project name on it, or a file with a meaningless name and no readable content, may need you to point it to the right project.

It files from the day you set it up. Reorganizing older projects is a separate job.

Frequently asked questions

Answers about each design project, filed by stage

What is the best folder structure for a design project?

One folder per project with the same numbered stages inside: 01-Brief, 02-Concepts, 03-Revisions, 04-Final and 05-Delivered. Numbers keep the stages in working order, and identical structure across projects makes everything easier to find.

How do I name design revisions without using “final”?

Use a round number instead of a word: Client-Project-Logo-R2.pdf. Rounds only go up, so the highest number is always the newest. Words like final, new and latest stop being true as soon as the client asks for one more change.

Should I keep old design versions after the project is approved?

Yes, at least for a while. Keep rejected rounds in an archive subfolder inside Revisions. Clients often return to earlier options, and the old rounds are your record of what was shown and when.

What should go in a Delivered folder?

An untouched copy of exactly what the client received: the export formats, the final package and the date. Keep your working masters in Final and never edit Delivered, so you can always check what was sent.

Can Filex sort exported PDFs and feedback notes into project stages?

Yes, when the project or client name is readable in the file. Filex reads PDFs, images with text and documents, then files each one in the matching stage. A file with no readable project clue may need you to place it.

Will Filex open or change my design files?

It leaves the insides of your design work alone. Filex only renames your files and places them in stage folders. It does not edit layers, artboards or exports, so your layered source files stay exactly as you saved them.

Related automations

More workflows like this one

Marketing and creative

Feedback beside the right version

Keep each piece of feedback in the same folder as the version it is about. Name every version with its number, like Homepage-V2.pdf, and name the feedback to match, like Homepage-V2-Feedback.pdf. If a client comments on an older round, file it against that round.

Read more

Marketing

Every campaign in one place

Make a folder for each client, then a folder for each campaign inside it, for example Northwind > Spring-Launch. Name every file with the asset and a version, and keep its review stage clear: draft, in review, approved or live. Then anyone can open a campaign and see which version is the one to use.

Read more

Financial advisors

Every agreement, signed and findable

Make one folder per household, then split it into Signed and Drafts. Name each file with the date, what it is and its status, like 2026-03-12-Advisory-Agreement-Signed.pdf. Move the draft out of sight once the signed copy arrives, and when unsure, file it as a draft. Anyone on your team can then open a household and know which version counts.

Read more

Solutions

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AI File Management for AI Cloud Storage

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Filex AI reads every PDF, gives it a clear name and files it by topic. Search by what’s inside, not by guessing the filename.

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Campaign assets, brand guidelines, ad creatives and reports filed by campaign. Ask “approved Q4 banner ads” and stop digging through Drive.

TXT Files

Every TXT note and log read, named by its contents and filed by topic and date. Search by what’s inside, even years later.

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