4 tips for staying organised when creating your documents

Creating a document can be a lengthy undertaking. Many elements need to be taken into account, whether it is a web document or a file intended for print. And it is all the more complex when it involves a large document such as a magazine or catalogue, or even a sizeable website.

In this type of project, organisation is a key factor that can save you an enormous amount of time — or cost you just as much.

Once the project has started, you will generally be in direct contact with the graphic designer responsible for the creation. Here are some tips for organising yourselves together and saving time and energy during production.

1 – Limit email exchanges and phone calls

This is one of the most time-consuming factors during graphic creation. Discussing things thoroughly at the first meeting and being clear about your expectations will help your designer find the graphic style that suits you. Although they are always there to help you or answer your questions and comments, organising things in advance to limit future exchanges is paramount. This involves several tips to keep in mind at all times:

• Group information together: If possible, send all the content to the designer at once. They will then know they have everything they need to complete the layout from start to finish, without having to leave space for elements that are still pending. For large projects such as magazines, group information by page or section.
• Group corrections together: In the same way, once the first version is complete, have the entire document proofread by all stakeholders, and collate the corrections before sending them to your designer. This avoids duplication and limits the number of document versions — and therefore the risk of errors. And it saves everyone time: less time spent on the document for the designer, and fewer separate proofreading sessions for you!
• Use file-sharing services: Services such as Dropbox or Google Drive are very useful for creating shared folders accessible from several computers. Set up a shared folder with your designer, in which they can retrieve the documents you deposit there, and from which you can download the various versions of the document they upload. This also limits the need to send large files by email.

2 – Define a clear naming convention

To avoid any confusion during layout, always rename your files so that they are clearly identifiable.

• Create folders: Create one folder per page or section so that your designer knows which texts and images go together. Do not embed images in the Word documents you send (Word compresses images, causing them to lose quality), but instead create a folder containing the text and the images that illustrate it.
• Name your documents: Rename your documents so that there is no possible ambiguity for the designer. For example, in a folder called "Our offices", you might have a Word file with the contact details of your Paris, Lyon, and Bordeaux offices, along with 3 photos to illustrate them. Rename the files "Paris.jpg", "Lyon.jpg", and "Bordeaux.jpg". This way, there is absolutely no confusion for the designer — they will know which photo corresponds to which office.

3 – Prioritise information

What may seem obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to the designer laying out your project — they may not be familiar with your sector, your jargon, or what is important to you.

• Communicate clearly in the documents you send about what should be emphasised and what should be more discreet.
• Use headings: This simple step is often forgotten, because it seems obvious when you are writing your content — but it may not be to the designer. Highlight headings, subheadings, lists, bold words, and so on, so they know how to organise the information in the layout. This will save you corrections caused by confusion over the relative importance of information.
• Indicate where to insert images: If you have images illustrating a specific part of your text, indicate this in your document (e.g.: "Insert image machine-outil.jpeg here"). This way, during layout, the designer will know to link the image to the relevant text.

4 – Provide quality materials

This may seem obvious, but it is always worth reminding yourself. Quality materials will result in fewer corrections and fewer problems during layout.

• Proofread your texts: Proofread — or have someone proofread — your texts before sending them. Your designer can easily correct typographical errors. However, spelling and grammar are not their speciality, and they will not be able to correct your text for you.
• Send high-quality images: As a general rule, send the most raw files possible. Images should be as large as possible, in the best quality possible. It is better to reduce an image that is too large than to find you cannot use one because it is too small and will pixelate when enlarged. If files are too large to send as email attachments (from 10 MB), use Dropbox or Google Drive as described above, or WeTransfer for sending large files.
• Use what you have the right to use: If you use images found online that do not belong to you, check that you have the right to use them. To be sure of using royalty-free images, use the site CC Search (https://search.creativecommons.org/), or the image search tools in Google Images (open the "Tools" panel, then under "Usage rights" select the appropriate rights). You can also purchase images from Fotolia, Adobe Stock, or Shutterstock, for example.

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If you follow these few straightforward tips, you will work more efficiently and be able to put the time saved to good use. You will minimise confusion and misunderstandings with the designer in charge of the project, and therefore reduce revision rounds — and your document will be all the better for it and ready that much sooner.

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