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I am looking for some platforms on which I can keep my heavy PSDs and other AI files safe. Also, I want to be able download them later when I want.

How do design companies share files? Through network or they have any space like Dropbox?

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3 Answers 3

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There are lots of different solutions. If you're asking how design companies share files internally, most would have an onsite server that everyone has access to.

Well structured design companies normally have a standard filing system for individual projects that makes the project easy to find at a later date (naming by job number for example), so you might get a file tree like this:

Job0001-Client-Project
->WorkingFiles
-->file.ai
-->file.psd
->Proofs
-->Version6.pdf
->Assets
-->logo.eps
-->image.jpeg

The server generally has some sort of onsite backup and a separate offsite backup, but most companies operate this way internally as using a tool like Dropbox would be too much of a pain.

For sharing files externally, most are now using Dropbox or Wetransfer or some other similar tool. In the old days everyone used to have their own FTP servers but the ubiquitous nature of cloud file sharing tools seems to have done away with the humble FTP.

If you're just looking for a way to move files off your working machine, I recommend buying a cheap NAS for home, one of the plug and play ones that are easy to set up, move anything that isn't current work onto that and keep a good filing system. Alternatively you can use Dropbox or Google Drive, or iCloud Drive or any other cloud storage platform (there's a list of alternatives here), but depending on how much you have to store a local NAS might be cheaper as well as faster when you want to pull a large file.

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    What really bothers me is that a lot of shops dont use version control for files
    – joojaa
    Sep 20, 2018 at 6:45
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    Depends on what you mean by version control... most companies will have some very basic method, like a folder inside the job folder where old versions of working files are saved. But, if you mean implementing a formal software solution like GIT or SVN almost nobody does... a few companies floated it as a solution a while back, just borrowing those same tools from the software development world, but it never really caught on. It's going to be interesting to see if that changes, there's a lot of new purpose built solutions coming out, check out jointrunk.com for example.
    – JamiePatt
    Sep 20, 2018 at 13:03
  • Well mechanical cad users have had something similar to SVN for a decades (they just call it PDM) . They have also got the basic functionality of distributed systems where you can actually merge changes between model versions (for atleast 5 years). Allowing true concurent design.
    – joojaa
    Sep 20, 2018 at 13:24
  • Yeah... it's puzzling why a solution has never really grabbed hold in the graphic design world. I've worked in big ad agencies and design shops for over a decade now and tried to get some sort of formal version control system into practice but I've always been met with resistance... makes it really difficult if multiple people are collaborating on the same project.
    – JamiePatt
    Sep 20, 2018 at 23:37
  • I also believe that there should be an open platform for designer community too, like git hub (for developers) where er can keep our files, get fonts, get some open files. Though we are getting mock ups and free vectors but there should be a proper platform too. Sep 25, 2018 at 18:00
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Adobe has its own Creative Cloud storage that's included with a CC subscription. You can use it to share files with others. The people you share with don't need an Adobe account to download files. That's what I use when I need to send large files to my commercial printers, or share files with clients.

The way it works is that there is a "Creative Cloud Files" directory on your local computer to which the Creative Cloud is synced online. To upload files to it, you simply put the file in your Creative Cloud Files directory, and it gets uploaded automatically. From there you can view online and set the sharing options.

You get 100GB of space for a full Creative Cloud account, and 20GB if you have Adobe's Photography plan.

For bulk storage of my larger files (which also includes some 14,000 photographs), I use a couple of 2TB external hard drives, one of which is used for backing up a copy of the other. I don't use the Creative Cloud as my backup, for a start, there's not enough space to store all my stuff. Large companies tend to have networked storage drives or servers.

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Use GitHub.

It will also allow you to revert to older version of your .psd, .ai etc.:

https://github.blog/2014-06-05-psd-viewing-diffing/

https://blog.enki.com/yes-designers-can-use-git-too-79f3cef9c899

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