File Format Breakdown

By Emily Spirek on August 4, 2008 at 6:30 am in General

File formats are essential when it comes to compatibility and storing images. We all have heard of a .jpg, but what exactly is it? Below, I will give a simple definition of the common file formats used for images.

  1. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) – most commonly used with photographs and its small image size is extremely helpful for emailing or website purposes. It uses lossy compression which means some quality is lost, and it shouldn’t be used for archiving purposes.
  2. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) – this is the most standard and universal format for high quality images. It uses lossless compression, meaning no quality is lost in the image or it’s fully recoverable. The trade-off is the increased file size.
  3. PNG (Portable Network Graphics) – we use this format when designing websites in Fireworks because it is specifically for the internet (only supports RGB colors). It uses lossless data compression, like the TIFF, so it doesn’t lose quality.
  4. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) – According to the creators, the correct pronunciation is “jiff”. It is a compressed format (limited to 256 colors per frame vs. 1,000,000), supports animations and widely used on the web.

File Organization: A Designer’s Best Friend

By Emily Spirek on July 23, 2008 at 6:30 am in Design,General

It may seem trivial to precisely name and organize each and every file, but in the end it can save a designer (or anyone else) time and money. Many designers learn this the hard way while interning or beginning their first job, but eventually they realize the significance and impact it makes on their work flow.

First and foremost, I would recommend using an external hard drive to backup all of your files: it is worth the extra cost! Next in the process is naming and organizing folders. A basic setup could include the following folders:

  • Clients (a folder for each client)
  • Forms (contracts, planning worksheets, invoices, etc.)
  • Stock (purchased images online)

Within the “Clients” folder, you can include subfolders for their identity package, including: logo, letterhead, business card, etc. Also make sure you designate which file is the original file and which one is sent to the client by creating a file-naming system. For example,  ORIGINAL_logo_clientbusiness.ai for your own use and SAMPLE_logo_clientbusiness.jpg to send to the client. Use the same type of system within your other main folders.

This is definitely a rough start and it takes a lot of trial and error to discover a system of your own, but the initial setup is well worth your time so you can prevent any future headaches!