Sharing valuable information on the Internet does not solely involve a fast network speed or an app that compresses files the quickest. For graphic designers, knowing how to send large files and start/end a secure file transfer are important. After all, some customers are not only interested in the final product of graphic design jobs but also in extras like file labels, property information, and others.
Responsible graphic designers learn how to send data in the best formats possible to their clients. Uploading folders is not uncommon in this day of telecommuting, but it still has a special meaning in freelance graphic design.
On this note, the current article underlines 7 tips on sending graphic designs to a client. In general, our recommendations have as much value to graphic designers as they do to other remote workers.
1. Consider How Your Customers Will Use Your Products
Your clients are likely individuals with vested interests in your work. Are you among the handful of graphic designers with clients who don’t exactly care about what they are delivering? If not, then you have to put a lot of thought into the process. You must consider everything from the perspective of your customers.
How you send your graphic designs depends on whatever conclusion you come to the following:
- Who the client is
- Why they want your digital products
- What means they’ll use to view, edit, print, or do something else with your products
This is a simple method that helps you get into the minds of your clients and know the best way to satisfy them.
So, ask yourself questions like:
- Will the client only use this digital product once or multiple times?
- What do they need it for?
- Will they send it off to someone else to preview before using it?
- Will they immediately open it with their mobile phones or personal computers?
A client who is also a graphic designer would have preferences different from a client who is not. So, knowing these bits of information is very important.
2. Include Different File Types and Sizes
Still on the matter of knowing a bit more about your clients than just their names, you also need to consider their means. You have to take into account the kind of apps that your customers have and will likely use to read your digital products.
Unlike the other professions that are now thriving under remote work, graphic design products are still somewhat exclusive. You don’t see every Windows, Mac, or Linux user looking for the best apps for graphic design, do you? There isn’t even a guarantee that your client owns a personal computer, let alone one with the means to immediately read your products.
So, you need to think carefully about file types/formats and sizes. Should the final output of your graphic design task be in JPEG, PNG, or any of the other image formats? Each of these has its characteristics in terms of image quality and size. Now, what is the way out of this dilemma of choice? Include as many of these popular file types as you can.
If your client uses a device with old software, they would be able to read the files you send them. The same thing applies to clients with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or any of the other specialized apps for graphic designs.
This is also true for file sizes. After all, some of your customers are likely to preview what you send to them on their mobile devices first. Thus, including different file types of the same digital product should help you solve the problem of file sizes.
3. Add a PDF or ReadMe Text File with Instructions
Whoever made the first move to include a ReadMe text file in digital products deserves the Nobel Prize equivalent in graphic designs. The value of these extra documents with instructions cannot be overemphasized.
Adding a PDF or simple text file that describes the product you shared with your client(s) is smart. This documentation saves you from having to further explain yourself and losing track of what you sent to whom.
Also, when you include a ReadMe file in TXT or PDF, don’t forget to include your name, email address, or website. This way, the client can always reach you for clarifications about the product in the far-off future. This also amounts to a marketing tactic that could prove useful if applied correctly.
4. Label Your Files
Put deliberate thought into this process and don’t send files with labels that have non-alphanumeric characters. If you can help it, don’t use ‘%’ or ‘&’ or ‘#’ in the labels. Also, make the labels as short as possible.
You’ve likely downloaded a file at some point with a brain-concussing label like Image_monkey/%&in/%&spandex/%&dancing/%&on/%&a/%&tight/%&rope. It is annoying, to say the least. So, you cannot make this an experience for your client if you want positive feedback.
Use labels that are easy to relate to. They don’t have to be cryptic summaries of the content of your work. Just make them as accurate as possible so your clients can easily find them whenever they want to.
You can also use the ReadMe file to optimize this process. This way, your file and folder labels don’t have to be descriptive sentences. You can have something like first proposition and explain in the Readme file that the file with this label contains such and such.
5. Add Preview Images
To make things easier for your clients, add preview images to your work. The point of this is saving them the hassle of finding an appropriate device to view the product you sent them.
When adding preview images, you don’t have to use dedicated software packages. You can simply take screenshots. This is especially the case when you are supposed to deliver templates and mock-ups that can only be read using apps like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
Imagine a scenario where your client gets your email with a zipped file containing your work. Once they read this zipped resource, they are likely to attempt to view the compressed version of the file. If you added a preview image (and aptly named it preview image or something just as descriptive and simple), your clients would have no problem knowing what you have done.
Of course, your clients are unlikely to take it at face value that whatever preview image you sent is accurate and included in what you sent to them. Even so, adding preview images tells them that you are organized and considerate, which are plus points.
6. Organize Files Using Folders
So far, our tips point to your having to include multiple files (the main file + a ReadMe file at least) in the digital products you send to your client. Consequently, you have to organize these files, and using folders is one way to do this.
Once the files have been labeled correctly and placed with an equally correctly-labeled folder, even you will find it easier to identify the work you have done for this client or that. This approach also tells your client that you are meticulous, with a good eye for detail.
Using folders to organize your work is even more useful where you have to send collections. You only need to group them by their categories and place them inside folders. However, don’t make too many folders as that defeats the purpose of organizing.
7. Use a File Transfer Service
Lastly, use a file transfer service to send your digital products to your clients. There are many reasons for doing this, including the following:
- Compressing large files
- Preserving image quality
- Protecting your products from hackers that could sell them off elsewhere
- Simplifying the process of uploading and downloading your work
You can easily achieve these by using a file transfer service like FileWhopper. This file sharing service was purposely designed to help you send off small and large files with ease. You don’t have to worry about data breach, unwanted file compression, or file transmission issues.
Focus on Sending Files
Unlike the typical cloud service, FileWhopper does not rely on storage capabilities. Instead, the focus is on sending files. Due to this optimization of purpose, the service is practical and user-friendly.
No File Compression
The biggest advantage to using FileWhopper is that it lets you send files as large as 10TB without compressing them. The files you choose are not limited to any formats and you can perform your upload from a browser or via the service app.
Zero-Knowledge Encryption
Regarding security, FileWhopper uses zero-knowledge encryption. As such, even the developers at FileWhopper cannot preview your files before, during, or after you have shared them. In other words, you and you alone decide who sees your digital products.
No Subscription Fees
The pricing plans for FileWhopper are not what you would call grievous. If your first file(s) sent using the service is/are less than 5GB, you don’t have to pay anything. However, second-time sharing incurs a transfer fee of $0.99 for at least 5GB worth of data and $1.99 for up to 10GB. For every addition of 10GB afterward, you have to pay an extra dollar. Thus, sending anything between 11GB and 20GB of data will cost you $2.99; anything between 20GB and 30GB would cost you $3.99; and so on.
Another advantage to using FileWhopper is that you won’t be required to subscribe. Instead, you only pay for the service whenever you use it. This means no shelling out money for something you might only do once in a while.
As long as you take these tips to heart, you will have an easy way with the challenges that graphic designers usually face, including finding and keeping the right clients, effective communication, visual branding, and inefficient workflow management.
To finish on a positive note, here are 5 reasons why every business needs a graphic designer:
- Branding: There is nothing more representative of your company than branding. Graphic designers top the skill chain on creating logos that match organizational objectives and principles.
- Visualization: Graphic designers have a way of putting thoughts/words into pictures. Pictures help the human mind easily wrap itself around concepts. So, the more visualization you have on the side of your organization, the better.
- Storytelling: An accurate image from a graphic designer can save you time and energy. And if a picture speaks a thousand words, imagine the hassles you don’t have to go through explaining the organizational narrative.
- Lead conversion: With visualized storytelling, it is easy to attract more clients and investors. Apart from the aesthetics of graphic designs, there is also the element of purpose that helps potential clients easily grasp the offerings of your organization.
- Multiple solutions: Graphic designers can serve as a plus-one when tackling challenges with your other staff. These designers are essentially fresh eyes that are not influenced or characterized by the protocols of corporate institutions. Consequently, graphic designers can offer alternative solutions for issues your organization might face later on.
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