Visual Arts Copyright and Digital Documentation

Effective folder organization provides:

• Quick file retrieval
• Logical progression of work
• Easier file backups
• Professional workflow
• Protection against file loss

Best Practices for Organizing Your Artwork Files

• Be consistent across all projects
• Document your system
• Use clear, descriptive folder names
• Limit folder nesting (max 3-4 levels)
• Include a README document explaining contents
• Consider future-proofing needs

Organized by Year:

 artwork/ 
├── 2023/ 
│ ├── painting_series_1/ 
│ │ ├── originals/ 
│ │ └── web/ 
│ └── sculpture_series/ 
│ ├── originals/ 
│ └── web/ 
└── 2024/ 
│ └── new_series/ 
│ │ ├── originals/ 
│ │ └── web/

Organized by Medium:

artwork/ 
├── paintings/ 
│ ├── 2023_series_1/ 
│ |├── originals/ 
│ │|── web/ 
│ ├── 2024_series_1/
│ |├── originals/
│ │|── web/
│ ├── 2024_series_2/
│ |├── originals/
│ │|── web/

├── sculptures/
│ ├── 2023_series_1/
│ |├── originals/
│ │|── web/
│ ├── 2024_series_1/
│ |├── originals/
│ │|── web/

Organized by Series:

 artwork/ 
├── landscape_series/ 
│ ├── 2023/ 
│ │ ├── originals/ 
│ │ └── web/ 
│ └── 2024/ 
│ ├── originals/ 
│ └── web/ 
└── portrait_series/ 
│ ├── 2023/ 
│ │ ├── originals/ 
│ │ ├── web/