Between client feedback loops, overlapping deadlines, and version chaos, keeping design projects organized can be a real juggling act. I’ve been managing multiple clients lately, and it feels like half my day goes into tracking who approved what, which file version is final, and what’s waiting for feedback.
I’m curious how others here handle it. Do you rely on spreadsheets and emails to stay on top of everything, or do you use a proper project management setup with boards, timelines, or calendars?
Another thing I’ve struggled with is managing revisions efficiently. Clients often have last-minute changes, and keeping that synced with the rest of the team can get messy fast. How do you manage approvals and handoffs without losing the creative flow?
Would love to know what systems or tools you’ve found actually help balance creativity with organization. Is there a method or workflow that’s worked especially well for your studio or freelance setup?
Nice one, thanks for sharing that! I just watched the video, really liked how she turned a simple notebook into a visual Kanban setup. It’s such a clean and creative way to manage multiple projects, especially for people who think visually.
I’ve used similar Kanban-style layouts digitally, and it’s surprising how much clarity they bring once you start moving tasks through stages like “Plan” and “Progress.” It keeps things from piling up unnoticed.
Do you use a physical board like that too, or do you prefer digital tools for tracking?
We’re a small studio, about six full time designers, and we pull in freelancers as needed so it stretches to around ten people. Usually we run two core teams depending on project type, sometimes just one for smaller clients.
Dropbox and email absolutely work and keep things simple. The downside we ran into was version chaos and scattered approvals when multiple clients and freelancers touch the same files. That’s why we started layering a light workflow on top of folders so approvals and final versions are obvious.
Curious what your biggest pain with Dropbox and email is when projects grow?
Yeah, Acrobat’s share tool is great for quick reviews. We use it too, but once you add timelines and task tracking, it doesn’t cover the full workflow. Do you use it just for client reviews or for the whole project process?
And I think that this is a digital age and everything is going to be digital, making a mood board with papers with other stuff, I don’t know but does this sounds awkward to you ?
When you send a pdf proof using the share feature in Acrobat you can set a deadline date/time. As the deadline approaches, Acrobat will send email reminders to your invitees that the deadline to add comments is approaching. When the deadline hits, Acrobat will disable commenting. Then you don’t have multiple versions circulating. If you don’t want to do deadlines, the other option is to go into the Acrobat control panel and unshare the document.
While the document is live, everyone can see everyone else’s comments in real time. I have my notifications set up to ding when someone adds comments, just so I can verify the client is actively reviewing it.
I always insist on dealing with one point of contact in their orgs. They’re responsible for telling me the timeline. They’re responsible for wrangling internal content and approvals. It reduces confusion.
That’s actually a really smart setup, thanks for breaking it down. The built-in deadlines and real-time comments are super useful, especially for keeping one clean version of feedback.
I like the idea of assigning one main contact tool, that alone probably saves half the confusion. Still, once files move into production or multiple designers get involved, I’ve found it helps to have a broader system tracking those deadlines alongside everything else.
Do you ever pair Acrobat with any project tracking tool, or do you keep it all inside the PDF workflow?
Yeah, totally agree, digital tools just make tracking way easier, especially once you’re juggling multiple clients or revisions. Paper setups are great for quick brainstorming, but digital boards help keep the whole team aligned in real time. Do you have a go-to tool for that, or are you still testing a few?
Haha yeah, it does feel a bit old school now, right? I get the appeal of writing things down, but for real project tracking it’s hard to beat digital. I like how you can mix structure and flexibility without losing anything. Do you still sketch ideas on paper or go fully digital these days??
It depends how is the mood to do things with a mood board or anything else. But usually a brand storming can be a good idea to find a new name of a product (just words, nothing else) while pictures the situation is quite different. For me it depends what I am going to do with a mood board.
I’m a one person operation so I don’t have a need for tracking to that extent. My contacts on the other hand need to track input from 10-50 people and that’s something they struggle with. They’re doing that with spreadsheets and checklists in Word files. They know about Trello and the like, but hesitate at signing up for another subscription.
That makes sense, I like that way of looking at it. Mood boards really depend on their purpose. If it’s for naming or concept direction, words work better, but for visual tone or branding, images help connect ideas more effectively. I guess it’s about how you translate that inspiration into something practical for the project. How do you usually organize your brainstorming? Do you keep it loose or use a structure to track your ideas?
Yeah, totally get that. When you’re working solo, a simple setup like Acrobat plus a few folders works fine. It’s when teams start dealing with dozens of inputs that things get messy. I’ve seen the same thing happen with clients who rely on spreadsheets and long checklists in Word files. They spend more time coordinating feedback than actually reviewing the work.
Funny enough, that was the moment when we shifted to using a more complete project management system on our side. In our case it was Celoxis since it handled timelines, files, and all the back and forth in one place without feeling too heavy. It helped the team stop juggling separate checklists and emails.
Do your contacts ever talk about wanting something that centralizes everything, or do they prefer sticking with the simple tools they already know?
Yeah that is so true. Clients always want something tweaked or updated and half the time the changes come when you least expect it. It really becomes about how quickly you can adjust without the whole workflow getting knocked off balance.
How do you usually handle those last minute changes on your side?
)