Being a designer isn’t just logos, typefaces and brand guidelines. There’s a job of organization that comes with all those files, and it’s easy to get lost in unending client tweaks. That’s where Playbook comes in.
Unlike other cloud storage services, Playbook functions as a creative center. It’s a place to unstuff your .zips, tidy up your desktop inspo images, and organize everything visually. That means an end to opening messy folders and sub-folders in search of that one elusive .indd.
Playbook also changes up how you collaborate. You can @ team members to mention them in comments, and invite clients only to the boards you want them to see.
To make life even easier, we’ve added keyboard shortcuts to select and delete files, and navigate your boards. If it’s inspo you’re after, Playbook has that covered too. You can drag and drop color swatches or web links, with all files supported.
Without further ado, here’s our top 6 tips for turning Playbook into the ultimate creative storage center.
🗃 Get yourself organized with boards
Set up your first board
Click on the plus icon to set up your first board. This is where you’ll upload everything that’s important - that could be logo sketches, branding assets, or folders of reference images. Playbook accepts all formats, and files can also be dragged and dropped.
Tag your files
Files are taggable, so users can easily see assets grouped together. Playbook even automatically tags images, so they’re easily searchable. And there are always sub-boards for the next level of organization.
Add some inspo
It’s easy to bring inspo into your playbook. Users can ctrl+c and ctrl+v straight into their boards, adding images, URLs, videos and screen grabs.
Organize yourself
There’s no limit on the number of boards you can make, but we suggest one playbook per client or per project. And don’t forget to add a description at the end.
📱 Connect to your other apps
Import all your Google Drive and Dropbox files in a few clicks with Playbook’s app integration.
You can choose which folders you want to add and transfer them to Playbook, without changing anything in your existing storage.
🎨 Customize your Playbook
Filter by type
Users can decide exactly how files are displayed in Playbook’s visual browser. Click to filter by type, showing all your jpegs or gifs in one go, and then adjust the thumbnail slider for large-scale images or a smaller grid.
Gallery view
Files can be displayed in a gallery or timeline view, allowing users to get a quick overview of everything and keep track of progress. Thumbnails can also be customized with an image from the clipboard or the desktop. And when boards are published, users can pick from eight Playbook templates.
One-click organization
Creatives that like to keep things in order can quickly reposition images, by clicking the three dots, reorder, and typing in the position number. And you can even do quick image cropping without leaving Playbook’s file browser.
🐭 Mouse-free navigation
Give your mouse and trackpad a rest by making the most of Playbook’s keyboard shortcuts. Users can quickly navigate their files with the arrow keys, as well as zoom in and out on design details.
Essential shortcuts allow files to be selected, grouped, deleted, and approved or unapproved - ready to go to clients.
💌 Share work with the world (and clients)
Click share on your boards to show off work to friends, fellow designers and potential clients.
Boards can be seen by anyone with the URL, but don’t worry, Playbook uses unguessable links that keep for-your-eyes-only projects safe. Or, you can customize them yourself. This allows you to send boards to clients without inviting them to the rest of your playbook.
Once a client has the URL, they can download any assets that are marked ‘Approved’. And when a project is completed, designers can hand over by inviting a client to a playbook and making them an admin.
If you want to send copies of all the files on a board, you can click send to dispatch them to another playbook (as long as you know the sender’s Playbook ID) or an email address.
📣 Commenting and collaboration
You can invite anyone to collaborate on a playbook, which lets whole studio teams or groups of freelancers work together on projects in one, shared space.
They’ll need a Playbook account to start with. Head to the People tab to send email invites which will fast-track team members through the Playbook waitlist to get one.
If you want someone to have access to a board, and not the whole playbook, use the share option for that specific board.
Once you’ve got your team Playbook-ready, they can download and leave comments on individual files, as well as @ each other.
Users can see how many times a file has been viewed and downloaded, and stay up to date with notifications to track when new assets have been uploaded or boards created.