Design files are deceptively large. A layered Photoshop document with smart objects and adjustment layers can easily reach 500MB. An Illustrator file with embedded images and multiple artboards might be 200MB. Add in supporting assets—fonts, stock photos, mockup templates, brand guidelines—and a single design project can exceed several gigabytes.
Yet designers need to share these files constantly. Clients need to review work. Print shops need print-ready files. Developers need to extract assets. Other designers need to collaborate on projects. The right file sharing solution makes or breaks your workflow.
Why Design File Sharing is Different
Design work isn’t just about moving files—it’s about preserving intent. When you send a layered PSD to a client, you’re not just delivering pixels. You’re delivering your entire creative process: every adjustment layer, every smart object, every carefully crafted mask.
File Integrity is Critical: Compress a PSD and you might corrupt layers. Use a service that automatically converts files and you lose editability. Strip metadata and color profiles get lost, causing color shifts when files reach the printer.
File Types are Diverse: A typical design deliverable includes working files (PSD, AI, INDD), exports (PDF, PNG, JPG), source assets (fonts, stock images), and documentation (brand guides, style sheets). Your sharing method must handle all these formats equally well.
Collaboration is Messy: Design projects involve multiple rounds of revision. You share V1. Client requests changes. You share V2. Client wants to see V1 again for comparison. Managing these versions while keeping clients informed requires organization.
Common Design File Sharing Mistakes
Email Attachments: Most designers try email first and hit the wall immediately. Gmail allows 25MB attachments. A single high-resolution PSD often exceeds this. Email isn’t viable for real design work.
Cloud Storage Services: Dropbox, Google Drive, and similar services technically work, but they’re designed for documents, not creative files. Sharing a folder exposes your entire project structure. Clients see “FINAL_FINAL_v3_REALLY_FINAL.psd” and other embarrassing filenames. Sync conflicts corrupt layered files.
Compression: Some designers ZIP files to reduce size. This works until you’re sharing 50 files and the client doesn’t know which ZIP contains what. Large ZIP files also fail to download halfway through, forcing restarts.
Wetransfer: The go-to for many designers, but free links expire in 7 days. Send files on Monday, client opens email the following Monday, link is dead. Plus ads and size limits on the free tier.
Actual Design Transfer Services: Services built for creatives often over-engineer the solution. You don’t need commenting tools, approval workflows, and version control for every file share. Sometimes you just need to send someone a PSD.
What Designers Actually Need
After working with hundreds of design projects, from logo designs to complete brand systems, several requirements stand out:
Preserve File Quality: Files must arrive byte-for-byte identical. No compression, no conversion, no “optimization.” If you upload a 500MB layered PSD, the client must get exactly that.
Handle Large Files: Many design assets exceed 100MB. Print-ready files can be several gigabytes. Your sharing solution must accommodate professional design work.
Support All File Types: PSDs, AI files, INDD documents, PDF exports, font files, JPEG previews—everything should transfer without restrictions or warnings.
Simple Client Experience: Your clients aren’t designers. They shouldn’t need accounts, software installation, or technical knowledge. Click link, download files. That’s it.
Professional Presentation: The delivery experience reflects on your work. Sloppy file sharing suggests sloppy design. Professional file sharing reinforces your professional work.
Flexible Retention: Some files need to last forever—clients often need to re-download logos or brand assets years later. Other files should expire quickly—like exploratory concepts you don’t want circulating.
Professional Design Workflows
Logo Designers: Create a link after client approval. Upload vector files (AI, EPS, SVG), high-resolution rasters (PNG, JPG), and a PDF usage guide. Client gets everything in one organized location. Years later when they need the logo again, the link still works.
Brand Designers: Build a complete brand identity with dozens of files—logomarks, wordmarks, color palettes, typography guides, pattern libraries, mockups. Create one link and organize files by category. The link becomes the client’s brand asset library.
Print Designers: Send print-ready files to print shops with exacting color requirements. Upload the CMYK PDF, the native INDD file, linked images, and the required fonts. The print shop downloads everything with confidence that files are exactly as you prepared them.
Web Designers: Share mockups with developers. Upload high-fidelity comps as PDFs, individual asset exports in @1x and @2x, and a style guide PDF. Developers get everything they need without requesting files piecemeal.
Freelance Designers: Deliver final files to clients along with working files for potential future edits. Upload final JPGs and PDFs, plus the layered PSDs or AI files. Client can make basic updates themselves or hire another designer years later with complete source files.
Version Control Without Complexity
Design is iterative. You create multiple versions, explore different directions, and refine based on feedback. Managing these versions shouldn’t require enterprise software.
The simple approach: use clear filenames and add new files to existing links. When you share “Brand_Identity_v1.pdf” and later add “Brand_Identity_v2.pdf,” clients see both. They can compare, reference previous versions, or download only the latest.
For more complex projects, organize files into folders within a single link: “Round_1”, “Round_2”, “Final_Files.” Everything stays connected to one URL. Clients bookmark the link and see updates as they happen.
Security for Client Work
Design work often involves confidentiality. You’re designing a product launch identity before the announcement. You’re rebranding a company before the public reveal. These files cannot leak.
Password-protected links ensure only intended recipients access files. Even if the link leaks, nobody without the password sees the work. This is essential for pre-launch work, competitive redesigns, or sensitive client projects.
Custom link expiration adds another layer. Set links to expire after client approval or project completion. Once files aren’t needed anymore, they disappear automatically.
The Link-First Advantage
Traditional file sharing requires uploading files before sharing. With large design files, uploads take time. Why make clients wait?
Link-first sharing inverts this. Create the link immediately. Share it with your client. Then upload files. As files finish uploading, they appear at the link in real-time. Your client can check progress and gets their files as soon as possible.
This also enables progressive delivery. Share a link and upload low-resolution previews immediately. Client reviews and provides feedback. You make revisions and upload high-resolution finals to the same link. Everything stays organized without multiple links or confusing email threads.
Choosing the Right Tool
Design file sharing should be simple and affordable. You need professional features—large file support, password protection, permanent links—without enterprise complexity or pricing.
FileGrab was built for exactly this use case. The free tier handles smaller projects with 100MB of storage. For working designers, the Pro plan offers 10GB of storage, 2GB file uploads (enough for the largest layered PSDs), password protection, and forever links for $10/month.
Unlike creative-specific platforms that charge per project or per client, FileGrab charges for storage. Serve one client with many files or many clients with few files—the cost stays predictable.
The link-first model means you can share links immediately, then upload files as they’re ready. End-to-end encryption keeps sensitive client work secure. No ads, no forced compression, no file type restrictions.
Start Sharing Design Files Professionally
Your design work deserves a professional delivery experience. Stop fighting with email attachment limits, complicated cloud storage shares, or expensive creative platforms.
Try FileGrab for your next client deliverable. Create your first link in seconds at filegrab.link and see how simple professional file sharing can be. Your clients will notice the difference.