Section 2 · Working Practice

Version Control as Creative Practice

Definition

Deliberately saving and labeling successive versions of a project so past states are recoverable and the evolution of the work is visible.

Why it matters

Creative work is nonlinear — you need the freedom to try something risky and revert if it fails, without losing what worked.

Example

Keeping v01 through v05 of a layout rather than overwriting the same file, so you can compare early and late choices.

Note

Keeping the version sequence around, not just the final file, is what converts this from advice into practice — it only pays off if the earlier versions actually survive.