Group and ungroup artwork

Group the new campaign artwork into a named group Campaign_Social and leave the hero image and caption ungrouped outside it. Ungroup the legacy badge set on layer Assets_Old so we can replace individual badges, then re-save the file as Campaign_Social_Grouped.ai. Add a one-line note explaining why the badge set was ungrouped.

Before I hand off the master file to the production team, make the grouping structure obvious and editable. Create logical group names for reusable components, keep interactive elements ungrouped for copy updates, and surface any nested groups that will break bulk-replacement scripts. Provide a short map showing which groups are locked, which should remain editable, and which can be flattened for export.

I accidentally dragged a locked group while rearranging the social post grid and broke spacing in three places; the campaign goes live Monday and the social scheduler expects final files tonight. I don’t know which nested group I disturbed or whether ungrouping will cause image links to break. What’s the fastest way to identify and safely restore the original grouping so I can deliver without corrupting image links?

Over many campaigns our asset files have inconsistent grouping: some designers flatten, others nest deeply, and production spends hours untangling before export. It creates repeated delays in delivery. Is the root cause naming conventions, lack of a file template, or unclear ownership of reusable components, and which single rule should we adopt so future files are predictable and export-ready?