LAYOUT
The layout is the final product. It is important for you to train your eye for design to make a successful layout. There are no rules or templates, just your creativity and some guidelines. Studying other publications and design works is one of the most effective ways of finding inspiration for a layout. If an idea requires skills you don’t have (yet), finding help is easy. Ask your editor, fellow classmates, the help function in the program, or the internet. The simplest layouts are often the most successful, and therefore the use of white space is crucial. There is no right or wrong way to use space; just experiment until you find the right arrangement. If the photos are taken and writing is finished, then all you have to do is play with them.
Setting up:
Open a new InDesign document with the following measurements:
Width: 22cm
Height: 29.5cm
Top Margin: 1.5cm
Bottom Margin: 2cm
Inside Margin: 2cm
Outside Margin: 1.5cm
Click “Save Preset” to save the specifications as a template for later use.
Basics:
On the toolbar, click the box with the “X” to create a photo box. Click the “T” to make a text box. When you want to align boxes, you can drag a straight edge out of the rulers on the left and top. You can also use a grid (View > Grids & Guides > Show Document Grid).
Colors:
All colors must be in the Grayscale or CMYK format, NOT in the RGB format. When you use colors directly on the InDesign program (for example, if you make the text blue) make sure you use the CMYK palette in the color window. To check that all colors are in CMYK, go to File > Preflight > Links and Images.
The eyedropper tool in the toolbar is useful for creating a harmonious color scheme for a layout. You can use any existing color and transfer it to whatever you are coloring.
Photos:
Drag a photo file into a photo box or click “Command + d” while a photo box is selected to insert a photo. The black arrow in the toolbar selects the entire photo box, while the white arrow only selects what is inside the box.
Click “Command + t” to resize the photo to fit the box. Make sure you don’t stretch or distort the photo by pressing Shift while resizing. “Command + Option + Shift + c” to “fill frame proportionally.” This makes the photo the approximate size of the photo box.
Photo files need to be stored in the same place so that they can be linked to the InDesign program. If you move a photo file to a different location after it has already been placed in the layout, it becomes a missing link. In order to relink the photo, simply open the “Links” tab on the right side. Select the photo file name from the list of links, and click “Relink.” You will also have to relink photos when you rename or edit them.
When you begin to arrange photographs in the layout, make sure that faces are not cut off when the photo spans both pages. Also note that you generally want the subjects in the photos to face inward, towards the binding. This is called leading lines, as it directs the viewer toward the center of the spread. However, try to avoid flipping the photo horizontally to make it face inward.
Text:
Text formats change from year to year, but they generally stay unified throughout one yearbook. Note the fonts and sizes for your yearbook:
Font: _____
Caption font size: _____
Copy font size: _____
Copy and paste the text into a text box. Make sure that all punctuation has been included and italics are applied. Adjust the size of the text box to fit the text. If you want the text to overflow into another text box, click the red plus sign on the bottom right corner of the text box and then click the other box.
Copies can be divided into columns to make them easier to read. Select the text box and go to Object > Text Frame Options > Columns > Number > type in the number of columns.
When captions need directional guides, write the direction in italics and parentheses in front of the caption. For example, “(left) Cutting out letters from colorful….”
Text wrap is a useful tool to enlarge quotes inside blocks of text or make the text move around a photo. Select the photo or text box that the text will wrap around. Go to Window > Text Wrap > select one of the options.
Shortcuts:
Keyboard shortcuts are labeled in various parts of the InDesign program, so you can memorize them if you like. Below are some standard shortcuts you should know.
Copy: Command + c
Paste: Command + v
Undo: Command + z
Select all: Command + a
Zoom in/Zoom out: Command + =/-
Insert photo: Command + d
Fill frame proportionally: Command + Option + Shift + c
The layout is the final product. It is important for you to train your eye for design to make a successful layout. There are no rules or templates, just your creativity and some guidelines. Studying other publications and design works is one of the most effective ways of finding inspiration for a layout. If an idea requires skills you don’t have (yet), finding help is easy. Ask your editor, fellow classmates, the help function in the program, or the internet. The simplest layouts are often the most successful, and therefore the use of white space is crucial. There is no right or wrong way to use space; just experiment until you find the right arrangement. If the photos are taken and writing is finished, then all you have to do is play with them.
Setting up:
Open a new InDesign document with the following measurements:
Width: 22cm
Height: 29.5cm
Top Margin: 1.5cm
Bottom Margin: 2cm
Inside Margin: 2cm
Outside Margin: 1.5cm
Click “Save Preset” to save the specifications as a template for later use.
Basics:
On the toolbar, click the box with the “X” to create a photo box. Click the “T” to make a text box. When you want to align boxes, you can drag a straight edge out of the rulers on the left and top. You can also use a grid (View > Grids & Guides > Show Document Grid).
Colors:
All colors must be in the Grayscale or CMYK format, NOT in the RGB format. When you use colors directly on the InDesign program (for example, if you make the text blue) make sure you use the CMYK palette in the color window. To check that all colors are in CMYK, go to File > Preflight > Links and Images.
The eyedropper tool in the toolbar is useful for creating a harmonious color scheme for a layout. You can use any existing color and transfer it to whatever you are coloring.
Photos:
Drag a photo file into a photo box or click “Command + d” while a photo box is selected to insert a photo. The black arrow in the toolbar selects the entire photo box, while the white arrow only selects what is inside the box.
Click “Command + t” to resize the photo to fit the box. Make sure you don’t stretch or distort the photo by pressing Shift while resizing. “Command + Option + Shift + c” to “fill frame proportionally.” This makes the photo the approximate size of the photo box.
Photo files need to be stored in the same place so that they can be linked to the InDesign program. If you move a photo file to a different location after it has already been placed in the layout, it becomes a missing link. In order to relink the photo, simply open the “Links” tab on the right side. Select the photo file name from the list of links, and click “Relink.” You will also have to relink photos when you rename or edit them.
When you begin to arrange photographs in the layout, make sure that faces are not cut off when the photo spans both pages. Also note that you generally want the subjects in the photos to face inward, towards the binding. This is called leading lines, as it directs the viewer toward the center of the spread. However, try to avoid flipping the photo horizontally to make it face inward.
Text:
Text formats change from year to year, but they generally stay unified throughout one yearbook. Note the fonts and sizes for your yearbook:
Font: _____
Caption font size: _____
Copy font size: _____
Copy and paste the text into a text box. Make sure that all punctuation has been included and italics are applied. Adjust the size of the text box to fit the text. If you want the text to overflow into another text box, click the red plus sign on the bottom right corner of the text box and then click the other box.
Copies can be divided into columns to make them easier to read. Select the text box and go to Object > Text Frame Options > Columns > Number > type in the number of columns.
When captions need directional guides, write the direction in italics and parentheses in front of the caption. For example, “(left) Cutting out letters from colorful….”
Text wrap is a useful tool to enlarge quotes inside blocks of text or make the text move around a photo. Select the photo or text box that the text will wrap around. Go to Window > Text Wrap > select one of the options.
Shortcuts:
Keyboard shortcuts are labeled in various parts of the InDesign program, so you can memorize them if you like. Below are some standard shortcuts you should know.
Copy: Command + c
Paste: Command + v
Undo: Command + z
Select all: Command + a
Zoom in/Zoom out: Command + =/-
Insert photo: Command + d
Fill frame proportionally: Command + Option + Shift + c
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