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LinkedIn Learning

InDesign: Designing Templates

via LinkedIn Learning

This course may be unavailable.

Overview

Find out how to use InDesign to create smart templates that will save time and keep your designs consistent.

Syllabus

Introduction
  • Welcome
  • What you should know before watching this course
  • Using the exercise files and loading fonts
  • Installing InDesign scripts
1. Creating Smart Templates
  • Saving time with a great template
  • Making a simple template
  • Understanding what makes a template smart
  • Finding and evaluating free and commercial InDesign templates
  • Creating a template from an existing publication
  • Creating a template from a PDF
2. Ingredients for Smart Templates
  • Setting up document intent, page size, bleeds, and slug
  • Adding margin and column guides
  • Creating a simple master page strategy
  • In Practice: Master pages
  • Adding and organizing color swatches
  • Setting up layers to streamline production
  • In Practice: Layers
  • Creating grids and guidelines for accurate layout
  • Adding text and image placeholders
  • Creating library items and snippets for reusable elements
  • In Practice: Library and snippets
  • Including other special items for your publication
3. Smart Styles Are the Heart of Smart Templates
  • Making smart paragraph and character styles
  • Creating paragraph and character styles where none exist
  • Fixing style overrides with Redefine Style
  • In Practice: Cleaning up broken styles
  • Automating your text formatting with nested styles
  • Including GREP styles to speed formatting
  • Setting up a "style cascade" with the Next Style feature
  • In Practice: Automating your styles
  • Creating new object styles for common image and text frame issues
  • Creating object styles for callout lines and anchored objects
4. Tips and Best Practices for InDesign Template Creation and Usage
  • Updating preexisting layouts with template elements
  • Using Creative Cloud Libraries
  • Embedding a custom preflight check
  • Helping template users with a style guide
5. Special Considerations for Other Types of Templates
  • Reviewing a template for a reflowable ebook
  • Evaluating a trade book template and InDesign book files
  • Creating a Word template for your publication's contributors
  • Setting up a template for an interactive layout
Conclusion
  • Next steps

Taught by

Anne-Marie Concepción

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