Brochure Design in Adobe InDesign

Note: I am taking you through the process of creating a tri-fold brochure in Adobe InDesign. However, I am taking you through this process NOT so you can start creating your own document for your client, but so that you understand the process you’ll have to comprehend in order to set up the document for your client. In other words, I’ll show you how to set this up with certain “bleed” and “margin” dimensions, but these are not necessarily the dimensions your client will want you to use or that your printer uses. You have to take the responsibility of finding out these elements yourself. This is an important first step to ensure your document can actually be produced at the end of this process.

I’d suggest a quick email to the client to ask if they have any standard dimensions they use for print documents (with regard to bleed, gutters, and margins) or if you should use the dimensions the printer recommends. If you’re referred to the printer, either call them or check their website. They often suggest dimensions and occasionally even provide templates for you to use (For example, Staples has some templates on their website.) *Also determine if the printer wants the source file (Adobe File, for example), or if the printer wants a PDF. If a PDF, determine if there are any special settings for the PDF file.

Step 1. Setting up the document

1. Open InDesign and start a new document (File>New>Document). You may need to first set the Preferences>Units to inches.

2. We are creating a tri-fold brochure at 11 inches by 8.5 inches, so enter these measurements into the width and height fields (or just select “letter” size).

3. Set the number of pages to two; set the number of columns to three with a .125-inch gutter; and choose the landscape orientation.

4. Set the margins to .25 inches. Also deselect the “Facing Pages” option.

5. Also include a .125-inch bleed in the document. A bleed ensures that no white border will appear in the final brochure after trimming. You’ll want to see if your client has any specifications with regard to bleed, and you might also want to check your settings with the printer your client agreed to use.

6. Keep in mind: Nothing relevant — text or graphics — should extend to the red bleed border. Actually, you should keep the relevant elements inside the pink border.

7. **Important: There are multiple ways of setting these things up. You need to make sure your client doesn’t already have specifications and you can also check with the printer.

Step 2: Adding images and text

1. So you can determine which page is which, include text on each panel as placeholders.

2. Click on the text tool and then draw a textbox in the appropriate panel.

3. Then, using the rectangle tool, create a background for the three panels. *Note: Backgrounds (whether shapes or images) can and should extend out to the bleed.

Try to recreate this:

Also, to give you an idea, this is how you layout the next page:

4. Next, to add images, find an image (for now) in Google images and save it to your desktop.

5. To add it to your brochure, click (File>Place>select your picture>Open). You can then resize and move around the image much like you do in word. So, you’re going to start seeing something more like this:

Tip: One of my biggest mistakes I make with InDesign (or other Adobe programs) is that I fail to remember to click on the “Selection Tool.” Click on this compulsively before you click on other items in your document! It’s the only way to move items around when you’re moving from one tool to the next.

Other InDesign Skills & Tips:

1. In general, to add anything, use the tools on the left-hand side of the interfact. Scroll over the tool to see what it does. Right-click on the tool to reveal other options (for example, you can change the “rectangle tool” to an ellipse tool).

2. To wrap text around an image, do the following: Put the image within the text box. You may have to click on (Object>Arrange) in order to move the image in front of or behind the text). Then, click on Window>Text Wrap. Use the icons at the top of the window to change the way the text wraps around the image.

3. Play around with images. Right-click on them and see how you can transform them by playing with “effects.”

4. When you have selected a particular element, such as a text box, control the items in that element using the controls at the top. You can control color, font size and type, etc.

5. Play with the opacity of an image by clicking on it and then looking for the opacity icon towards the top (I’ll show you).

6. Group boxes together and align them using the align tools towards the top right of the interface.

Activity:

Many of the elements of Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator are similar. If you learn one, you can learn another. This activity has you use a Photoshop tutorial to edit an image. This is beneficial for a number of reasons. You get experience with another Adobe tool, and you learn how to edit images. Oftentimes, designers edit images in Photoshop before they import them into InDesign. Also, I will suggest that even if you use PowerPoint or Word for your brochure, you should use Photoshop to edit images and add sophistication to your overall final product.

1. Please visit the following website: http://www.tutorial9.net/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials/create-a-simple-flyer/

2. Complete the tutorial.

3. Email to me your final creation.