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Graphic Design InDesign Learning Online Tips and Tricks
When we think of graphic design, there’s one name that instantly springs to mind, and that name is Adobe.
Adobe Inc are responsible for some of the most popular applications, tools and types of software in the graphic design industry, and dare we say, in the entire world too. Don’t believe us? Have you heard of Photoshop? If so, you’ll know that Adobe Inc are responsible for Photoshop, and you’ll no doubt be well aware of how popular that particular application is.
With so many people now studying graphic design InDesign learning online, and other similar types of graphic design courses, we thought it would only be appropriate for us to take a more detailed look at graphic design online learning today, with an emphasis on InDesign.
For anybody thinking of studying graphic design and taking a graphic design InDesign learning online course, this is the perfect article for you as we have some fantastic InDesign tips and tricks proven to work.
First off, what is Adobe InDesign?
When most people think of Adobe, they tend to think of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Lightroom. Adobe InDesign, however, is often overlooked.
Adobe InDesign is a popular page layout and desktop publishing graphic design software application from Adobe, or Adobe INC, as they are known.
For graphic designers looking to get more into the marketing and advertising side of things, InDesign is perfect as it can be used to make posters, flyers, leaflets, infographics, brochures, menus, books, book illustrations, magazines, and presentations.
Tips for getting more from Adobe InDesign
Okay, so assuming you’ve decided that you want to sign up for a graphic design InDesign learning online course, you’ll no doubt want to get the most out of your course and utilise the software most effectively.
To help you do precisely that, here’s a look at several tips on getting more from Adobe InDesign.
Learn how to use ‘Anchored Objects’
One of the first things your tutor will teach you when you sign up for a graphic design InDesign learning online course is how to use Anchored Objects.
This particularly tool is very simple to use, yet it can make a huge difference to the overall style and quality of your finished design.
Say for example, you’re designing a label for a product. Once you have designed the basics of the label, I.E the name and primary design, if you learn how to anchor objects you can use this to create a label which will then automatically resize its overall width whenever you alter the text and change it on your design.
Make sure you set the correct language
Another very simple thing you can do to make your life so much easier when designing things via InDesign, is to ensure that you set the correct language.
Obviously as you’re reading this in English, there’s a strong chance that English will be the default language you use on InDesign, but make sure to check which kind. If your designs will be for UK companies, your default language should be UK English. If however, you’re doing work for overseas clients in America, USA English should be utilized.
Setting the correct language isn’t just important for spell checking your text, it’s also important hyphenation too. Using the wrong default language for your designs means that the hyphenation will also be wrong, and in a business scenario, this could be a very costly error indeed.
Utilize PDF pre-sets
We all know how prevalent PDFs are in the graphic design world, and consequently we all need to ensure that we can utilize PDF pre-sets correctly when using this software.
- A PDF pre-set is basically a collection of settings which can affect the formation of a PDF. InDesign already comes complete with certain pre-sets, but it is down to you to ensure you use them and use the ones which fit your requirements the most.
- If you find yourself constantly having to adjust the PDF export setting for things like adding bleeds and marks to the PDF, to save time and effort, why not go ahead and create your very own custom PDF pre-set to save you time in the future?
- Using the PDF export window you can easily go ahead and create a custom pre-set, edit the settings until you’re happy with what you’ve made, and then go ahead and click on ‘save’. Now, in future, whenever you export a PDF and utilize one in your design, you can use your custom pre-set to save time and give you the desired finish.
Make sure you use InDesign templates
When you’re just getting to grips with Adobe InDesign as part of your graphic design InDesign learning online course, it’s very important to ensure that you are utilizing InDesign templates.
- If you find yourself making similar designs every time with the same, or at least, with similar layouts or finishes, why not utilise an InDesign template?
- If for example, you make a lot of posters or flyers which are all very similar, you can go ahead and use a template provided by InDesign.
- When you start new designs with a template, this will save you time because you won’t have to worry about trivial things like borders, margins, text boxes, and so on, as the basics will already be there thanks to the template you’re using.
- Templates are also ideal if you work as part of a group because it means that everybody will begin with the same template, from the same place. For uniformity and accuracy, you couldn’t really ask for more.
- Of course templates are templates and so the design won’t be unique to start with, but that’s where you work your magic as a designer to take a generic template and turn it into a unique work of art the likes of which no other designer will have produced before. Don’t think you’re cheating by using a template, you’re simply doing your bit to ensure your designs are professional and that they meet the brief provided by your client.
Listen to your tutor
When you first sign up for a graphic design InDesign learning online course you’ll be assigned a tutor who specialises in graphic design.
Your tutor will be fully qualified and highly experienced and it is therefore vital that you make sure to listen to them and do exactly as you’re instructed to do.
As you’re learning online it’s important to rid yourself of distractions so you can listen to and appreciate what you’re being taught. Your tutor will teach you the ins and outs of graphic design, helping you to master a wide range of different skills and techniques used by designers.
Needless to say, as we’re learning about using Adobe InDesign, your tutor will teach you how to use InDesign quickly, efficiently, and professionally. If you listen to your tutor and do what you’re taught, you’ll be an InDesign whizz in no time at all, then you can look into other applications such as Illustrator and Photoshop.
