Introduction to Adobe InDesign
By Justin Beckett
Production Team Leader
Dayton Daily News
What is InDesign?
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Graphic design software used
by newspapers, magazines,
book companies, advertising
agencies and online
developers.
Evolved from Adobe
PageMaker which was used
by newspapers for basic
layout purposes.
Works seamlessly with other
Adobe products, such as
Photoshop, InCopy, Illustrator,
Acrobat and DreamWeaver.
Often used in conjunction with
database software such as
DTI or News Edit Pro.
How we use InDesign
Getting started
Blank page
Compile text from writers and editors
• Stories may
come from local
reporters, AP,
NYT, or OHNO.
• All have their
own “budgets”
Compile photos and graphics
• “Art” is often
listed with
stories but
sometimes can
be gathered
based on a
particular topic.
Determine priority of material
• Designers are
encouraged to
use “news
judgment” when
placing stories
and photos high
or low on page.
Elements of a page
Every page is a simple combination of
text and photos
Text color can be modified
“Kickers” sit above “headlines”
“Typography” is important for
“centerpiece” design, but should be
avoided for all other stories
“Briefs” often support the rest of the
page, are shorter, quick reads and get
smaller headlines.
All of these items can be stored in a
“library” for use all the time.
Editing a page
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Writers and Copy
Editors use Adobe
InCopy with InDesign
to edit stories.
Running both
programs at once
allows the editor to
make changes to the
story while the
designer is still
working on the page.
Adobe integration
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Files created in
Photoshop (photo
editing) and Illustrator
(graphics, charts) and
PDFs can be dropped
directly into InDesign
documents. They
maintain all of their
attributes, including
transparencies.
Bringing them together
Text and lines from InDesign
Graphic from library
Photos edited, cut
out in Photoshop
Use outside newspapers
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Magazine, book
and yearbook
layouts.
Graphic elements
and charts.
Resumes
PDFs, static
elements for Web
sites.
So let’s build a page
Magazine-style layout with “lead”
story, “centerpiece” and
Photoshop elements.
Careers / Who should know?
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In newspapers, a familiarity with
InDesign is crucial for writers,
designers, copy editors, advertising
agents, photographers and editors.
Knowing the softwares capabilities
allows you to see how your job affects
the final product and give advice to
those laying out a document.
Other career
possibilities
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Magazine designer,
editorial assistant
Web producer
Journalism teacher
Photo studio, and
album production
Design/PR firm
Athletics department
Questions?
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About tricks in InDesign or how to do a
particular task?
About what we do at the Dayton Daily?
About what is expected of you in a
particular job?
Contact Info.
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Mr. Justin Beckett
Production Team Leader for the
Dayton Daily News & Cox Ohio Publishing
Office phone — (937) 225-2280
E-mail — jbeckett@coxohio.com
Portfolio — www.imageevent.com/rockbobcat
Facebook — www.facebook.com/justin.beckett