E10: Page Layout Programs

Our exercise in this unit will deal with page layout programs. Remember that technological adaptability is compartmentalized. That means, if you know one program in a technology area, it will be easier to learn other programs in the same area. Examples of page layout programs are InDesign, Word, and Scribus.

Common Elements

All page layout programs have common elements:

• Each one will have a way to manage margins, columns, and page size.
• Each one will have a way to manage headers and footers.
• Each one will have some way to be consistent in your styles.
• Each one will allow you to add graphics in some way, though these ways may differ from program to program. For instance, InDesign has you “place” a graphic, whereas Scribus requires a two-step process of inserting an image frame and then inserting the graphic.

Help

Now that we are in more advanced exercises do not try to do it without help. Try to figure out how to do it on your own briefly, but then look for help. Remember that finding the exact information you need quickly and efficiently is one of the necessary skills for being truly adaptable. You can find several tutorials dealing with InDesign or Scribus on YouTube, though you may have to jump through long tutorials to find exactly what you need. You can also find some written instructions on the web. When dealing with InDesign, make sure you have the right version.

Programs

This exercise has been tested in InDesign and Scribus. Scribus is a freeware program available for download on the web. InDesign will require a subscription from Adobe. Whichever one you use, if you get access to the other one later, I encourage you to try the exact same exercise on the other program, just so you can practice seeing the similarities and the differences.

Page layout programs can be quite powerful. Like all powerful programs, they can also be quirky. Be prepared to challenge your adaptability skills in this exercise.

Adobe Products

You may choose to work with Adobe programs. Adobe has a very different logic than Microsoft. First, when Adobe went to develop Illustrator, they sat down with a bunch of illustrators and talked to them about how they created an image. When they went to develop Photoshop, they talked to photographers. Because of that design logic, Adobe can seem illogical to someone who does not have illustrator or photographic experience.

One good thing about Adobe products is that many tools and features act alike (or somewhat alike) throughout all the programs. For instance, layers tend to have common features in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. If you have never worked on Adobe products before, your first program will likely be challenging. By the time you get to the third program, though, you will find it easier to learn.

You will need help from the internet for this project. Adobe products are powerful and complicated. It took me almost three years to become a Photoshop expert at a time when I could become an expert on a program in a few months. These programs can do amazing things, but you must know how to work them to get there.

E12: Page Layout Programs

This exercise requires LOTS of help from the web. Practice finding help quickly and efficiently. You will need access to a page layout program such as InDesign (requires payment) or Scribus (freeware).

Do not spend a great deal of time writing; feel free to use previously written stuff. Ideally, use things posted on the web such as a LinkedIn page. You can also use essays, biographies or the like. You can use news stories written about you. You can use stories about places you have worked or schools you have attended. You can have writing examples or images of previous work. You can provide sample writings and illustrations, use resume-type information—but in prose, discussion of work, or class experiences. Keep your text simple so you do not spend a great deal of time on it. The primary theme should be “This person will be a great worker for you because…” Gear this brochure towards a future employer.

1. Create a 4-panel, 4-page, 8.5 x 11 brochure on you, touting your skills and abilities.
2. Use a four page layout.
3. Change your preferences so that the units and increments use inches instead of picas.
4. You can use bleeds (color all the way to the edge) though your text should not come closer than .5 inch to the edge. In other words, no limits on margins.
5. Create and define a color scheme (swatches in InDesign, Colors in Scribus) of at least 3 colors for the project. Do not use more than 7, though you can use many shades of each color. Use this scheme throughout the document. If you struggle with color, search the web for color schemes. Do note that you must have RGB or CMYK colors, not hex.
6. Create character styles for the document using a font scheme of no more than 3 typefaces:
   1. • Title
      • Subtitle
      • Emphasis
      • Books
      • Create paragraph styles for the document:
      • Head 1
      • Head 2
      • Text
7. Write a large headline (title) and a subheading (subtitle) that fits your style scheme.
8. Make the outside pages (front and back) two columns and the inside pages three columns.
9. Start at least three separate stories (text frames) on the front page. Make them flow to later pages. To say that another way, link the text frames.
10. Start each story with a title that uses the Head 1 style.
11. Start each story with a drop cap that fits the document’s style.
12. Add an automatic Table of Contents to the front page.
13. Add at least three images to the document. These can be of you, your school, or something else.
14. Place text on one of the images.
15. Place a drop shadow on an image. Note: Scribus does not have a drop shadow effect. You must create one manually by placing a offset grey box with a blurred edge behind the current shape.
16. For another image, either bevel and emboss or feather in InDesign or use a shape that is not a square in Scribus.
17. Use rules (lines) and boxes or shapes to add interest.
18. Add a pull quote onto one of the inner pages.
19. Fill the rest of the document with stories, pictures, whatever. Play! Do adhere to the styles and colors you have already chosen. Also, make sure you cite any content borrowed from the web (it is better to borrow cited content and spend your time designing than spending your time writing content). Fill all four panels! Make sure you update the TOC when you finish.
20. Save the file.
21. Export the file to PDF.
22. Turn both files in, if applicable.