Top Dog Communication
InDesign How-To Guide
(Brochure)
This how-to guide will show you step-by-step how to make a brochure, and some of the
different tools you will need to know to create your own brochure. Here is what the complete
brochure will look like at the end of this guide (outside panels shown first and then the inside
panels):
Begin by opening up InDesign and creating a new document.
Make a custom document. Type in 11 in for width and 8.5 in for height (InDesign will
automatically change it to p0). Since you are making a tri-fold brochure, you want 3 columns.
When printed, this is the layout of how the outside of the brochure will be when folded. Keep
this in mind when designing.
Starting with the Front Panel (right panel), make a colored background for it. To do so, select
the rectangle tool.
Make a rectangle of any size.
To customize the rectangle, click the selection tool (the black arrow). You will use the the
selection tool for the majority of the things you want to do throughout this project (moving
objects, resizing objects, selecting different objects, etc.)
Stretch the rectangle to fit the entire panel. Do this by clicking on the white boxes on the
outside of the rectangle and moving them to the size you want.
To change the color of the box, click the color fill box.
If the color you want isn’t in the list, you can easily make it. Start by clicking on the button in
the upper right hand corner of the fill box. A list will pop up. Click on new color swatch.
In the box that pops up, type in the numbers for the CMYK color you want. You can change it
to RGB by clicking on the color mode box. It is usually best to stick in CMYK though when
working in InDesign.
After clicking ok for the new color swatch, your square will be filled with the color you chose.
Even though the square is filled with red, the outline is still black. To change that, click on the
line fill box.
Now that the background is done, it’s time to insert a picture. To do so, click on file > place.
Choose the picture from your files that you want and click open.
Click anywhere on the document to place the picture.
Use the selection tool to resize the picture and move it where you want. Hold down the control
button while resizing the picture. If you don’t, only the frame will downsize instead of the
whole picture. You’ll be left with a smaller picture, but only part of it. The pink line is a guide
that shows you when the picture is in the middle of the panel.
Now that the picture is place, it’s time to add some words. Click on the type tool to begin.
With the type tool, draw a square (size doesn’t matter) so you can begin typing.
Type what you want.
To change the font and size, highlight the words and pick from the dropdown menus on the top.
After changing the size, some are the words are hidden because the box isn’t big enough. Just
use the select tool to extend the box.
The box now fits the words, but Communication is hyphenated.
To keep words from automatically hyphenating, highlight the words and click on the paragraph
formatting controls button.
Click on the box next to hyphenate.
Now the words will no longer automatically hyphenate.
To center the words, highlight the words and go back to the character formatting controls.
Click on the alignment controls. The one highlighted centers words. They all do something
different so you can click on the different ones to see which style you like best.
Use the selection tool to switch the layout of the items.
Here is the completed first panel. Another picture and more text were added.
Continuing on to the middle panel – which will be the back panel in the finished product –
make another text box.
Continue adding more text.
To make the contact information stand out, you can make the background of the text box a
different color. To do so click on the text box and choose a different fill color. White is used
here as the background.
Contniue adding pictures and other elements you want on the back. To ensure the pictures are
the same size, make the picture the same size and then put it on top of the first picture when you
make it bigger. This will ensure they line up and are the same size. Remember to hold down
control when resizing pictures!
The back panel is now complete.
If you want to see what your brochure looks like without the guidelines, click the w key on the
keyboard and the guidelines will disappear. Click w again and the guidelines will reappear.
Now time for the back panel. Use the guidelines to match up the words. The pink line shows
that “past clients” is in the middle of the panel and the green lines show that it is in line with
“contact.”
Add the pictures you want on the back panel to compliment the text.
Here is the completed outside of the brochure.
To make the inside, set it up the same as the outside (11 in by 8.5 in and 3 columns).
This is how the inside of the brochure will be laid out when printed.
Each panel is going to have a border – starting with the middle panel. There are two ways to
create a border. The first way is to make each line. To do so select the line tool.
Using the line tool, draw a horizontal line. Hold down shift when drawing the line and it will be
straight.
To change the thickness of the line, change the pt. of it. The borders in this brochure have a 5
pt. thickness.
Extend the line to how long you want it and place it where you want it to go. To change the
color of the line, change the line fill color.
Make a second horizontal line (it’s easiest to just copy and paste the first line you made). To
make a vertical line, do the same as with the horizontal line, except in a different direction.
Remember to hold down shift while making the line.
Change the color and thickness of the line so it matches the other two lines.
Extend the line and then make an identical line on the other side. At this point, you’ll have a
border in the middle panel.
To make the rectangle the second way, click on the rectangle tool.
Make a rectangle of any size.
Using the selection tool, extend the sides of the rectangle out to the sides of the panel to create a
border.
Change the thickness of the border.
Change the color.
The rectangle is complete. When done this way, the blue lines represent the middle of the line.
So, since this line is 5 pt. thick, there are 2.5 pt. on one side of the line and 2.5 pt. on the other
side. Remember this when trying to line it up on the guidelines. If you line it up normally, part
of it could get cut off because it is outside the guidelines.
Add text to the middle panel. Here the pink guideline shows that “organization” is in the center
of the panel and the green guidelines show that it is the same distance from each side.
Continue adding other text that you need.
Create a small box that can be used as a border for “firm adviser.”
Move the border so it is around “firm advisor” and resize it to fit the words.
Change the thickness of the border. This border is 3pt. so it is less thick than the outside border.
Use the line tool to make a line to lead down to the other box.
Continue adding text, borders and lines.
This is the finished middle panel.
Make borders on the outer two panels.
Use the type tool, type text. To change the color of the text, highlight it and then click on the
text color box. This is located in the same spot as the color fill box. When you’re using the
selection tool it’s the color fill box and when you’re using the type tool it’s the text color box.
Add text and a picture.
Add a title and text to the other side. This text is going to be bulleted. Click on the button with
an arrow and three lines in the top right-hand corner.
Click on “Bullets and Numbering.”
Click on “Bullets” on the drop down list under List Type.
Change the left indent number and the first line indent number. Left indent needs to be positive
and first line indent needs to be negative. They need to be the same number. 5 is a good number
for having the text close, but not too close to the bullet points.
The text is now bullet pointed.
Here is the completed inside of the brochure. The brochure is now complete!
