Page 54 - CC2018_ID_Look_Inside

Stage 4 Creating and Formatting Basic Text

InDesign is ultimately a page-layout application, not an illustration program. Page layout means
combining text and graphic elements in a meaningful way to convey a message. Text can be a
single word (as in the logo used in this project) or thousands of pages of consecutive copy (as in a
dictionary). Virtually every project you build in InDesign will involve text in one way or another; this
letterhead is no exception.

CreAte A simple text frAme
Adding text to a page is a relatively simple process: draw a frame, and then type.
In this exercise, you’ll create a new text frame and add the client’s tag line, then apply Note:
some basic formatting options to style the text.
Remember from the
Keep in mind that this project is an introduction to creating elements on a layout
page; there is far more to professional typesetting than the few options you use here. Getting Started section
InDesign provides extremely precise control over virtually every aspect of every letter at the beginning of this
and word on the page. In the following projects, you will learn about the vast number book: to complete the
of options that are available for setting and controlling type, from formatting a single projects in this book,
paragraph to an entire multi-page booklet. you should install and
activate the ATC fonts
1. With gcm-letterhead.indd open, select the Type tool in the Tools panel. that are provided with
the book resource files.
2. Click in the empty space above the green-filled shape and drag to create a
frame.
To type text into a layout, you must first create a frame with the Type tool; when you
release the mouse button, you see a flashing bar (called the insertion point) where you
first clicked to create the text frame.

Type tool

Insertion point Type tool cursor
The tag line for the letterhead is supposed to appear in the black area to the right of
the logo. However, if you click inside that area with the Type tool, it will convert the
existing shape to a type area. In this case you want a simple rectangular text frame, so
you are creating it in an empty area, and then moving it into place.

3. Review the character formatting options in the Control panel.
Type Styles Horizontal scale Character Style

Font Family Font Size Kerning Vertical scale Fill Color

Font Style Leading Tracking Baseline Shift Stroke Color
Skew (false italic) Language

64 Project 1: Letterhead Design