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The Basics of Laying out a Print Design Portfolio

InDesign is one of the most useful programs when it comes to laying out resumes, books, portfolios, and presentations.  The following is a basic step by step guide on how to layout your design portfolio using InDesign.  

Step 1 - Setup:  Open InDesign and choose to create a 'New Document'.  Once you have chosen that option you will be prompted to input your document presets, such as page size, number of pages, margins, and orientation.  In this example I have chosen an 8x8 inch document to contain 10 pages.  If you don't know how many pages you will need, don't worry - you can always add more pages later!

Step 2 - Content:  Once you have set your presets you're now ready to place content into you document.  The basic tool bar is located on the left hand side of the screen.  To place text in your document choose the 'T' symbol in the toolbar to create a text box and insert text.  To change the font go to the 'Type' drop down menu located on the top of the page and scroll down to 'Font' to view and change fonts.  

To insert an image go to 'File' and choose 'Place'.  A menu will pop up that will allow you to choose and insert images located on your computer.

Once you have found the image you want to place simply place it on the page you wish to have it on.  Your image will most likely show up on the page like the example below.

Step 3 - Scale:  To scale your image you can either choose the scale icon in the toolbar located on the left side of your screen or you can right click on the image you wish to scale and an option to scale will show up in the pop-menu.  Make sure when scaling your images to hold down the shift key so that your image dose not skew while scaling.  

Step 3 - Make it pretty:  In this example to give the page some graphic appeal I've used the simple rectangle tool located in the left toolbar to add a grey background to the page, and I've added some text.  Note:  To align objects or text simply pull guidelines down from the rulers shown on the top and left side of your document.

Step 4 - Add consistency with Master Pages: On the top righthand corner of your screen you will see a toolbox named 'Pages'.  Double click on 'A-Master' and a black page / layout will appear.  The master page is useful if you want to add a consistent header or footer throughout your portfolio.  In this example I have added some text for the footer.

To return to the pages in your document click on the thumbnail of the page you wish to view.  If your Master page header or footer does not automatically appear on your pages right click on the thumbnail of the page(s) located on the right hand side of the screen, and scroll down to 'Apply Master to Pages...'

A menu will pop up that will ask you to insert which page(s) you would like to apply your Master Page to.  Note: You can also create and insert multiple Master Pages within one document. 

Continue adding images until your book is full!  Those are the basic steps to laying out a design portfolio in InDesign.  If you don't have Adobe InDesign?  Learn how college students can get up to 80% off on this program!  Enjoy!

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