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Best way to create brochure/magazine?

G

gangst

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 27, 2004
614
0
UK
Hi,

I want to create a professional brochure for my company. I have a rough of idea of what I want/need, but am not sure fully of how to go about it.

I have used Photoshop in the past, but what i best for brochure design? Should I use Adobe InDesign? Pages? I assume InDesign is best and quite easy to pick up.

I would like it to be in the format of a small magazine, containing both graphics and text in a clean, professional layout.

Thanks for any recommendations.
 
InDesign would definitely be the way to go about it. Make yourself a template for the layout, if you think this will help as well.

Make sure you know the parameters of the project...
Does it require a bleed?
How is it going to fold?
How is the information going to be presented according to the way it folds?
Is the copy already available? If not, what information is needed to be effective?
Is there photography readily available?

There are more things to consider, this just being the tip of the iceburg.
Good luck, and have fun with it. ;)
 
Do not use Photoshop for a layout program. That's not what it's meant to be used for.

If you can afford it, and depending on the extensive work involved in your layout, buy InDesign—or if you already own a copy, then use it. Pages will not work at a professional level, only meant for something very simple and minimal.

That's what Quark & InDesign are for.
 
Thanks for the replies. Is InDesign relatively easy to use, seeing as i have access to this app on a workstation i can use it. Also the layout I need is that of a small glossy magazine roughly 15 pages.


onegirlcreative said:
Do not use Photoshop for a layout program. That's not what it's meant to be used for.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I know this, I should have said I was going to use PhotoShop for making my graphics to go in the brochure.

Also, I thought Quark had been discontinued? Or is that Coral?


Cheers
 
gangst said:
Thanks for the replies. Is InDesign relatively easy to use, seeing as i have access to this app on a workstation i can use it. Also the layout I need is that of a small glossy magazine roughly 15 pages.




Oh yeah, I know this, I should have said I was going to use PhotoShop for making my graphics to go in the brochure.

Also, I thought Quark had been discontinued? Or is that Coral?


Cheers
Click to expand...

As far as I know, Quark is still alive and kicking, no matter how many bad vibes I send it's way.
 
onegirlcreative said:
Do not use Photoshop for a layout program. That's not what it's meant to be used for.

If you can afford it, and depending on the extensive work involved in your layout, buy InDesign—or if you already own a copy, then use it. Pages will not work at a professional level, only meant for something very simple and minimal.

That's what Quark & InDesign are for.
Click to expand...

No offense meant to the original poster, but using a professional program will not give you a professional result if you are not a professional designer!

InDesign is not the easiest program to pick up and use, if you have no experience in design. I am assuming you don't have the option of hiring a designer to do it but if you know anyone who can use it, ask them for any tips.
 
mouchoir said:
No offense meant to the original poster, but using a professional program will not give you a professional result if you are not a professional designer!

InDesign is not the easiest program to pick up and use, if you have no experience in design. I am assuming you don't have the option of hiring a designer to do it but if you know anyone who can use it, ask them for any tips.
Click to expand...

That's not what I was implying at all. In fact, I was "assuming" since they were posting in the design & graphics section that they somehow knew what they were doing.

I guess I was wrong.

You're right. InDesign is a PITA to learn and very difficult.
 
gangst said:
Thanks for the replies. Is InDesign relatively easy to use, seeing as i have access to this app on a workstation i can use it. Also the layout I need is that of a small glossy magazine roughly 15 pages.




Oh yeah, I know this, I should have said I was going to use PhotoShop for making my graphics to go in the brochure.

Also, I thought Quark had been discontinued? Or is that Coral?


Cheers
Click to expand...

No, QuarkXPress is still around. In fact, there was a time when OS X first came out (after Classic) that they were unwilling to upgrade to the new operating system. Hence, InDesign was born. After a few years (and many Quark customers going to ID) they finally realized they were shooting themselves in the foot, so they upgraded for OS X.

Corel is still around as well.
 
I understand what you are saying.

Not being an InDesign user means that there will be a steep learning curve, however, I often use other pro apps, e.g. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Final Cut Studio. I would say i have a decent grounding to pick it up quickly. Plus some tutorial media available if stuck.
 
gangst said:
I understand what you are saying.

Not being an InDesign user means that there will be a steep learning curve, however, I often use other pro apps, e.g. Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Final Cut Studio. I would say i have a decent grounding to pick it up quickly. Plus some tutorial media available if stuck.
Click to expand...

Actually, if you have a good understanding of Illustrator and Photoshop...InDesign utilizes some similar functions, and syncs well with both when placing an eps file that was saved from either program.

...and yes, there are plenty of tutorials both free and subscription based on the web if need be.

Good luck, and have fun with it.
 
Learn how to setup and apply "paragraph styles" in InDesign.
This is the basic foundation on which your document will be constructed.
Edit the style, and all instances of that style are updated.
(Imagine trying adjust the indents, font size, font color, etc... for the body text in a 100 page book without styles; ouch!)

Master pages are a very convenient way to create multiple pages with identical instances of graphics and textblocks. (page numbers, for example, are usually placed in the master)
Edit the master, and all instances are updated.
 
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