The InDesign Conference, May 22–25, 2017, Atlanta, Georgia, is a must-attend event for Adobe InDesign professionals. The conference, part of CreativePro Week, is considered the InDesign event of the year.
Meet the world’s top InDesign experts and Adobe InDesign team members! Learn how to increase the efficiency and productivity of your InDesign-based workflow. For more reasons why InDesign users and other creative professionals should attend, click here and check out the brochure.
Markzware is helping to sponsor CreativePro Week and offers several products, including ID Util, for InDesign users. ID Util is a macOS application to view and export InDesign previews and styled stories, to open InDesign files in the right version, and to package InDesign files. You can help support the creative industry, by buying InDesign user products, such as ID Util, and by attending the event.
Attendees
Attending The InDesign Conference can be very enjoyable and create a good ripple effect with lasting benefits. The conference welcomes:
• art directors
• creative managers
• educators
• graphic designers
• production artists
• production staff
• small publishers
• workflow consultants
• and other InDesign users with one or more roles
The InDesign Conference attendees bring a range of experience. A graphic design novices from small design studios could attend, as well as creative managers from large companies.
Agenda
The InDesign Conference 2017 offers 30+ sessions, four half-day tutorials, and special events.
To get the latest information on this year’s speakers and sessions, click here.
To download the CreativePro Week 2017 schedule, click here.
Monday, May 22 (InDesign Conference pre-conference tutorials)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Creating Accessible PDFs from InDesign
Bevi Chagnon
Whether you want to help visually impaired people read your documents or just increase the flexibility and SEO of your PDFs, you need to learn how to make your InDesign documents accessible. This overview of the process is sure to open your eyes to the problems (and solutions!) involved.
• The Articles panel isn’t enough!
• Tagging (and re-tagging): What works and what doesn’t
• Critical steps you’ll have to take in Acrobat
• What is Section 508, and how can you get compliant?
• Best resources to rely on
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
InDesign Best Practices: Essential Techniques and Rules Every User Must Know
Russell Viers
You’ve used InDesign a bit, but you still feel like there’s so much more to know… and you’re right! Learn the ins and outs of this powerhouse layout app from a top trainer who has taught pros all over the world. This session will ensure you know how to:
• Avoid common mistakes made by InDesign users
• Set up your styles properly for fast production
• Make use of master page fundamentals
• Import images and text quickly and efficiently
Tuesday, May 23 (InDesign Conference Day 1)
9:15 am – 10:00 am
Secrets of the InDesign Power Users
Erica Gamet
InDesign should work for you, not against you. But it’s up to you to know the tips and tricks that can make it hum like a finely-tuned race car. Learn the power tools you need to have at the ready to not only make it across the finish line, but to do it with speed, efficiency, and precision.
• Implement preferences that stick around
• Set image and object options for efficient re-use
• Learn tricks to speed up your workflow
• See the tools that can save you time and possibly your sanity
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Using InDesign with Photoshop and Illustrator
Justin Seeley
David Blatner likes to joke that Photoshop and Illustrator are the two best “InDesign plug-ins.” However you think of these apps, there’s no doubt that it’s critical that you know how to use all three of them together. Learn important tips and tricks for ensuring your artwork travels smoothly from one program to the next.
• Which file formats to use (and which to avoid)
• Managing layers and layer comps
• When to copy and paste, and when you really shouldn’t
Up to Speed with New features in InDesign CC
TBA
InDesign is constantly growing and evolving with every Creative Cloud update. And this year is no different. We’ve seen new features being released over the past 12 months that included productivity improvements and other features to make your life easier. But it’s not always easy to keep track of every update and change in the program. But don’t panic, we’re here to help. During this session we’ll take a look at InDesign’s updates and get you up to speed with InDesign CC’s latest and greatest features. And of course we’ll also give you a recap of the 2016 and 2017 updates you might have missed before. You’ll be up to speed in no time!
Photographs ©2014–2016 Creative Publishing Network, photographers: John Cornicello, Paul Gargagliano, Eric Shropshire, James Beals, Rudy Ximenez
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Super Styling: Automatic formatting with Nested, Line, and GREP Styles
Chad Chelius
Automatic formatting with Nested, Line, and GREP Styles. A perennial favorite session for our attendees, with good reason! So much of our formatting work depends on a smart set of paragraph and character styles that work for you, not against you. Learn how to master these functions in this session.
Designing with Grids in InDesign
Nigel French
Great design starts with a grid. Not only does a grid system make your design better, but it also makes laying out your document faster and easier! Join this veteran designer and trainer as he talks about one of his favorite subjects: designing and applying grids in InDesign.
• When to use a document grid (and when not to)
• Aligning text baselines, the easy way
• How the column, margin, document, and baseline grids all interact in a dance
• The beauty of bottoming out
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Ten Things Your Printer or PrePress Dept Wants you to Know
Claudia McCue
No one curses under their breath like a printer or prepress department… and you don’t want that aimed at you, right? Learn the common mistakes designers make that make these folks cringe! Even better, learn how to avoid them, so you can have a happy and harmonious relationship.
• How old 20th century methods may not be appropriate anymore
• Understand the differences between traditional and digital printing
• Preparing a great PDF (secret: it’s about communication)
POW! Interactive Animations
Diane Burns
Learn how to use the the treasure trove of InDesign’s animation and interactive object features to make your boring old documents come alive on screen and resonate with your audience. Starting with typical static files like newsletters, presentations, and instruction manuals, you’ll learn how to engage your online audience by incorporating attractive and useful animations, along with the buttons that can start and stop them — all from within InDesign, no coding required!
• Animating objects and text automatically or in response to a user action
• Coordinating multiple animations at once
• Combining GIF animations with InDesign animations
• Publishing options: PDF, Fixed Layout, Publish Online, and beyond
Design/Editorial Workflows: Word, GoogleDocs, and More
Anne-Marie Concepción
At work, designers and editors are all so busy getting their projects out the door, there’s little time to look up and see what’s new out there. If you’re still flowing in badly-formatted Word documents into InDesign, fighting them into submission, then circulating umpteen PDF layout proofs to umpteen people, this is the session for you!
Anne-Marie’s specialty is helping publishing teams streamline their workflows with low-cost, easy-to-adopt solutions. You’ll be so encouraged and energized by what she shows in her session that you’ll be fixing your own workflows as soon as you get back to the office.
• Best practices for managing Acrobat comments
• Bringing proof comments directly into InDesign
• Using linked Word files for fast, round-trip copyediting with WordsFlow
• Collaborative cloud-based editing with DocsFlow: Link shared Google Docs to InDesign
• How InCopy, Word, and InDesign work together in a local or remote workflow
Photographs ©2014–2016 Creative Publishing Network, photographers: John Cornicello, Paul Gargagliano, Eric Shropshire, James Beals, Rudy Ximenez
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm
Using Bridge with InDesign
Russell Viers
Most people think Adobe Bridge is for photographers, but no! If you use InDesign, you owe it to yourself to learn how this digital asset manager can make your life so much easier.
• Using Bridge to inspect InDesign documents
• Did you know Adobe gives away Bridge for free?!
• Metadata: your key to smooth workflows
• Batch processing the easy way
Cleaning Up MS Word Text Messes
Keith Gilbert
Unless you’re the one writing the copy for the InDesign layouts you design, chances are someone else is using MS Word and handing the file off to you to flow in. And there’s the rub: Two different software companies. Two different text engines. Two different ways to format text. And it’s up to you to solve it! In this fast-paced session, Keith will call on his many years of dealing with all forms of Word insanity, and show you how to quickly fix the most common problems that you likely encounter. You’ll be amazed to see how most of the solutions are easy, free, and built right into the program.
• Importing Word files the smart way: choosing the best options
• Cleaning up formatting glitches after the first import
• Dealing with unwanted interlopers like embedded graphics and ugly hyperlinks
• Suspect the Word file is damaged? There’s a fix for that!
Using Creative Cloud Libraries to Streamline Production
Theresa Jackson
Brand consistency has become one of the main challenges for designers and organizations working on multi-channel campaigns. And it’s hard to keep track of changed brand assets and mind-numbing repetitive tasks like updating logos and images or sharing assets with others takes up more time than it should. Taking advantage of Creative Cloud’s online services can significantly speed up your daily workflow and help you push through global updates over multiple programs and projects. And you’ll find out all of this is much easier than it seems. During this session we’ll show you:
• How to create and manage Creative Cloud libraries
• How to store your assets in online folders
• How to use the web portal to manage your assets
• How to share assets and collaborate with others
• Best practices when re-using assets in multiple Adobe applications
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Consistent Color Across the Adobe Apps
Theresa Jackson
“What Are The CMYK Values for Pantone 187 Red?”
We know the answer depends on the output, but few designers really understand this. They are even more lost when it comes to managing color across applications. This session is all about Color Settings and ICC Profiles. What profile, when, why, When to convert vs assign a profile. How to create a custom Color Setting and Sync it to all apps with Bridge. Why to turn on the profile warnings, and how to read them.
GREP for non-GREPpers
Erica Gamet
Confused about what GREP is? Are you tired of how the InDesign nerds kick sand in your face as they tease you with taunts of “negative look-behind” and “found set”? This is your session. We’re taking it slow and steady, and by the end of the session you’ll be confident that you can use basic GREP shortcuts with the best of them. Let Erica show you what GREP does…and that it can actually be fun! She’ll demonstrate the beauty of GREP by finding patterns of text, then formatting that text with very little effort. You’ll be amazed how much this misunderstood tool can speed up production of your InDesign files. If you’ve been using GREP for a while—or if you have been too intimidated by the sound of it—this session will spark ideas for using GREP to automate your InDesign projects.
• Find out why Erica calls this feature “Unicorns and Rainbows”
• Amaze your friends by performing text cleanup in one go
• Be the talk of the town when your text is styled automatically as you type
• Realize you’re a genius by formatting stacks of pages with a single click!
Editorial Workflows: InCopy
Chad Chelius
Whether you’re a new InCopy user or a seasoned InCopy veteran, this session will present you with some tips and tricks for using InCopy that will save you time and make working in the InCopy workflow a lot easier. From some of the new features that have been added in the latest release, to tried and true tips that will work in many different versions of InCopy, you’ll pick up some helpful tips that you might not have previously known. If you attended the short Introduction to InCopy session and want to know more, or you’re an existing user and would like to know some time saving tips to improve how you work, this session is for you!
• New features in the latest version of InCopy
• How to use a single text story in multiple InDesign documents
• Text editing efficiencies
Photographs ©2014–2016 Creative Publishing Network, photographers: John Cornicello, Paul Gargagliano, Eric Shropshire, James Beals, Rudy Ximenez
4:45 pm – 5:30 pm
Understanding Master Pages and Primary Text Frames
Nigel French
Everyone knows that using styles is critical for being efficient in InDesign. But did you know that master pages are “page styles”? Learn how to take advantage of InDesign’s powerful (but sometimes confusing) master pages features, including:
• the amazing Primary Text Frame (it’s not the same as the old “Master Text Frame”)
• creating hierarchical structures for fast updates
• syncing changes across documents
• how to make big changes throughout your document fast
Clever Techniques for Images
Mike Rankin
How you handle images can make or break your design (and your workflow). Fortunately, there are tons and tons of useful tips and tricks for working with images in InDesign! And in this fun and fast-paced session, Mike Rankin will share as many cool image-related tips as humanly possible in the span of 45 minutes. You’ll see tips for:
• placing and sizing
• relinking and exporting
• working with color and resolution
• enhancing images with custom frames and special transparency effects
• leveraging the awesome power of object styles
• and much, much more!
Tricks of the Table Pros
Diane Burns
Have you ever thought of tables as a design element? If you think tables are just for boring Excel worksheets, you’re missing out on some fun! Tables are a great solution for a number of design challenges, from information presentation to forms creation. But here’s a little secret: they don’t have to actually look like tables! In this session, you’ll see…
• A quick overview of table controls (just enough to be useful, not enough to put you to sleep)
• Painless methods for making tables look lovely
• How to use tables to solve design problems
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Networking Reception
• beverages, food, and an enjoyable opportunity to meet CreativePro Week speakers and attendees!
Wednesday, May 24 (InDesign Conference Day 2)
9:15 am – 10:00 am
I Didn’t Know InDesign Could Do That
David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepción
Learn how to boost your productivity and super-charge your InDesign workflow with these cool tips and hot techniques for getting the most out of InDesign.
• You can use the Table of Contents feature for that?!
• Four helpful InDesign features you’ve probably never even heard of
• (Almost) Magic linking turns objects into symbols
• Page and item numbering tricks every InDesign user needs to know
10:15 am – 10:45 am
Breaking Bad InDesign Habits
Keith Gilbert
If you’re like most InDesign users, you were dropped into the deep end without a lot of training — but you survived! Unfortunately, you also learned a lot of bad habits along the way. Now it’s time to break those habits and learn the right way to use InDesign, in order to boost your productivity and reduce your headaches.
• Convert text to outlines the smart way
• Why (and when) to use RGB
• How to use character styles properly
Converting Your InDesign Files to Powerpoint and Word
Mark Heaps
We InDesign users live on an island surrounded by a sea of Microsoft Word and Powerpoint. And sometimes we’re forced to deliver our documents in those formats. That’s OK! Learn how to prepare assets and files for your sales team or other corporate staff.
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Great Tools, Services, and Assets You Already Have That You Didn’t Know About
TBA
• Where to find things online
• Download and Installation of CC Desktop App, and Desktop Sync
• Creative Cloud Files
• Asset management, versioning, and collaboration
• CC Desktop App
• Signing in and out of account
• Managing App Updates (how not to overwrite previous versions)
• Market Assets (aka free stuff)
• Typekit Fonts
• CC Libraries
• Library Collaboration
• Behance
• Portfolio
• Adobe Color
• Add-Ons
• Adobe Stock
• Mobile Apps
• Adobe Spark
• and more!
Cleaning up Broken and Problem Layouts
Chad Chelius
There are fast ways to turn an ugly duckling layout into a shining swan of clean styles, master pages, and library items. Take the time to clean it up and never have to do it again!
Photographs ©2014–2016 Creative Publishing Network, photographers: John Cornicello, Paul Gargagliano, Eric Shropshire, James Beals, Rudy Ximenez
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Designing Forms in InDesign and Acrobat
Claudia McCue
InDesign offers flexibility in PDF forms creation beyond what you will find in Acrobat; it’s a much more dynamic solution than creating artwork, then adding fields in Acrobat. However, you may find that you still need both programs, working in concert, to create truly great forms. As you’re planning a forms project, it’s helpful to know what each program does best, to maintain your sanity. In this session, you’ll learn how to tailor your approach, with topics including:
• Best practices for creating forms projects in InDesign
• What InDesign can do that Acrobat can’t do
• What Acrobat can do that InDesign can’t do
• How to do math in Acrobat
Creating Amazing Publications with Publish Online
Diane Burns
What better way is there to present your portfolio, design or company brochure than through an interactive online experience? InDesign’s Publish Online gives you the ability to easily publish your work online, complete with slideshows, buttons, video and other interactive elements. During this session, you’ll learn the best ways to use Publish Online and take advantage of InDesign’s powerful interactive features. We’ll cover things like:
• Examples of how Publish Online is used
• How to publish and manage your online work
• Best design practices for online documents
• Tips on working with images and video
• How to create custom thumbnails
You Can Do It! XML for Designers
Sean Harrison
Using XML and InDesign for simple data publishing: it doesn’t have to be that hard! Got long lists of data that all need to be consistently formatted? Perhaps you’re building a directory or catalog? XML and InDesign to the rescue! Just a few simple steps of document preparation and InDesign can work its magic to make your information look nice and uniform. See examples of how easy using XML and InDesign can be.
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm
Top Ten Free “Must Have” InDesign Scripts
Erica Gamet
Are you getting the most out of InDesign, making it work for you? If you really want to be efficient, you need to take advantage of helpful scripts that expand InDesign’s functionality. Fortunately, there are dozens of useful scripts that are free and ready for you to use right now.
• Automatically assign styles to text and easily view those styles
• Split and join text frames and columns like magic
• Release anchored objects or remove images from frames without a magic wand
• Add fun effects and introduce a little whimsy to your workflow!
Importing and Exporting HTML5
Justin Putney and David Blatner
Why is it so hard to put the words “InDesign” and “HTML” in the same sentence?! But what if you could import HTML into InDesign? Or export your text and graphics and store them in a CMS such as WordPress? In this session we’ll explore several techniques to get HTML into and out of InDesign: the brute force method, the process process, and the power of automation.
Stylistic Sets, the Dotless i, and Discretionary Ligatures: Advanced Typography in InDesign
Nigel French
You already know how to set good type in InDesign. Now take it to the next level and learn techniques for setting great type!
• Making use of special characters
• Taking advantage of deep OpenType intelligence
• Adjusting H&Js
Photographs ©2014–2016 Creative Publishing Network, photographers: John Cornicello, Paul Gargagliano, Eric Shropshire, James Beals, Rudy Ximenez
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Data Publishing Solutions: Tools, Services, and Techniques
Coletta Perry
If you think about it, all publishing is “data publishing”. But when you need to design and lay out text and graphics from a database or spreadsheet, then the process can get much trickier! Join an industry veteran as she shares techniques for making your data beautiful, readable, and ready to publish.
• Building a 500-page directory in minutes
• When you need to use third-party tools
Best Practices and Power Techniques for Long Documents
Mike Rankin
Learn valuable tips and techniques to make designing and producing long, repetitive, or complex documents easier, faster, and more enjoyable. Topics will include:
• Really useful Master Page tricks
• Why “Keep Options” should be your best friend
• Tips for anchoring objects to the text flow
• Best practices for creating and applying styles
• Using Object styles, Snippets, and Libraries for repetitive page elements
Print It! How Print Fits in a Digital World
Daniel Dejan
For the past decade “armchair” prognosticators have been predicting the demise of print, but industry surveys and studies are showing that the opposite is true. Print and digital are proving to be complementary and mutually supportive, and brand marketers are learning to play to the strengths of each. This discussion presents some surprising industry findings about demographic preferences, emotional triggers, browsing and shopping behavior, and niche marketing. Examples demonstrate how to make print more interactive, visually intriguing and tactile. Increasingly, print is becoming an experience to be savored and enjoyed.
• how does print complement social networking and the Internet
• how are eReaders and tablets impacting publishing and readership
• how using QR codes and Augmented Reality (AR) codes can add a multi-media and multi-dimensional aspect to enhance the print experience
4:45 pm – 5:30 pm
Three Minutes Max + Conclusion
David Blatner
Still hungry for more?! Watch eight presenters each take three minutes max to show off their best tip, trick, or technique! Which one will blow your mind? You get to vote and shower one lucky attendee in the room with prizes… it might be you!
Thursday, May 25 (InDesign Conference post-conference tutorials)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Automating InDesign with Simple Tools You Already Have
Chad Chelius
You know your way around InDesign, but you know you could be more efficient… more productive… if only you knew how to take advantage of InDesign’s awesome automation features! This is your chance to uncover the secrets of the InDesign power users and learn how to supercharge your workflow.
• Taking advantage of variables
• How captions and metadata can save you time
• Finding and using scripts and add-ons (including the ones that ship with InDesign)
• Secret style formatting tricks
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
An InDesign Users Guide to Creating, Editing, and Using Video and Photography
Roberto Blake
Video editing can feel overwhelming, especially if you open Adobe Premiere Pro and look at all the options in the interface. But if you have experience in InDesign, Photoshop or Illustrator, translating that experience into using Premiere Pro is not as difficult as it seems, you just need to know what to focus on and what to ignore. In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of editing in Premiere Pro and should leave feeling confident to start a video project and even how to use assets from Photoshop or Illustrator in your video presentations!
Registration
Your registration includes:
• Over 30 must-see sessions taught by the world’s leading InDesign experts
• Video access for the conference sessions on the days you attend the event (Video access does not include half- or full-day tutorials.)
• Full breakfast, networking lunches, and evening reception
• Over 100 pages of helpful session material and resources
• Access to the online community forums for conference attendees
Since space is limited, click here to register today and reserve your spot! Get $100 off by using the following discount code, during the registration process:
CPWMARK
Still trying to decide? Check out the following video from a previous year in which The InDesign Conference was held.
Video: InDesign Conference 2015
Adobe InDesign User Event: InDesign Conference during CreativePro Week
