InDesign Domain 2 - Project Setup and Interface

This objective covers the interface setup and program settings that assist in an efficient and effective workflow, as well as knowledge about ingesting digital assets for a project. This section contains presentations, projects, and quizzes to help you pass the Adobe Illustrator CC Certification Exam.

2.1 Create a document with the appropriate settings for web, print, and mobile.

a. Set appropriate document settings for printed and onscreen publications. 
  • Key Concepts: width, height, margins, columns, orientation, pages, bleed, slug, Facing Pages, Primary Text Frame, column gutter, etc.
b. Create document presets to reuse for specific project needs.

2.2 Navigate, organize, and customize the application workspace.

a. Identify and manipulate elements of the InDesign interface.

  • Key Concepts: menus and panels (Control, Tools, etc.)

b. Organize and customize the workspace.

  •  Key Concepts: tabbed documents; showing, hiding, nesting, and docking panels; saving and resetting workspaces

c. Configure application preferences.

  •  Key Concepts: Display Performance, Interface, Grids, Guides & Pasteboard, Spelling, Story Editor Display, Units & Increments, etc.

2.3 Use non-printing design tools in the interface to aid in design or workflow.

a. Navigate a document.

  • Key Concepts: panning and scrolling, zooming, rotating pages, pasteboard, etc.

b. Use rulers.

  • Key Concepts: showing and hiding rulers, changing the measurement unit on rulers, etc.

c. Use guides and grids.

  •  Key Concepts: adding, removing, and locking/unlocking guides; setting color; hiding guides and grids, showing grids, Smart Guides; creating guide layouts, snapping, Document and Baseline Grids, etc.

 d. Use views and modes to work efficiently.

  •  Key Concepts: changing screen mode; Normal, Preview, Bleed, Slug, and Presentation.

2.4 Import assets into a project.

a. Open and use templates.

b. Place assets in an InDesign document.

c. Use the Adobe Camera Raw interface to import images.

2.5 Manage colors, swatches, and gradients.

a. Set the active fill and stroke colors.

  • Key Concepts: frame vs text, swatches, Color Picker, Eyedropper tool, color values, etc.

b.  Create and customize gradients.

  • Key Concepts: Gradient panel, editing color and transparency stops, radial and linear gradient, etc.

c.  Create, manage, and edit swatches and swatch libraries.

  • Key Concepts: olor and gradient swatches; identifying color swatch type, including Process and Spot; creating, managing, and loading swatch libraries (including commercial libraries like Pantone).

d. Use the Color Guide panel to select coordinated colors. 

2.6 Manage paragraph, character, and object styles.

a. Load, create, apply, and modify styles.