Welcome back to campus and my series! I really enjoy writing pieces for this series because I enjoy design. I really hope some of my tips have been useful for others! Check here to read my first two blogs in this series about Tips for using Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Illustrator CC.

*Adobe Creative Cloud can be downloaded for free for University of Maryland students through TerpWare. UMCP students also have free access to Lynda.com tutorials!*

Today I wanted to give tips on using Adobe InDesign CC. InDesign is used for multi-page layouts, e.g. brochures, booklets, programs, information packets, etc. One of the most useful tools is Master Pages. Master pages are used to format a page just once, and then can be applied to others. By doing this, you spend less time having to recreate page after page when you can just make it once! To find this, click on the Pages palette, then click “A-Master”. Here you can put page numbers, running heads, image frames, and more. As this concept can be tricky, check out this video for more details on how to set up Master pages.

Another great way to use InDesign is to create a resume! This is easy to do and can be easily updated as you change jobs.

1. You should start by setting up your document with proper margins. I used .5 inch on all sides. This will give your resume a clean border.
2. Set up your guides! *Important!* Using Command + R, this will allow you to drag rulers both horizontally and vertically. Use guides for each section and be sure that they are equal on each side. I aligned my name centered, with subsections to the left, and details below my name in the center column. Be creative, but also use continuity! See on my document where the neon blue lines are. Purple/pink lines are the margin lines.

3. Use elegant drop shadows. This will elevate your resume to look less one dimensional, and give a little extra pop. For example, click on your name which should be at the top, in a large font size that is easy to read. Object – Effects – Drop Shadow. You can then adjust opacity, distance, and angle. What I have found to be nice is, an opacity around 20%, angle around 135, and distance about .1375in. Again, you can adjust to your liking, but stick to the same adjustments for every drop shadow! So everything can look continuous and elegant. (See above, I used drop shadows on both my name and titles on the sidebar.)

4. Use spell check! Command + I will conduct a spell check of your document. Definitely don’t want a spelling error when applying for a job.
5. Creating a PDF. When you are finished with your resume, you have an .ai document (InDesign), but this is not a format that you can print off. So, to get a nice PDF, click File – Adobe PDF Presets – High Quality Print. Click where you want this saved, and then in the drop down box, be sure to click on High Quality Print. Your PDF will then be opened automatically in Acrobat Reader which can be easily printed or linked to.

Note, by no means am I am trained expert, but these are useful tips that I have learned through my coursework through the B.A. Communication program here at USG. Especially from Professor Bob Coleman, who teaches coursework in these subjects of Adobe Creative Suite. The Communication program has a strong emphasis in visual and graphic design, check it out if you think you might be interested!