Laying the Foundation: Building Efficient InDesign Layouts

The choices you make when you start building an InDesign layout will determine how smoothly the rest of the project goes. In this session, Laurie Ruhlin focuses on the foundational layout decisions that make InDesign documents easier to design, revise, and maintain over time.

You’ll learn how thoughtful structure reduces rework, prevents layout breakdowns, and makes everyday tasks far less stressful. This session shows how to set up layouts so they naturally support real-world production needs.

Topics include:

• Setting things up right from the start so your layout elements align naturally and don’t need constant fixing later
• Choosing single or facing pages. Learn how each option changes layout, margins, and page management—and why switching later can be messy
• Using parent pages to build structure, not clutter with consistent headers, footers, guides, and repeating elements
• Demystifying the Primary Text Frame: What it does, when to use it, and how it makes adding, flowing, and reordering pages effortless
• Rearranging pages without breaking your layout: Shuffle, insert, and delete pages while keeping text, images, and page structure intact