Building Interactive Magazines, Web Ads, and Digital Pages with InDesign

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Are you interested in creating rich, interactive documents? It’s likely that your print design skills are more useful than you realize. This session will present an overview of your options, from interactive PDF to HTML, fixed-layout EPUB, Publish Online, and more!

We’ll explore:

  • What can and cannot be done with interactive PDFs
  • The strengths and weaknesses of Fixed-Layout EPUB and Publish Online
  • Free and commercial scripts for creating interactive HTML output
  • Delivering rich media presentations to sales teams
  • Reusing content from print projects

Applying Racial Equity Awareness in Data Visualization

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How can designers, analysts, and developers apply a race- and ethnicity-conscious lens to their data analysis and data visualization work? How can we take a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI) perspective to our research, data, and visualizations? Just as we carefully consider our written words, we should be equally careful in how we visually present data to our readers, users, and audiences, including the words we use in and around those visuals.

Taking a DEI perspective means considering how the specific lived experiences and perspectives of the people and communities we are studying, as well as our readers, will perceive information and carry that information forward. In this talk, we discuss a variety of techniques that data visualization producers should consider when creating visuals with this DEI approach.

10 Essential PowerPoint Productivity Tips

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Anyone can use PowerPoint, but can you use it well? Learn the secrets of the PowerPoint masters in order to become more efficient and productive with this important tool.

Topics include:

  • Adjusting PPT settings that will save you time and heartache
  • How to use BrightSlide to make your life so much easier
  • Using built-in features in PowerPoint like a boss

Next Steps with PowerPoint for Pro Designers

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In Part 1 of this three-part session, we learned how to get up to speed fast, navigate PowerPoint like a pro, and set up masters. Now, we face the hardest task of all: Figuring out why Microsoft hid all the most important tools (and discover where they hid them!)

Three Minutes Max: InDesign

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Yes, it’s time — once again! — for that fun-filled, action-packed, highly-educational, and mind-blowing session: Three Minutes Max! Each of our instructors will have no more than three minutes to share their favorite InDesign tip… and then you get to vote for a winner.

In past years, some of the best tips have been held for this session… so you don’t want to miss it!

Get Up to Speed: PowerPoint for Pro Designers

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PowerPoint is the app that creative pros love to hate. And yet, we all have to use it sooner or later! The dirty secret is that once you learn how PowerPoint works, you’ll find it’s actually incredibly powerful and can perform some tasks even better than Adobe’s tools.

If you’ve ever feared or hated PowerPoint, take this opportunity to get to know it a little better. The more you know, the more fun it is!

This is Part 1 of a two-part tutorial. See Part 2 here.

Why You Can’t Live Without Adobe Bridge

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Adobe Bridge may be the unsung hero in your Adobe Creative Cloud suite, waiting for its chance to save you time by cutting through the clutter of files and applications. Most people think Adobe Bridge is just for photographers, but no! If you use InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, you owe it to yourself to learn how this digital asset manager can make your life so much easier.

Topics include:

  • Integrate Creative Cloud applications into a streamlined workflow
  • Use Bridge shortcuts to process many files rapidly
  • Hunt and gather project files and folders more quickly
  • Using Bridge to inspect InDesign documents
  • How anyone can use Bridge for free
  • Metadata: your key to smooth workflows

Turning Data into Design

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Data Merge is InDesign’s built-in, go-to tool for creating direct mail campaigns, business cards, sequential stationery, and many other “data publishing” documents. Using techniques already present in InDesign, it is possible to take a regular “stencil” to another level and provide a truly unique experience for each recipient.

Topics include:

  • Best practices for preparing Data Merge projects
  • Harnessing InDesign’s features to make projects more dynamic
  • Building marketing or project flyers, charts, and even org charts!

Creating Impact: Editorial Design to Influence Change

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Discover how freelance graphic designer Kieron Lewis uses InDesign to create a range of publications that push the boundaries of stereotypes about race and design. As Kieron shares his experiences working on publications that are designed to inspire and empower the African community and its diaspora, you’ll learn how he uses the power of collaboration to create impactful editorial design.

Join Kieron in this session to explore:

  • The impact that collaboration can have on your career
  • The importance of designing for the community
  • How editorial design can connect us

Advanced Lists and Numbering in InDesign: Easy as 1, 2, 3a

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You’ve found the buttons to apply bullets and/or numbering to your lists in InDesign. But after they’re applied, you may be frustrated trying to control the position, style, color and start number of your list.

In this quick, to-the-point session, we’ll add custom bullets, make a character style to apply a color, and control the bullet distance from the text and the frame. Then, we’ll number paragraphs, control what the number looks like, and we’ll make awesome paragraph styles to apply a number “1” to the first paragraph then “2, 3, etc.” to the rest of the list in a couple clicks.

Topics include:

  • Tricks and essential tips for applying bullets and numbering to all your lists
  • Understand the new feature “Space Between Paragraphs using Same Style”
  • Create a character style to color a bullet or change a font
  • Number your figures or graphics with consecutively numbered captions