LO1: InDesign Introduction

Contents page from DJ Mag

3 things that I like about this contents page:

-It is clean and simplistic.

-The colours go well together.

-It is easy to find what you want to read, the text is easy-to-read.

Key Terms

Desktop Publishing Program - a program used to lay out print-based products.

Dialog Box - a box that appears and gives the user options and extra functions.

Gutter  - space in between the columns.

Contents Page Conventions

• Title which says "contents". This is always positioned at the top of the page.
• A masthead (name of the magazine) which is always next to the "contents" title. This is because it reinforces the brand of the magazine.
• Sub-headings to represent sections of a magazine. Common sub-headings: features, cover story (creates synergy), regulars (common in local magazines), news. They are usually colourful, in bold, and stand out. This is so it is easy for the reader to go to the section that they want to read.
• Page numbers to make the magazine easy to navigate and get to where you want to go - similar to an index, except at the front. They are always in ascending order.
• Images which are always anchored to text.
• Editor's section to provide a summary of what is going to be in the magazine that month/week. It always signed at the end.
• Colours which match the house style of the magazine. This reinforces the brand, genre and house style.
• Columns are always used to separate the text and different headings.

This is a dialog box from InDesign, showing how the contents page was set up. It was important to set up the page correctly so that:

-The dimensions for the page are correct.

-The spacing between columns (gutter) is correct.

-The document type and your intent (e.g. print, web) match up to what you want.