Step-by-Step Column Design

Designing a 10-column spread

Lesson Goals

You will learn how to design a 10-column spread

You will be able to identify the common pitfalls of column design

Terminology Review

Step One

Determine how many columns you will have on your spread. Use 3, 4 or 5 columns per page when you begin.

All copy and captions will be one column wide, and

All photographs will align with the width of the columns.

The columns are one pica apart.

How to set up columns in Adobe

Click on Layout Margins and

Columns

How to set up columns in Adobe Adjust the number of columns to 5. Notice the column guides appear as you

type the number in.

Step Two

Place the dominant photoThe dominant photo is two to 2 ½

times larger than any other on the spread.

It usually crosses the gutter.It helps to unify the two pages of the

spread.

Step Two

In Adobe…

Use your box tool to create a spot for your photo

Step Three

Place the remaining candid photosA typical spread has 5 to 7 additional

photos of varying shapes and sizes.Place these around the dominant

photo.Use a consistent internal margin of 1

pica to separate the photos.Leave room for copy and the headline.

Step Three

In Adobe…

Use your box tool to create the remaining photo spaces

Check that your spacing is consistent between photos.

Step Four

Place the captionsEach photo needs a caption.Place each caption so that it “touches”

the photograph it describes.Captions can be placed above, below

or next to the photos.Never place more than two captions

together.

Step Four

In Adobe…

Use the Type tool to drag a box in the locations desired.

Step Five

Place the copy and headlineThe copy and headline are a single,

rectangular unit.They should be placed in one of the

four corners of the spread.

Step Five

In Adobe…

For your Copy draw a box with your Type tool.

Right Click Choose Text

Frame Options

In Adobe…

For your Headline, draw a box with your Type tool.

It should span the same number of columns as your copy.

Copy box

Headline box

Sounds too Easy?

Mistakes can still be made.

Be careful of the 3 common pitfalls of Design

Pitfall One

Trapped CaptionsCaptions should be placed to the

outside of the spread.They should never be sandwiched

between two or more photos or between the copy block and a photo.

Pitfall One

To avoid this pitfall, place all captions after photos have been arranged.

Pitfall Two

Elements do not fill the columns, creating more than one pica of white space between elements.

Pitfall Three

Elements violate the external margin. Be sure that when you bleed a photo, it

extends to the outside of the bleed line. The bleed line is the dark grey one-pica line to the outside of spreads

Pitfall Three

Be sure to flow your copy text in columns

Right-click on your copy text frame

Choose Text Frame Options

Change the Number of Columns to the number of columns that your box spans.

Click OK

Create a Layout Open the 2 page spread template

from the I: drive Set up your column guides Create 7 – 10 photo boxes Add caption boxes for each photo, a

headline and copy (properly placed) Place photos (image-in), add text Ensure you have avoided the pitfalls!

Choose a topic, take photos…your Layout is due on Tues. September 21