Professional Design Techniques with Adobe Creative Suite 3

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Standard brings together under one roof the tools that design professionals use on a daily basis. Designing in an integrated environment results in greater efficiency and streamlines the development of flexible designs. In this book, author and distinguished designer Scott Citron leads designers of all kinds through the ins and outs of working with the components in the suite. With an easy, engaging style, Scott takes a designer's approach to address the complexities of using multiple tools to perform a variety of tasks, and focuses on important principles that can be applied to working in all the programs. Part inspiration and part how-to, each chapter contains a full project to help cement these principles, complete with steps and full-color illustrations. Project files are included on the accompanying Web site so that readers can follow along and recreate each project. Whether an aspiring designer or a practicing professional, anyone who is interested in learning to use good design techniques with Adobe Creative Suite 3 will come away with a solid foundation in this extraordinary suite of creativity tools.

Professional Design Techniques with Adobe Creative Suite 3 shows you how to:

* Choose the right design tool for the job
* Use automation to cut down your production time
* Use typefaces effectively and set type like a professional
* Work smartly with color-critical projects and complement your projects with kuler
* Create stunning artwork and packages for CDs, letterhead, invitations, and more
* Give structure to magazine and newspaper layouts with columns, guides, and grids
* Create interactive PDFs with video, audio, rollover buttons, and links

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1 Getting Started
The Principles of Graphic Design
Use Grids to Add Structure
Starting Your Design
Organizing Your Work with Adobe Bridge
Creative Suite 3 Preferences
In Conclusion

2 Creating Effective Typography
Introduction to Using Type
Creating the Pattern Art
Adding Dimension and Lighting in Photoshop
Putting It Together in InDesign
Formatting Your Text
Choosing Compatible Type
Preparing Text for Formatting
Final Formatting and Adjustments
Typesetting with Adobe Illustrator
Project Wrap-Up

3 Designing a Corporate Identity System
What Is a Logo?
How to Develop a Logo: A Quick Case Study
Choosing the Right Design Tool
Creating Your Logo in Illustrator
Laying Out Business Cards in InDesign
Creating Letterhead and Envelopes
Laying Out Envelopes and Labels
Project Wrap-Up

4 Creating Newsletters and Forms
What Makes a Good Newsletter?
Paper Newsletter Preproduction Checklist
Developing the Newsletter
Work Smart with Styles
The Zen of Baseline Grids
Adding Interactivity
Working with Graphics
Charts, Forms, and Tables
The Acrobat 8 Professional Component
Project Wrap-Up

5 Designing Magazines and Newspapers
What Makes Great Magazines and Newspapers?
Let's Design a Magazine
Setting Up the Document
Adding Footers
Choosing a Color Palette
Beginning the Layout
Pouring Copy
Project Wrap-Up

6 Books and Longer Documents
What Makes a Good Book?
How to Begin Designing a Book
The Strategy of Working with Long Documents
Using the Book Panel
Synchronizing Styles
Adding Object Styles
Styles in Sequence
Automating Folios and Headers with Text Variables
Cruise Control: Automated Tables of Contents
Mass Production: Preflight, Packaging and Exporting a Book
Keep It Organized and Back It Up
Project Wrap-Up

7 Designing Annual Reports
Creating a Custom Workspace
Numbering and Section Starts
A Tasty Cover: Using Live Paint
Focus on What's Important in Images
Documents as Artwork
Maximum Flexibility: Smart Objects and Smart Filters
Importing and Formatting Spreadsheet Files
Project Wrap-Up

8 The Personal Portfolio and Interactive PDF
Why PDF When We Have the Web?
Exploring Interactivity in PDFs.
Exploring Distribution Strategies
Getting Started with Interactive Options in InDesign
Using Bookmarks to Create Destinations
Creating Buttons and Setting Button Options
Adding Visual Feedback with Button States
Adding Hyperlinks
Adding to the Experience with Movies
Saying It with Sound
Exporting the Finished PDF
Project Wrap-Up

9 Making Your Workflow Work
What Makes a Successful Print Project?
Begin the Beguine
Designing a CD Package
Setting Up the Front Panel
Designing the Front Panel
Designing the Tray Card
Creating the CD Label
Proofing Your Work
Project Wrap-Up and Conclusion