InDesign

Term from Graphic Design industry explained for recruiters

InDesign is a professional design tool made by Adobe that's mainly used for creating printed materials and digital publications. It's like a digital drawing board where designers arrange text and images to create magazines, brochures, books, and other materials. Think of it as the industry-standard tool for layout design, similar to how Microsoft Word is for writing documents, but much more powerful and focused on professional design work. It's part of Adobe's Creative Suite, working alongside other popular design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.

Examples in Resumes

Created monthly company newsletters using InDesign and Adobe InDesign

Designed and produced 50+ marketing materials with InDesign including brochures and catalogs

Led redesign of company's print materials using InDesign templates for brand consistency

Typical job title: "Graphic Designers"

Also try searching for:

Graphic Designer Layout Designer Publication Designer Print Designer Editorial Designer Marketing Designer Production Artist

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you set up an efficient workflow for a magazine with multiple designers?

Expected Answer: A senior designer should discuss creating master templates, style guides, sharing asset libraries, and managing collaborative workflows. They should mention version control and file organization systems.

Q: How do you ensure brand consistency across multiple publications?

Expected Answer: Should explain creating template libraries, paragraph/character styles, color swatches, and master pages. Should mention documenting brand guidelines and training team members.

Mid Level Questions

Q: How do you prepare files for both print and digital distribution?

Expected Answer: Should explain different color settings (CMYK vs RGB), resolution requirements, export settings for print/digital, and how to create interactive PDFs when needed.

Q: How do you handle long document projects like catalogs or books?

Expected Answer: Should discuss using master pages, table of contents generation, automatic page numbering, and managing sections within long documents.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What's the difference between master pages and templates?

Expected Answer: Should explain that master pages are for elements that repeat on multiple pages, while templates are complete document setups that can be reused for new projects.

Q: How do you ensure text flows correctly between frames?

Expected Answer: Should describe linking text frames, using auto-flow options, and checking for overflow text. Should mention basic text formatting and styles.

Experience Level Indicators

Junior (0-2 years)

  • Basic layout and text formatting
  • Working with templates
  • Simple document creation
  • Basic image placement and adjustment

Mid (2-5 years)

  • Complex layout design
  • Style sheet management
  • Print production preparation
  • Multi-page document handling

Senior (5+ years)

  • Advanced automation and scripting
  • Team workflow management
  • Complex publication systems
  • Training and mentoring others

Red Flags to Watch For

  • No knowledge of basic print design principles
  • Unable to prepare files for professional printing
  • No experience with other Adobe Creative Suite programs
  • Lack of understanding about typography and layout principles