Advanced Guide to Adobe InDesign CC: Tables & Effects

Overview

This course is all about taking your editorial layouts and workflow even further. Your course instructor, Kate Silver, will dive deep into tables, text data management, object styles, blending modes, and subtle effects to give your designs that polished, professional edge. If you’ve been doing things the long way in InDesign, I’ll show you faster, smarter methods. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to: * Build clean, data-driven tables and stylish timetables * Apply object styles, shadows, and graphic effects with confidence * Remove image backgrounds using clipping paths * Use tools like the Story Editor, Gridify, and Find/Change to save hours You’ll design projects like a table-based coffee book, flyers, and an editorial-style timetable, all while learning 60+ tools and time-saving tricks. This class is perfect for designers looking to improve their technical layout skills and produce print or digital pieces for real clients. You’ll need a working knowledge of InDesign and some experience using paragraph styles and page layout features to succeed. Instructor bio: Kate Silver is a graphic and shoe designer, Top Teacher on Skillshare, and instructor at the UK’s leading Adobe training center in London. She creates beginner and advanced courses on design software including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Canva, and more. With experience designing for brands like Jimmy Choo and Sophia Webster, Kate brings hands-on expertise to her classes, making complex tools simple and accessible. Her lessons focus on clarity, practical projects, and smart shortcuts to help students build real skills with confidence.

Syllabus

Mastering Tables in InDesign

Unlock the power of tables in InDesign. This module will guide you through converting data into tables, designing structured layouts, and enhancing them with visual elements like images and graphics to boost clarity and professionalism in your documents.

Working with Effects and Styles

Learn how to apply non-destructive visual effects, streamline your design process with object styles, and work with image backgrounds using clipping paths. These techniques will help elevate the visual impact and efficiency of your layout projects.

Table of Contents Design Challenge

Take on a creative project centered around designing a table of contents for a real-world use case. You'll explore layout principles, thematic consistency, and automatic updating methods to ensure your documents stay organized and visually sharp.

Building a Multi-Page Interior Design Brochure

Step into advanced layout management with this module on brochure design. You’ll explore how parent pages, color swatches, and style saving tools help build cohesive, multi-page documents—perfect for portfolios and client-ready presentations.