Best Free InDesign Resources & Tutorials

For students who are interested in learning new skills in a creative design program like InDesign, one of the most intimidating hurdles may be the upfront cost of training. One-day training seminars can cost hundreds of dollars, and intensive bootcamps can cost upwards of a thousand dollars. If a student is not one hundred percent certain that they want to make a career out of graphic design, these costs can be intimidating. For students who are intrigued by InDesign but want to get a feel for the program without breaking the bank, there are a number of free InDesign resources and tutorials available to ease them into the program.

In this article, students will learn about some of the free online resources that are available to help ease them into Adobe InDesign and help them decide if more intensive professional training is right for them. None of these resources can replace more direct, experiential training, but they are a good place to start one’s InDesign education. Whether a student is unsure that they want to learn InDesign or a student is certain that they want to learn InDesign but feels the need to prepare themselves in advance of hands-on instruction, these resources are valuable starting places.

What is InDesign?

Released in 1999, Adobe InDesign is the industry standard in page layout design software, and it is one of the software programs that comprise the Adobe Creative Cloud. Together with Photoshop and Illustrator, InDesign is one of the most commonly used creative design tools across a number of industries, ranging from publishing to graphic design. Built to streamline the process of designing page layouts for books and magazines, InDesign has a plethora of uses that make it a versatile tool for many creative endeavors. As part of a heavily integrated array of creative tools, Adobe InDesign gives creatives the chance to create compelling and vibrant page layouts.

Unlike its sister programs, Illustrator and Photoshop, InDesign serves a specific but vital function, building page layouts. Creatives will use InDesign to build prototype layouts for everything from brochures to web pages, and the program has tools for populating those prototypes with graphics, texts, and even interactive elements. While it is primarily used in traditional print media, InDesign is seeing increasing use in the digital sphere, such as the world of ePublishing and website design.

Read more about what InDesign is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with InDesign?

Adobe InDesign allows users to create vibrant and memorable design layouts that can be used for anything from print advertisements to promotional brochures to newsletters and magazines. Almost any print layout can be built with InDesign, and the tool is often used to help Web Designers produce mock-ups of web pages. Users can add text, color, and images to their layouts to ensure they communicate what they are trying to communicate. InDesign also lets users easily create templates or replicate pages to streamline the multi-page design process.

InDesign also has numerous non-professional uses for users who are hoping to create eye-catching posters, infographics, or flyers for their own organizations or communities. Visual design skills can help users share information in memorable and effective ways, and learning InDesign will help anyone hoping to communicate with the masses. Additionally, many small businesses or private commercial organizations like Etsy shops or local bands can greatly benefit from having individuals on staff with InDesign training, as the program helps non-professionals make professional-grade graphic page layouts.

Additionally, because InDesign is so closely integrated with the rest of the Adobe Creative Cloud, users who are familiar with other programs can seamlessly integrate their work in other programs into their layout designs. Photos and illustrations can be edited or created in Photoshop and Illustrator and then easily brought over in InDesign to populate a layout. Users can also transfer work between InDesign and XD to help build prototype web layouts. These connections help expand the functionality of all Adobe Creative Cloud applications.

Why Use Free Resources

Free online resources primarily provide benefits for students who aren’t entirely sure that they want to make a future career out of graphic design. Adobe Creative Cloud tools are relatively user-friendly, but learning them can still be a daunting task, particularly for amateur creatives. Free online resources let students learn the basics of the program without needing to commit to an expensive and time-consuming training course or purchase expensive materials like workbooks and paid video recordings.

While they won’t replace more immersive training, free online resources can also be helpful for students who are more confident that their future is in graphic design. For many students, the most difficult part of learning a new program is getting used to an unfamiliar interface or using the program's basic features since they have no frame of reference. These free resources are a good place to start building familiarity with InDesign’s interface and functionality so that students don’t fall behind when they start to take advantage of more advanced InDesign training.

Free Resources

Students looking for free online tutorials should start at Noble Desktop’s blog, and the articles tagged InDesign. Here, students will have access to articles and interviews explaining the basics of InDesign, and they will be able to find free online Graphic Design and InDesign courses. Noble’s InDesign overview page also includes links to free online training resources. These free resources are constantly updated, and they are built as onboarding tools for Noble’s paid training seminars, so using these resources will prepare students for the more immersive learning options made available through Noble.

One of the best ways to introduce yourself to InDesign is through a free online video tutorial. Noble’s blog and their Graphic Design YouTube playlist provide students with free introductory videos covering both graphic design principles broadly and Adobe InDesign in particular. These videos are a great place to start getting a feel for InDesign, as they allow students to learn the basics of the program at their own pace. Noble’s videos cover the basic functionalities of InDesign, teaching students how to navigate the interface, add text and images to a layout, and how to export and prepare simple layouts for publication.

Students looking for a more detailed background in InDesign should consult the Learn InDesign page on Noble’s Learn Hub. Here, students will find constantly updating free resources to help guide them through the early process of learning InDesign.

Key Insights

• Adobe InDesign is the industry-standard tool for designing page layouts to be used in books, magazines, newspapers, and brochures.
• For students looking to get a sample of the kinds of features they can access with InDesign, free online training resources are available through Noble.
• Video tutorials allow students to familiarize themselves with the basics of the program, and these videos let students move at their own pace in a low-pressure environment.
• Free resources won’t replace more intensive skills-based training, but they are useful for students who either aren’t sure that InDesign training is right for them or students who want to build a familiarity with InDesign before moving on to more advanced training.

Learn InDesign with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers a wide range of training options for students seeking to learn Adobe InDesign. Ranging from introductory courses such as InDesign in a Day to immersive career training programs like the Graphic Design Certificate program, Noble has a training program built to fit your needs. These courses are all taught by professional instructors with years of training as both teachers and graphic designers. Each course comes with the option to retake the course for free within a year of the initial enrollment, meaning that students have the option to take the courses again in order to receive more hands-on experience with InDesign or to gain more training in skills that they found difficult the first time through.

The Adobe InDesign Bootcamp gives students hands-on experience working with InDesign through exercises that mirror the kinds of projects that professional Graphic Designers would work on. Students will learn how to create layouts with InDesign’s text, color, and graphic tools, they will learn how to import formats and styles to easily build layouts, and they will learn how to work with parent pages to easily create complex, multi-page designs for projects like brochures and magazines. This course is ideal for students who want to learn the advanced features of InDesign within a professional context. At the end of this bootcamp, students will be prepared to use InDesign as part of their professional lives, and they will be able to demonstrate to their employers that they have received in-depth InDesign training.

Noble’s Graphic Design Certificate program takes this InDesign training and pairs it with career-focused training in Photoshop and Illustrator. Students will learn the background of graphic design, receiving training in philosophies of composition, color theory, and typography. Then, they will learn how to use Illustrator and Photoshop to create digital illustrations and assets that can be imported to InDesign to populate finished page layouts. Bringing these programs together, the Graphic Design Certificate program is built to take students from novice users to trained designers, aiming to help them find a new career once they’ve completed the course. This certificate program also provides students with one-on-one career mentoring so that when the course is complete, graduates will be ready to enter the workforce as Graphic Designers.