Guest Book Bytes review by Jackie Richards
How to Wow with InDesign
by Wayne Rankin & Mike McHugh with Brie Gyncild
Peachpit Press <http://www.peachpit.com>
ISBN 0-321-31618-5, 176 pages
$39.99 US, $57.99 CN
I was first introduced to Adobe InDesign (InD) when I took over the publication of my organization’s quarterly journal. With less than six weeks to conquer the new application, my angst was high and my skills were low.
I gathered at least five InD books during that period, each one to answer a few pertinent questions I could not find answered from the books I already had. By the time I spotted How to Wow with InDesign, I had become a bit jaded in trying to locate one book that would help me through most of the traumatic problems associated with such an endeavor.
From the moment I opened its cover, I realized I would have saved myself a lot of trouble and bookshelf space if How to Wow with InDesign (HTW) had come my way sooner. It inspired me to read through from cover to cover, since it is a slim volume.
HTW addressed everything I needed to know with respect to my particular need (and that is important for us all in such complicated program), and it explained and helped me understand the background of some of the commands and how they might be adapted to various uses.
In the preface chapter, the authors indicate this book was written with the collaboration of two authors, Mike McHugh, the “left brain” logical and technical, and Wayne Rankin, the “right brain” creative and imaginative. If more books were written this way, we would not be piling up the volumes trying to find our way through both the creative process and the technical process, because, let’s face it, left brainers need an all-important creative side, and right brainers need to be reigned in by the technicals required to produce the finished product. HTW combines it all.
Each chapter has easy to read paragraph headings describing and explaining the use of commands necessary to create a document. Sidebar Tip boxes, short and sweet, give you the shortcuts to avoid unnecessary menu searching. The chapters are presented in logical order, and through the accompanying CD, you can follow the process of layout and planning a document before you have to create on your own.
As an example, I had planned to use InDesign to develop a poster of my photographs taken on a trip to China. I had postponed it, because I felt I didn’t have time to figure out the process. But, inspired by the directions and illustrations of How to Wow, within fifteen minutes I had created a poster, and in the process delved into menu areas I had not used before that I will apply to my other desktop publication work.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any level of InDesign users. With such a complicated and capable program at hand, we need all the help we can get, and the clarity of organization and writing is such that you will not spend time searching for just that one elusive command. Nothing is more frustrating than having software that you know is capable of executing your command, and yet being unable to find the way to get there.
And Quark trained artists, rejoice. HTW covers the differences (viva la difference!) to get you over the transition. This book will help you negotiate through the passages, and will pay off in time savings and confidence. It is visually pleasing and well designed.
MyMac.com Book Bytes rating = 5 out of 5
Jackie Richards
Guest Reviewer
