Welcome back to another creative project in our Design it Yourself series! Today, we’re diving into the world of custom calendar design. Calendars are not just practical tools; they can also be a canvas for your artistic style. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through creating a bright 2025 monthly calendar using Adobe InDesign. Get ready to organize your year in style and stay inspired every month!
Step-by-Step Tutorial
1. Setting Up Your InDesign Canvas: Launch Adobe InDesign and create a new document. For this project, we’ll use an A3 format, perfect for a poster-sized calendar that can adorn any wall. Set the orientation to portrait to maximize space for design and readability.
2. Configuring Margins: Define the margins of your canvas. These will frame your calendar’s date grid, ensuring there is ample space for design elements and notes.
3. Crafting the Date Grid: Navigate to your master page (usually labeled ‘A’) and draw a table with 5 rows and 7 columns—this will serve as your basic structure for the weeks and days. Include a header row for the days of the week.
4. Adjusting the Header Row: Modify the height of your header row to accommodate the day labels (e.g., Sun, Mon, Tue). Choose a font and size that are clear and complement the overall design theme of the calendar.
5. Automating Date Insertion: Select the first cell of your table where your dates will begin and go to ‘Type’ > ‘Bullets and Numbering.’ Set up the numbering to automatically continue across the cells. Under ‘Number,’ input ^# to represent numbers, and set the ‘Mode’ to ‘Continue from previous number.’ This automates the date placement, saving you time and ensuring accuracy.
6. Styling the Dates: Define a Character Style for the dates that matches the overall aesthetic of your calendar. Once you are satisfied with how the first cell looks, copy this style and apply it to all other date cells to maintain consistency.
7. Finalizing the Layout: Exit the master page and return to your main layout. You’ll now override elements for each specific month. Adjust the starting day according to each month’s first day and delete the excess numbers from the end of the previous month. The table should automatically update to align with the correct days.
8. Adding Illustrations and Themes: Choose a theme for your calendar—this could be nature, urban landscapes, abstract art, or anything that inspires you. Insert vibrant illustrations around the table grid. Ensure these images complement the month’s mood and add a touch of creativity to each page. Here are the assets we used this time around:
9. Customizing for Each Month: Repeat the process for each month, tailoring illustrations and color schemes to fit seasonal themes or personal preferences. This personal touch will make your calendar not just a tool, but a piece of art.
10. Preparing for Print: Once all months are designed, review your calendar for any alignment issues or typographical errors. Export your file in a print-ready format (typically PDF/X-4) to ensure high quality.
Download these worksheets and start practicing with simple instructions and tracing exercises.
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Designer at Creative Market. I truly enjoy branding, typography, packaging, layout designs, and drawing funny-looking animals.
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