Program Overview

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Children's Book Design in InDesign

Course Overview

Join this one-day course for aspiring book illustrators or authors and learn to lay out your book professionally in Adobe InDesign.

We’ll teach you all the technical basics that you need as well as look at creative ways that you can use type to appeal to a young audience.

Taught in our digital print facilities on our beautiful Falmouth Campus, come and enjoy a creative day that will help you to develop your skills and create professional layouts. You’ll leave with all the work you’ve created during the day.

Key Details

• Location: Falmouth Campus
• Course duration: 1 day
• Tuition fees per individual: £150

Course Details

This is a one-day course where we’ll teach you to create beautiful, impressive dummy books either in printed form or for online cloud storage spaces that you can share easily with prospective clients or publishers.

We’ll start with the technical essentials: teaching you to work with layout design grids and add your images and text. You’ll explore different ways to use type creatively to appeal to a young audience, experimenting with expressive effects to enhance your storylines.

After a look at type formatting, text wrap and type clipping masks, we’ll show you the best ways to save and export your creation to take to shows, fairs, agents or publishers.

This course is taught by Cally Gibson, a senior Technician who teaches a broad range of digital skills at Falmouth, and who is also a freelance reportage illustrator and painter.

This course includes tea and coffee, along with all materials you’ll need for the day. Please bring a packed lunch with you.

Course Outline

On this course, you will:

• Learn the basics of InDesign for layout of text and images
• Learn to make and use design grids
• Explore creative type play, strengthening your typesetting skills
• Learn to create a virtual shareable dummy

Course Team

Cally Gibson

• Senior Technician

Cally Gibson works at Falmouth University as a senior technician, solving software queries and teaching a broad range of digital skills.

How You'll Learn

You’ll learn in a collaborative and creative environment on this one-day course. Cally teaches in an engaging and interactive way, with plenty of examples to guide you through as you learn the basics. You will learn by doing as you engage with the exercises throughout the day.

Who is This Course For

Aspiring book illustrators or authors who’d like to gain knowledge and confidence in laying out books in Adobe InDesign, particularly focusing on children’s books. No prior experience is required.

What to Expect

This will be a creative day where you’ll get hands-on straightaway via a series of taught workshops.

• 9.30: Arrival and welcome, tea and coffee
• 10am – 1pm: Morning session
• 1pm – 2pm: Lunch break (please bring a packed lunch)
• 2pm – 5pm: Afternoon session

What to Bring

All materials and equipment you’ll need are provided. If you have an existing book you are working on feel free to bring your ideas, although this is not necessary to take part in the course.

Please remember to bring a packed lunch with you.

What We'll Provide

All materials and equipment you’ll need are provided.

Food and Drink

Tea/coffee is included. Please bring a packed lunch with you.

Location

This course is taught on our Falmouth Campus.

Our Falmouth Campus can be reached via a range of public transport options. You can find out more, here.

For campus maps and information on visiting us, please visit our How to find us page.​

Eligibility

No prior experience is required, this course is suitable for all levels.