The Process of Writing Books Directly in InDesign

• 3:30-4:00 pm Pre-Presentation Networking

• 4:00-5:45 pm Presentation

You’d think that we’d invite the guy who was chairman of the Type Directors Club, a professor of design at Parsons, and the author of classic The Elements of Graphic Design to talk about design. Well, kinda. Alex White is going to talk about how he composed those books in InDesign, simultaneously functioning as writer and designer. Here's how he describes his presentation:

"Most books are written in Microsoft Word and then poured into InDesign by a hired freelance book designer or a staff member at the publisher. Since the first two—pre-desktop computer—every one of my books has been written directly in PageMaker/InDesign because I think verbally and visually at the same time. To me, words—which represent ideas—generate images, and images lead to explanations. They are inseparable and evolve simultaneously. Consequently, my books are split about evenly 50/50 between words and images. InDesign is my partner in every step of the process. We will be using my process of writing The Elements of Graphic Design, 3rd Edition."

You will learn:

• How to build an idea into aspects of the idea

• How to let words and images reciprocate in the evolutionary process

• How to develop a ToC, the skeleton of a book

• How to expand the ToC into sections and chapters

• How to pace the reader through the book

About the Presenter

Alex W. White, now retired and living in Austria, is a designer, design consultant, author, and educator. He has been explaining the use of analytical thinking in visual communication for 37 years, i.e., planning not prettifying. The thrust of his work has been “What is right about a proposed business or design solution?” He has lectured widely on design and typography to professionals in the Americas and Europe.

He is the author of The Elements of Graphic Design, Editing by Design, Listening to Type, Advertising Design and Typography, and The Elements of Logo Design among others.

White has been a professor of design management and graphic design at the graduate and undergraduate levels at the University of Bridgeport, Parsons School of Design, FIT, City College of New York, and the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford. White served for a decade on the Board of Directors of the Type Directors Club in New York, retiring as Chairman.

Free Raffles

Yes, we will still have raffles. And they're free. You must attend the presentation to be eligible. Prizes delivered electronically are available to anyone in the world. Physical prizes are available to anyone in the U.S. without a shipping charge. Winners from outside the U.S. who choose a physical prize must bear the cost of shipping.

Reminder: The Los Angeles InDesign User Group is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent that the law allows.

Event Venue

Online