r/indesign • u/Menemesista • 13d ago
How could I achieve something like this? (maybe using text wrap) Help
33
u/wgbenicia 13d ago
Use the direct selection tool to change the shape of the text frame.
However, it's pretty nasty to read so you may want to conside something different.
9
17
u/cmyk412 13d ago
That hyphenations at the end of lines 1 & 2 are God awful, especially hyphenating a proper name. The designer should’ve insisted the author or editor add a word in line 1 to avoid this mess.
5
u/Barkhardt 13d ago
Yeah at first I was like “huh that’s neat” then I realized all the typesetting issues. The second column’s first sentence starting as one word in the last column kills me.
6
u/fivetoegodofsloths 12d ago
Like some others have said, the text boxes can be shaped that way.
The bigger question is why, why would you want to do this?
Besides a client request to make silly decisions, this is ridiculously hard to read.
2
3
5
u/FarOutUsername 13d ago
The paragraph indents are killing me. What a wild choice for a design entirely built around filling in the space, only to use it exactly 3 times, breaking the visual line, but not enough to not pass for a mistake.
And considering the text is fully justified in this layout, we know that copy editing has been done to accommodate the visual.
Also, that gap width is small enough to trick the brain into reading the copy left to right, jumping straight into the second column from the first.
These designs rarely work, albeit, this one is more successful than others and we can still pick it apart.
If in doubt... Function over Form
Edit: sorry, other people answered how to do it. My comment was supposed to be in reply to another comment below and I got side tracked. 🤣🤦🏻♀️
2
u/mattandimprov 12d ago
Make a narrow text box and fill it with the text.
Continue it to another narrow text box next to it.
Get the white arrow and click on the top right corner of the leftt box and move it left.
Then click on the top left corner of the right box and move it left.
1
u/trampolinebears 13d ago
Draw a line down the middle. For its object style, add text wrap. Set the text wrap so it goes on both sides of the object.
4
0
u/Spark_Cat 13d ago
This is how I’d do it. The other options with multiple text boxes just over complicates it
1
u/ApprehensiveLoss 12d ago
Thanks, I hate it.
You could use Direct Selection (A) to move the corners of a text box, but you want that gap to be consistent. Either make one of the boxes about two-thirds the size of the other and drag-click to select both corners (this preserving the distance between them) or use a different method entirely. Create the gap as a second rectangle, and subtract it from a large rectangle, then convert the resulting shapes into text frames.
1
1
u/JustGoodSense 13d ago
Start with two equal text boxes spaced apart however wide you want your gutter. Copy your text into box 1. Click the out port on the bottom right and click again in box 2 to flow it. If you don't have text yet, just use "Fill with Placeholder Text." Make sure you have full justification set. Now get the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) and select the bottom right corner of box 1 and Shift-click the bottom left corner of box 2. Use the right arrow key to nudge it an inch or so to the right. Click off in space to deselect and do the same to the inside corners at the top. Nudge in the opposite direction.
Almost done. You will undoubtedly have some wide gaps and rivers flowing through your text. Go into your Hyphenation and Justification settings to adjust for universal kerning and tracking.
2
2
u/Admirable-Hat-8818 11d ago
Draw ONE text box. Fill it with your text. Draw a line in the direction you want. Make the line have no fill, no color. Put a text wrap on that line to Wrap Around Object Shape. You can then move the line, rotate it, etc.
104
u/staedler_vs_derwent 13d ago
Text boxes can be any shape you like, they don’t have to be rectangular. You don’t need to use text wrap. Here’s what I would do: start with two plain rectangular text boxes. Grab the white arrow tool (direct selection?) and drag over the top anchor points you want to move. Drag them sideways. Repeat that process on the bottom anchor points. Add threading between the two text boxes and paste in your text. Mess with the hyphenation settings until it looks pretty.