Pro Tips for preparing InDesign files for use in CampaignDrive.
When you can create an InDesign file from the start (rather than one that someone else has made), or you have the opportunity to provide these guidelines to the person who will be creating the file, a lot of time can be saved by implementing the following best practices:
File Preparation
- Always set your frames up in layers – avoid putting everything into one layer.
- If you know the names of the layers you want to use in CampaignDrive, go ahead and name them this way in InDesign.
- Employ a standard naming convention for all graphics and files.
- Use Creative Cloud Libraries if possible, for consistent color.
- Make a master set of objects for graphics that will be used repeatedly, like logos. Use this set in every document so you don’t have to keep preparing them. These should be the actual image files that are on CampaignDrive, so that they are consistent.
- Provide these guidelines to any design partners that you use. They may not be able to do everything in this guide, but they will be able to do some of them.
- Make as many adjustments as you can in InDesign before import.
- If you know that you will be creating dynamic ads with bitmap images, ensure that your images will remain at least 300 PPI after scaling for dynamic sizing. This means making them at a higher resolution than 300 PPI initially. How much depends on the scaling.
- Ensure that all fonts used in the document are installed on your system prior to upload. Failure to do this could result in import failure.
Content Management
Content Management is covered in other CampaignDrive documentation. However, you can get a head start on Content Management by doing some of the pre-work in InDesign:
- Look at the relationships of text frames to see which text frames can be combined into a group on one layer. Things to consider:
- Any existing Content Database Categories that will be used
- Text that may change in position dependent on other text (put these in the same layer if possible)
- Text that may require scaling (keep in its own layer)
- Make pre-layouts of text groups that you use consistently. Save these and copy them into the new file, or simply make a placeholder of the correct size in InDesign and link the information once the template is uploaded. Common text types:
- Address
- Tag lines
- Disclaimers, terms and conditions
- Examine groups of templates for graphics that are common across templates to see if graphics can be prepared once and then used across all documents.