In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make a flyer in Adobe InDesign. Professional and stylish, this conference flyer will be put together as an InDesign flyer template, allowing you to easily customize the design with your own text content. 

On 8 March, individuals and groups worldwide will celebrate International Women’s Day, celebrating women’s achievements and calling for a more gender-balanced world. The theme for 2019’s event is #BalanceforBetter. This flyer design is themed on the IWD event, but it can also be adapted for other conference and business events. 

Find out more about the event on the International Women’s Day website.

Looking for more easy-to-edit conference and event flyers? These flyer templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of customisable styles.

What You’ll Need to Create Your Flyer Design

As well as access to Adobe InDesign, you’ll also need to download and install the following font family:

• George Sans

The image used in the flyer design as pictured here is this photo.

You can also access the official IWD logo and brand resources from the IWD website. 

1. How to Set Up the Flyer Template in InDesign

Step 1

Open InDesign and go to File > New > Document.

To set the flyer dimensions, choose Letter for the page size and uncheck Facing Pages. 

Set the Margins to 0.5 in and add a Bleed of 0.25 in, before clicking Create.

Step 2

Expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and double-click on Layer 1, renaming it Background. 

Create three more new layers in this order: Photo, Shapes, and finally, Type. 

Then lock all the layers except Background, which we’ll work on first. 

Step 3

Expand the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s main menu. 

Set the Color Mode to CMYK and the levels below to C=0 M=75 Y=64 K=0. 

Click Add and Done.

Create a second new swatch, setting the levels to C=84 M=93 Y=12 K=2. 

2. How to Create a Flyer Background 

Step 1

Working on the Background layer, use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a shape across the whole page, extending the edges up to the bleed edge on all sides. 

From the Swatches panel, set the Fill Color to the coral swatch. 

Step 2

Lock the Background layer and unlock the next layer up, Photo. 

Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to create an image frame across the top half of the page. File > Place, choose an image like this one*, and Open it. 

* Top Tip: You can quickly make an image black and white by opening the photo in Photoshop and going to Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer. Check Black and White, and File > Save As the image as a new JPEG file.

3. How to Create Graphic Shapes on Your Flyer Design

Step 1

Lock the Photo layer and unlock the Shapes layer above. 

Switch to the Ellipse Tool (L) and, while holding Shift, drag to create a large circle across the left half of the page.

Set the Stroke Color of the circle to your purple swatch, and from the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke), increase the Weight of the stroke to 80 pt.

Step 2

Edit > Copy and Edit > Paste the circle and scale it down, while holding Shift, as before, positioning it above and to the left, as shown below. 

Adjust the Weight of the stroke to 20 pt.

Paste the circle again, move it to the bottom-right of the large circle, and bring the Weight down to 6 pt. 

Step 3

Select the Polygon Tool (inside the Rectangle Tool drop-down menu) and click once anywhere on the page to open the Polygon window. 

Set the Number of Sides to 3 and Star Inset to 0%. 

Then click OK, and click again onto the page to create a simple triangle shape. Set the Fill to the purple swatch and position it on the right side of the page. 

Copy and Paste the triangle, adding a smaller triangle to the top-right section of the page.

Step 4

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a rectangle shape towards the bottom-right corner of the page, allowing it to overlap the right edge of the page.

Copy and Paste the rectangle, scattering a couple more resized versions of the shape towards the top of the page. 

Step 5

Select the three circle shapes and head up to Object > Effects > Transparency. 

Set the Mode to Multiply and click OK. 

4. How to Format Typography for Your Flyer

Step 1

Lock the Shapes layer and unlock the top layer, Type. 

Use the Type Tool (T) to create a large text frame halfway down the page, resting the baseline at the bottom of the photo. Type in the main title of the event and set the Font to George Sans Bold. 

Adjust the Font Color to the coral swatch. 

Add a small text frame to the top-right of the main title, for a date or short subtitle. Set the Font to George Semibold. 

Step 2

Create a text frame below the main title, resting the left edge on the left margin. Type in a subtitle, such as the theme for IWD 2019, ‘#BalanceforBetter’, and set the Font to George Bold.

Switch the Font Color to [Paper] for contrast. 

Copy and Paste the text frame to create an optional second subtitle. 

Step 3

Create a text frame for another subtitle, ‘EVENT HIGHLIGHTS’, below, setting the Font to George Bold. 

Add a text frame below, detailing the speakers or talks at the event, and set this in George Semibold. 

Step 4

Use the purple rectangle to the right side as a border for another text frame, typing in the date of the event and setting the Font to George Bold. 

You can add the location below this too, set in George Semibold. 

Remember to add a website or contact details at the bottom-right of the flyer, to direct readers to where they can find more detailed information about the event. 

Step 5

If your event has a logo, you can place an EPS or PNG version of the logo at the top-left corner of the flyer.

You can access the IWD official logo used here from the IWD website. 

5. How to Export Your Flyer for Printing

Step 1

When you’ve finished working on your flyer, head up to File > Export. 

Choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the list of options in the Format menu, give the file a name, and click Save. 

In the Export Adobe PDF window that opens, select Press Quality from the Preset menu at the top. 

Step 2

Click on Marks and Bleeds in the window’s left-hand menu. 

Check both All Printer’s Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings, before clicking Export. 

InDesign will generate a press-ready PDF you can send straight off to be professionally printed. Great job!

Conclusion: Your Finished Conference Flyer

Your conference flyer is finished and printed, and ready for sending out to promote your event. Awesome work!

In this tutorial, you’ve picked up some handy skills for applying to InDesign and other print projects in the future. 

Looking for more conference flyer designs? These easy-to-edit flyer templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of styles and customisable designs.

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