How to Create a Summer Club Flyer in Adobe InDesign

This stylish flyer is the perfect way to promote club nights, music gigs or festivals this summer. Quick and easy to create using InDesign and Photoshop, it’s also simple to adapt the text to your own content too.

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

Ready to party? Awesome! Let’s dive in...

What You’ll Need to Create Your Flyer

You’ll need Adobe InDesign to create the main layout of the flyer, and Adobe Photoshop to edit the paint splash graphic. 

You’ll also need to download the following fonts and images:

• Acrylic brush strokes
• Aerial view of the ocean
• Watercolor tropical leaves vector
• Breymont font

Install the font on your computer, and you’re ready to start designing. 

1. How to Set Up the Flyer in InDesign

Step 1

Open up InDesign and go to File > New > Document. Set the Width of the page to 8.5 in and Height to 11 in. Uncheck Facing Pages. 

Add a 0.5 in Margin and a 0.25 in Bleed, before clicking Create. 

Step 2

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

Create three more new layers in this order—Palm trees, Paint stroke, and finally Type at the top of the pile.

Then lock all 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 levels to C=23 M=16 Y=20 K=1, and click Add and Done. 

Repeat the process to create two more new CMYK swatches:

• C=10 M=6 Y=10 K=0
• C=88 M=46 Y=26 K=10

Step 4

Choose New Gradient Swatch from the Swatches panel’s menu.

Name the swatch Background Gradient and set the Type to Radial. 

Click on the left-hand stop on the Gradient Ramp and choose C=23 M=16 Y=20 K=1 from the Swatches menu. Choose the slightly paler swatch, C=10 M=6 Y=10 K=0, for the right-hand stop.

Then click Add and Done.

2. How to Build Up Images on Your Flyer

Step 1

Working on the Background layer, use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to create an image frame across the whole page, extending it up to the edge of the bleed. 

File > Place, navigate to the aerial view photo, and Open, allowing it to fill the frame. (Note that the original image I used is no longer available, but you should be able to create a very similar effect with the alternative I've linked to.)

Double-click inside the frame to select the image directly. Then position and rotate the image so that the woman on the pink ring is in the position shown below. 

Step 2

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a shape over the top, across the whole page, and set the Fill Color of this to Background Gradient. 

With the shape selected, go to Object > Effects > Transparency. Set the Mode to Screen and reduce the Opacity to 90%. Click OK. 

Step 3

Open up the acrylic brush strokes image in Photoshop. 

Identify the ‘7’ folder in the Layers panel, and select and delete all the other folders except this. 

Step 4

Select the Crop Tool (C) and crop the canvas until it fits around the paint stroke sitting inside the ‘7’ folder.

Go to Image > Rotate Canvas > 90 Degrees CW. 

Expand the ‘7’ folder and switch off the visibility of the CHANGE COLOUR layer.

Step 5

File > Place the aerial view photo, scaling it and rotating it into the position shown below. 

From the Layers panel, set the photo layer to Multiply. 

Then drag the photo layer down to sit above the ‘7’ layer, using Alt-Click to attach it to this layer. 

Then head up to File > Save, and save the image as a Photoshop (PSD) image, ready for using in your InDesign flyer. 

Step 6

Head back to your InDesign document, and lock the Background layer. Unlock the Paint stroke layer.

Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to create a tall rectangular frame over the page. File > Place, choose your edited Photoshop image, and Place, allowing it to fill the frame. 

Rotate the image frame slightly to the left to mimic the angle shown below. 

3. How to Format Type on Your Flyer

Step 1

Use the Type Tool (T) to create a small text frame to the left of the image of the woman. 

Type in ‘P’ and from either the top Controls panel or the Character panel (Window > Type & Tables > Character), set the Font to Breymont Bold. Try to size the font so that it matches the height of the pink ring in the photo. 

Set the Font Color to [Paper] from the Swatches panel.

Copy and Paste the text frame, moving it over to the right of the woman. Adjust the text to read ‘OL’.

Step 2

Create another text frame below ‘POOL’, typing in ‘PARTY’ and setting the Font to Breymont Bold, Size 60 pt. 

Increase the Tracking (letter-spacing) to 920. 

Add a second text frame below this, typing in the location of the event and setting the Font to Breymont Light, Size 20 pt, Tracking 400. 

Highlight any letters which cross over the paint stroke image, and adjust the Font Color of these to [Paper], to help the text stand out. 

Step 3

Add more text frames below this, detailing the acts playing at the event or other details, setting the Font to Breymont Bold.

As before, pull out any crossover text in a [Paper] Font Color. 

Add a text frame across the bottom margin line, adding details about tickets or a website. 

Step 4

Choose the Polygon Tool from the Tools panel (you’ll find this inside the Rectangle Tool’s drop-down menu), and click once anywhere onto the page. 

In the Polygon window that opens, set the Number of Sides to 3, and click OK. 

Move the triangle you’ve created over to the top-right corner of the layout. From the Stroke panel (Window > Stroke) set the Weight to 6 pt, and adjust the Stroke Color to [Paper] from the Swatches panel. 

Step 5

Add a text frame over the top of the triangle, typing in the date and setting the Font to Breymont Bold.

Add a second text frame below, and type in the month, setting the Font to Breymont Light.

Set the Font Color of both frames to C=88 M=46 Y=26 K=10. 

4. How to Add a Tropical Touch to Your Flyer

Step 1

Lock the Type layer and unlock the Palm trees layer below. 

Create an image frame using the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) behind the top-right side of the paint stroke image. File > Place, and navigate to the ‘36_Tropical_leaves_vector.eps’ image, scaling it so that just one leaf is visible in the frame.

Allow the leaf to peek out from behind the paint stroke. 

Step 2

Copy and Paste the image frame, and move it over to the middle left side of the paint stroke, rotating the image slightly so that it fans out from behind the paint stroke. 

Paste a couple more image frames and position them over on the right side again, creating a built-up fan effect. 

5. How to Export Your Flyer for Print

Step 1 

Your flyer artwork is finished, and ready for exporting to a print-ready format. 

To do this, go to File > Export. Name the file ‘Pool Party Flyer’, and choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format drop-down menu. Click Save. 

Step 2

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

Click on Marks and Bleeds in the panel’s left-hand menu. Check both All Printer’s Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings. 

Then click Export. 

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

Conclusion: Your Finished Flyer

Your flyer is finished and printed, and ready for distributing, awesome work!

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

• Create flyer layouts in Adobe InDesign.
• Edit images in Photoshop to add cool graphics to your layouts.
• Format typography to a high standard.
• Export your artwork for professional printing.

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