Save the date flyers are a great way to announce your special day. In this tutorial, we'll walk through how to create a save the date flyer from scratch in Adobe InDesign. We'll also take a look at some save the date flyer examples. Follow this tutorial and you'll have a save the date flyer template you can customize any way you like!
What You'll Learn
- How to make a save the date flyer in Adobe InDesign
- How to create custom shapes in Adobe InDesign
- How to insert images and photos into your save the date flyer template
You can follow this tutorial closely or use it as a guide to create a completely different save the date flyer template.
What You'll Need
These are the assets we'll use in this save the date flyer design. You could use any fonts, photos, or other assets of your choice. Save the date flyers can really vary in aesthetic, so choose content that fits your event. We'll also look at some save the date flyer ideas at the end of the tutorial.
1. How to Create a Save the Date Flyer Design
Step 1
Let's start by creating a New Document in Adobe InDesign. For this design, I'll create a document that is 8.5 inches by 11 inches, which is a common letter size. You could use any size you prefer for your save the date flyer.
I'll also add in a 0.25 inch margin around all sides. This way, we can use this as a "safe area" in our design—we'll keep things like text within this space to ensure nothing essential is lost when our design is printed.
Once you're happy with your chosen settings, click Create to continue.
Step 2
Before we begin our design, let's take a moment to open up our Layers panel. You can do so by going to Window > Layers.
Here's what your work area should look like as we begin designing our save the date flyer.
Step 3
We're going for a trendy aesthetic with some abstract geometry in this save the date flyer template design, so let's start off with the Pen Tool.
You can find the Pen Tool in your Tools panel, as highlighted below.
With the Pen Tool selected, click to start creating points. The goal here is to create an abstract shape. You could draw any shape you'd like in your design. Here's what my shape looks like:
Step 4
My shape doesn't have a fill or stroke color yet, so it only looks like an outline of the shape I drew. Let's change that.
The Stroke and Fill colors are located towards the bottom of the Tools panel, as highlighted below.
- Think of the Stroke as an outline around your shape. We won't use that just yet. The icon looks like a square with a hole in the center. You would click this to change the Stroke Color.
- The Fill Color will apply to the inside of your shape. That's the one we want. It looks like the solid square icon. Click on this to change the Stroke Color.
Step 5
Once you've clicked on the Fill Color, InDesign gives us this color picker to choose our new color. You can click within the colored space to choose a color or input color values to select a specific color.
I went with this pastel lavender color. You are welcome to use the same one or choose a different color of your choice.
Once you're happy with your choice, click OK.
Step 6
Now, we have our first abstract shape. Before we create some more shapes, let's return to our Layers panel.
Create a New Layer by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. You can rename your layer by clicking on the layer's name—this isn't mandatory, but is great for organization purposes.
Here's a look at my layers. I have one called "Purple Shape" and one called "Pink Shapes". Note the order of these layers: I plan to draw the pink shapes on top of the purple shapes.
Step 7
With the "Pink Shapes" layer selected, let's go ahead and draw more abstract shapes. This basically means I will be drawing these shapes on top of our previous layer.
Follow the same process here: Steps 3, 4, and 5. Select the Pen Tool and click to draw your shapes. You can change their color by clicking on the Fill Color in the toolbar.
Here's a look at the shapes that I drew using this process.
Step 8
Let's repeat this process one more time. This time, I created a new layer called "White Shapes", and it's on top of both my pink and purple shape layers. Here's a look at my Layers panel and how these layers are arranged:
Step 9
Again, drawing our custom shapes in Adobe InDesign is as simple as selecting the Pen Tool and then clicking to draw points. This time, I followed this process to create a white shape at the top of my composition.
You can't see it all that well yet, aside from where it overlaps with the pink shape in the right-hand corner. However, it'll be much more visible when we insert our photograph!
Step 10
That said, let's add a photograph to our design. I'm going to use this stock photograph from Envato Elements, but you could use any photo of your choice.
Before I insert my image, let's start off by creating a New Layer. The same process as before applies: turn to your Layers panel. Then click on the New Layer icon, at the bottom of the panel, to create your new layer. I named my layer "Photograph" for organizational purposes.
This time, however, I want to make sure this layer is on the bottom of my layers—under all of the shapes that we drew. Click and drag the layer in the Layers panel, to rearrange the order of your layers.
Step 11
Next, it's time to place our photograph. With our new bottom layer selected in the Layers panel, go to File > Place.
InDesign will then prompt you to select an image from your computer. Select your image and then click OK.
To place your image, click and drag. On release, InDesign will insert your image into your document. It's okay if it's not the perfect size for your design yet—we'll make some adjustments.
Step 12
You will likely need to adjust the rectangular frame holding your newly inserted image. Select the image, and you will be able to resize this frame using the visible resize handles. It is advised to make the frame fit your composition.
But this doesn't necessarily resize the image itself. To do that, double-click on the frame. You'll notice it toggles between resizing the frame itself and the image inside it. With the image active, you can use resize handles in the same way. Resize your image to best suit the design space.
Here's a look at how I chose to resize my image.
Step 13
Next, let's try adding some more design elements to our work. This time, let's draw a shape using the Rectangle Tool.
Select the Rectangle Tool from the Tools panel. Before we draw, let's take a look at our Stroke and Fill Colors again. This time, set your Stroke Color to White. Then, set your Fill Color to None. This means that no Fill Color will be applied. Instead, this shape will have an empty fill. To select "None", click on the square with the red line through it, as shown below.
Note that this will apply to whichever color is selected. For example, click on the Fill Color to bring it to the front. Then, you can select "None".
Step 14
Before we start drawing, take a look at the Layers panel. Create a New Layer, the same way we did before. Click on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the panel. This time, I called my new layer "Border". I want this one to be on top of all the content I've created so far.
Here's a look at my layers for reference.
Step 15
With my new layer selected and the Rectangle Tool active, click and drag to draw a large rectangle. It should have no Fill and a white Stroke.
Here's a look at what my rectangle looks like. You could draw yours at any dimensions you prefer.
Step 16
However, the Stroke here isn't quite as thick as I'd like. We can turn to the Stroke panel to change that. To open the Stroke panel, go to Window > Stroke.
With our rectangle selected, we can change the Stroke Width here in the Stroke panel. In my design, I changed the Weight to 4 points. This made it a little thicker.
Step 17
Let's create another New Layer. This time, I called my layer "Boxes". On this layer, we'll create some text areas within our design. Note that it's on top of all of my other layers.
Step 18
We'll use the Pen Tool again to create some abstract shapes. Just like earlier in the tutorial, click with the Pen Tool to draw points.
This time, I'm using a white Fill Color, and my Stroke Color is None.
Step 19
You can repeat this process as many times as you like to create as many abstract shapes in your design as you'd prefer. Remember, you can also change and adjust the colors and placement after you've drawn your custom shapes.
Here's a look at how I decided to draw and place my shapes.
2. How to Add Text to a Save the Date Flyer
Step 1
Before we add our text, let's start off with a New Layer.
Just like earlier in the tutorial, turn to your Layers panel. Add a new layer via the New Layer icon, at the bottom of the Layers panel. I called this new layer "Text", and I kept it at the top of my composition—I want the text to be on top of what we've created.
Step 2
Now that we've got the general layout of our save the date flyer mapped out, let's start adding some text.
Let's begin by opening up the Character panel. You can open it by going to Window > Type & Tables > Character. The Character panel allows you to customize your type: things like the font, size, and more.
Before we create any type, I'm going to go ahead and select a font. For this design, I'll select the script font Allain, which you can download on Envato Elements.
Step 3
Then, select the Type Tool from the Tools panel. With the Type Tool selected, click and drag to draw a text box. Then, you can begin typing.
Keep in mind that the size of the text box matters. For example, if your text box is tiny, but your type is really large, it won't be visible. So make sure it's large enough to accommodate your text. With the text box selected, you can use the resize handles to easily resize the box.
Remember, you can change the font and the font size in the Character panel. I used this initial text box to write out the names of the brides to be.
Step 4
We can further reposition our text too. Select the Selection Tool in your Tools panel. Then, select the Text Box and reposition it as you see fit by clicking and dragging.
Let's push this further with a slight rotation. This way, it'll align better to our abstract shape, at the top of the composition. With the Selection Tool active, move your cursor right outside the Text Box. You'll notice it turns into a curved double arrow. When it looks like that, click and drag to rotate the Text Box.
Now our text is sitting at a slight angle!
Step 5
Allain Script is a great font for points of emphasis, so let's use it in a few other key spots in our design too. We'll follow the same process.
Use the Type Tool to click and drag to create a text box. Then, begin typing your content. Use the Character panel to adjust things like the font and the font size.
Here's the copy I decided to add to my design, using that same process.
Step 6
But that font isn't necessarily the best choice for things like body copy. In that case, I'll try using a font like Addington Serif, which should work as a great complement. This should be a great fit for things like the date, place, and other supplemental text in our design.
Remember, you can choose a new font in the Character panel. You can choose your new font either before or after you start working with the Type Tool.
Let's add more text using the same process. Use the Type Tool to add type to add a new text box, and then add your copy.
Step 7
Our design is coming together now, but let's add some finishing touches.
Let's try adding some simple lines, using the Line Tool, located in the Tools panel. The Line Tool will rely on your Stroke Color. In this case, let's make our Stroke Color black and our Stroke Weight 1 pt.
With the Line Tool selected, click and drag to create lines in your design. I added them to either side of the "Save the Date" text, just to create a little extra interest in this space.
Step 8
Finally, I thought it might be fun to add a little hand-drawn heart to the composition. I used these fun heart doodle illustrations from Envato Elements to easily add this to my design.
First, create a New Layer. I called my new layer "Heart", and I left it on the very top of the rest of my layers.
Then, go to File > Place to select the image of your choice from your computer. Place this image just like we placed our photograph earlier in the tutorial. The process is the same.
Step 9
Again, we can use the Selection Tool to move and adjust our image. I wanted something between the engaged couple, just to add a little extra playfulness to the design. You could add even more hearts or other little fun elements if you'd like to.
Now You Know How to Make a Save the Date Flyer
Congratulations—you've made a save the date flyer template that you can use and customize any way you like. Try out different colors, use your own photos, and try different fonts—the sky's the limit. Now that you know how to make a save the date flyer, what kind of flyer will you create?
Looking for Save the Date Flyer Ideas?
If you're looking for inspiration and save the date flyer ideas, check out these lovely save the date flyer examples. Envato Elements is an amazing addition to your design toolkit. One low monthly price gets you unlimited access to not only save the date flyers—you also get fonts, illustrations, stock photos, and even website designs.
Now that you know how to create a save the date flyer, customizing it will be even easier. Check out these awesome save the date flyer template designs, available to download right now.
1. Spring Invitations & Save the Date Flyers
Love a sweet, floral aesthetic? Check out these save the date flyer examples. This template actually comes with even more than just save the date flyers. You also get invitations, thank you cards, and a lot more that you can fully customize.
2. Wedding Invitations, Cards, and Save the Date Flyers
Here's another full wedding set that includes save the date flyers, invitations, and a lot more. If you're looking for clean, open save the date flyer examples, this might be the right aesthetic for you. Keep in mind that you can tweak the design any way you like too!
3. Wedding Invitation Save the Date Flyer Set
Isn't this save the date flyer template cute? The pop of color is really fun. This is another template design that includes several different files, including save the date flyers that you can customize.
4. Art Deco Invitations and Cards Set
Isn't this a stylish choice for save the date flyers? If you love a retro, Art Deco feel, then this save the date flyer template might be a perfect choice for your design project. Imagine printing this out on luxury paper too. It could look amazing!
5. Eucalyptus Wedding Invitation Suite
If you enjoy gentle, watercolor accents, this might be the kind of save the date flyer examples that you're looking for. Why not try this one with different watercolor accents or maybe even printed on textured paper?
Learn More About Adobe InDesign Today
Love working in Adobe InDesign? Make sure to check out the free InDesign tutorials here on Envato Tuts+! There's plenty more to learn, and there's no better time to start than right now. Check out these tutorials to get started:
