InDesign 101 Part 2: Paragraph & Character Styles
As promised, this week I will be covering part 2 of my InDesign 101 blogs and I will be talking about paragraph and character styles. I truly hope that you find these posts helpful!
Why Use Styles?
Let’s jump into it! So why are styles important? Styles are like recipes that remember all your formatting choices. They help you:
Keep your document consistent
Make changes quickly throughout your document
Work much faster
Avoid mistakes
Understanding Style Types
Paragraph Styles: Format entire paragraphs and include spacing, indents, and alignment.
Character Styles: Format selected text within paragraphs, like making certain words bold or a different color.
Creating Your First Paragraph Style
Let's create a paragraph style for our project’s headings:
Format some text exactly how you want it in a text frame
Open the Paragraph Styles panel (Window > Styles > Paragraph Styles if you don’t have it in your tools on the right)
Click the "Create new style" button at the bottom of the panel (it looks like a little + )
Name your style "Heading 1" or depending on what you are creating use another style name that will help you keep it organized (Page heading, Section Heading, etc.)
Click OK
If you double click on the style name it should open the menu below where you can go in and make adjustments to your style.
Creating a Character Style
Now, let's create a character style for important words:
Select some text and format it (maybe make it bold, use a different color, or even use a different font as long as it doesn’t detract from your overall style!)
Open the Character Styles panel (Window > Styles > Character Styles)
Click the "Create new style" button
Name your style "Important Text" or another relevant name (keywords, vocab words, etc. )
Click OK
Applying Styles
To apply a style:
For paragraph styles: Click anywhere in the paragraph, then click the style name in the Paragraph Styles panel
For character styles: Select the text you want to format, then click the style name in the Character Styles panel
Quick Apply: Press Ctrl+Enter (Windows) or Command+Return (Mac), type part of the style name, and press Enter to apply it.
Editing Styles
When you need to change a style:
Double-click the style name in the Styles panel
Make your changes in the dialog box
Click OK
The best part? Every piece of text using that style will update automatically! I love this for when I save an InDesign template so I can use the template again with a different visual style if needed!
Style Based On
You can create a hierarchy of styles:
Create a new style
In the style options, choose another style in the "Based On" dropdown
Make only the changes you want for this new style
This way, if you change the parent style, all child styles will update too. I honestly don’t use this one as much but it can be really helpful when using templates so you can adjust the visual style easier across multiple sections.
Using Style Groups
When you have many styles, organize them into groups:
Click the folder icon in the Styles panel
Name your group
Drag styles into the group
Nested Styles
Nested styles are powerful! They let you apply character styles automatically within paragraph styles.
For example, you can make the first line of a paragraph bold automatically:
Edit your paragraph style
Go to Drop Caps and Nested Styles
Click New Nested Style
Choose your character style and set when to apply it (like "through 1 word")
You can also create Nested Line styles that effect entire lines of text in a paragraph using the same menu.
Tips for Style Success
Plan before you start: Decide on your style needs first
Name styles clearly: Use names like "Heading 1" or even a descriptive name like “Section Titles” or “Chapter Heading” instead of "Style 1"
Create a style guide: Document which styles to use where
Use style groups: Keep related styles together
Style everything: Don't leave any text unstyled (this keeps everything consistent and helps if you need to change the style!)
Check for overrides: Look for the + sign next to style names, which means manual formatting has been added
Troubleshooting Styles
Style Not Applying Correctly?
Check for local overrides (look for the + sign)
Make sure you're using the right type of style (paragraph vs. character)
Check if the text is in a special state (like overset text)
Clearing Overrides:
Hold Alt/Option while clicking the style name to remove manual formatting
Alternatively you can right click on the style name and click clear override in the menu that pops up!
Practice Project: Create a Simple Flyer
Let's put all of Part 1 and 2 together with a simple project:
Create a new document (8.5" x 11")
Set up styles for:
Heading (large, bold font)
Subheading (medium, italic font)
Body text (regular font)
Captions (small font)
Highlighted text (character style with background color)
Create a headline at the top
Add a large image
Add body text with subheadings
Style everything using your styles
Once you are done, feel free to share your project with me by commenting below, through email at emily@celestialbeardesign.com, or by tagging me on instagram with @celestialbeardesign
I would absolutely love to see what you create! If you run into any questions or need some additional help please feel free to reach out as well.
Conclusion
You now have the basic skills to start creating layouts in InDesign! Remember these key points:
Frames are the building blocks of InDesign layouts
Guides and grids can help keep everything aligned
Styles save time and ensure consistency
When you change a style, it updates everywhere (as long as you have applied it to the appropriate places and there are no manual overrides!)
Planning your styles before you start saves time later!
Keep practicing, and soon you'll be creating amazing designs with ease. The best way to learn is by doing, so start a small project today!
Not interested in DIY? I am happy to help build out a wide variety of documents! Just reach out through my email emily@celestialbeardesign.com and we can discuss your project needs and I can provide a quote and timeline estimate!
