Can I Learn InDesign For Free?

Thanks to a ready supply of free resources in this tech-centric age, you can learn software skills like InDesign without paying a dime, but there are a few caveats to be aware of. While free resources are an ideal way to learn beginner skills and answer questions on the fly, they can only take you so far. Advanced InDesign skills, including those needed to support a design career, will likely require more thorough training under the guidance of an expert. With that in mind, this article will survey what free resources are available for learning InDesign, give you some tips on how to get the most out of them and explore the steps that come after you’ve wrung free tools for all their worth. 

What Free Resources Are Available for Learning InDesign?

With a quick Google search, it’s easy to see that there are heaps upon heaps of free InDesign learning resources, which can make it hard to know where to start. You may find that you learn better in one format than another (written content versus video content, for instance), and knowing what’s available can help you choose which tools to go with. 

Online tutorials are among the most popular free resources available, and you can find them in many different formats. In addition to video tutorials listed on sites like YouTube, tutorials are also written out on blog posts, often with images to help you identify what you’re looking for in the InDesign app. 

In addition to tutorials, you can also find a variety of free InDesign seminars and classes that offer a bit more. Reputable design or education companies often publish free sample classes exploring InDesign topics. Tech education platforms sometimes also offer lecture-style seminars exploring adjacent topics such as design theory, design trends, and art history. 

Through these same companies, you can access free digital InDesign workbooks. For additional places to find InDesign workbooks for free, consider checking out your local university’s website or visiting a public library. While less immediate of a resource, library books offer a wealth of learning materials in a physical format that’ll take up less of your screen space. Popular books for InDesign beginners include InDesign CC: The Visual QuickStart Guide, Adobe InDesign Classroom in a Book, and Adobe Creative Cloud All-in-One For Dummies.

How to Make Use of Free InDesign Resources

It might be easy to think that there’s only one way to use free resources, but in reality, strategizing how you use them can help you learn more effectively and give you an advantage over students who simply click and watch with no preset intention. Here are some reliable strategies for making free resources work for you. 

• Use them to learn the basics. While free resources aren’t the best way to learn advanced InDesign skills, they’re a great option for learning foundational skills such as how to navigate the app workspace and create simple layouts. Because beginner basics are the easiest InDesign skills to learn, you may not need to attend a class to learn them. They’re also the most common topics treated by free resources. 
• Using them to prepare for a class. If you’ve already watched a tutorial guiding you through app navigation and terminology, you’ll have a much easier time keeping up with your instructor on the first day of any InDesign class you attend. Falling behind in the early stages of an InDesign class can have a huge impact on your ability to learn later material, making it all the more important to keep up. While also true of shorter classes, this is especially relevant for longer classes such as bootcamps and certificate programs. 
• Call on them for answers to niche questions. As you explore new InDesign projects, you’ll likely encounter new problems and navigate new InDesign features. Being able to whip up a free tutorial can save you a lot of trial and error. Additionally, online forums such as Reddit’s r/indesign subreddit enable you to easily request advice from other InDesign users online. 
• Treat them as supplementary study materials. If you’re learning any sort of intermediate to advanced InDesign skills, free resources shouldn’t be your only source of knowledge, but they can still add a lot to your training regimen. For instance, when you’re stumped on a project and don’t have ready access to your instructor, free resources can help you identify solutions so you can still complete your project in time for your class deadline. 

Limitations of Free Resources

Even though free learning materials can be a fabulous blessing at the start of your InDesign journey, they also come with some defects. While these shortcomings don’t make them unusable, they can lead to frustration and inefficient learning if you’re unaware of them. 

Often produced by fellow amateurs, free InDesign resources may skip over important information and even introduce bad design habits. Because not all free learning materials are of equally high quality, it’s worth taking the time to vet your sources rather than blindly selecting tutorials. Typically, the most reliable free resources come from respected design and software education companies like Adobe and Noble Desktop. Resources from university websites (.edu pages) and professional designers are also safe bets. 

It’s important to keep in mind that the topics covered by free InDesign materials are generally small in scope, meaning that they tend to stick to the main points rather than giving you all possible information about a topic. Additionally, free resources can’t provide hands-on experience or training in design soft skills. As a result, free resources can’t offer you everything you need to prepare for a career and are most useful for beginners with a casual interest in InDesign. 

The likelihood that you miss important details is further compounded by the fact that free resources are scattered across the Internet (and libraries) rather than curated by an expert as part of a class curriculum. As a result, how effectively you learn depends heavily on your ability to scavenge information from the right sources. Unfortunately, because everyone has a different level of web search and media literacy, the free InDesign sources you’re able to find will vary significantly from those of someone else, leaving you with two completely different sets of information. If your level of web search and media literacy is low, you may struggle to find good free resources at all. 

What to Do After Utilizing Free InDesign Resources

After exploring the free InDesign resources at your disposal, you may find that you’re still yearning for more guidance. You can continue your InDesign education by joining a live training course. In a live InDesign class, you won’t need to scavenge haplessly for information because all of your assignments and study materials will be curated for you by an expert. In addition, you’ll be able to receive growth-stimulating feedback and ask questions in real-time, taking years off your learning time. To cater to different learning goals, there are a variety of different class styles available. 

Short Live Classes (For Those Who Want Condensed Training)

Sometimes referred to as masterclasses, short InDesign classes have a small topic scope and usually take less than one week to complete. Some classes, such as Noble Desktop’s InDesign in a Day course, only take a few hours. Their short length makes them easy to fit into a busy schedule and can also make them more manageable if you’re dealing with fatigue. 

Because of their limited time allotment, short classes tend to focus on small topics in less detail than you’d expect from a bootcamp or certificate-style course. Beginner topics are among the most popular subjects for short classes, making them an ideal option for learning how to navigate InDesign or create simple layouts. That said, short courses tackling advanced topics like digital publishing, mixing InDesign with InCopy, and InDesign for Instagram are becoming more popular. Unlike beginner courses, which are open to anyone, short advanced classes often have prerequisites, requiring learners to have already taken specific InDesign courses before qualifying. 

InDesign Bootcamps (For Beginner-Friendly Yet Thorough Training)

Rather than spreading your training out over numerous short classes, you can also opt to learn everything there is to know about InDesign in one program. Bootcamp courses like Noble Desktop’s Adobe InDesign Bootcamp allow you to learn all of InDesign’s features in a matter of days or weeks by providing you with hands-on training. Instead of being limited to very simple layouts, you’ll then be capable of designing any type of layout your creative soul dreams up. 

Certificate Granting Programs (For Up-And-Coming Design Professionals)

If there’s an InDesign career in your future, you’ll likely need to know a lot more than just one design software to qualify for jobs, and luckily, certificate-granting InDesign courses can help you with that. By teaching you InDesign alongside skills such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and applied design theory, programs like Noble Deskop’s Graphic Design Certificate are intended to help you build practical skills through experiential training. Rather than only focusing on technical skills alone, these programs also provide an environment that encourages vital soft skills to grow. 

Created as economical alternatives to college, design certificates can give you all the training you need to start your career as a Designer. Along with graphic design, you’ll find plenty of certificates focusing on vocations like UX/UI design and web design. The best part is that certificate training isn’t as costly or time-intensive as college, allowing you to launch your career with no debt in as little as three months full-time. On a part-time study schedule, certificate training typically runs between six months and a year, still significantly shorter than your average college degree. 

To ensure you’re primed for success after graduation, design certificate courses usually offer professional development services that aren’t available in other courses. For instance, Noble Desktop’s career certificates come with one-on-one mentoring and free access to a career support team. Additionally, you’ll receive feedback and tips to help make your portfolio shine.