Can I Learn InDesign in 3 Months?

The biggest factor determining how long it takes you to learn InDesign will ultimately be what you want to be able to accomplish with InDesign by the end of your journey. While you may not be able to master InDesign at an expert level in just three months, it’s totally reasonable to learn how to use this software to design a wide range of layouts in this amount of time. The second determinant of how quickly you learn InDesign is going to be the type of training you pursue, as different training modalities come with different strengths and weaknesses. This article will expound further on what you can expect to learn in three months of InDesign use, give you some tips for speeding up your learning process, and offer ideas for skills to learn after InDesign. 

How Much InDesign Can I Learn in 3 Months 

An incredibly user-friendly software, InDesign is intuitive enough that beginners can start experimenting with the basics in just a few days, and many classes can teach you how to use all features in that same time frame. However, like any skill, some learners may find InDesign more challenging than others, particularly if they have little prior experience with design or design software. That said, most experienced InDesign users recommend that new learners allow at least one month before feeling truly confident in the basics, and this timeline will likely be extended for self-taught learners. 

In general, you’re more likely to feel confident using InDesign more quickly if you put more time into practicing while you’re learning. Consequently, a class that includes hands-on training will help you learn more quickly than one that provides lecture-style training. Ultimately, If you want to do more than create very simple layouts, you should expect to devote more time to mastering InDesign (especially if you plan to use the tool professionally). For this reason, most professional design classes span between several days and three months full-time, allowing plenty of time for experience-building assignments. 

In a design career, you’ll need to learn how to combine your knowledge of InDesign with other design tools, such as Photoshop and Illustrator. Additionally, layout designs can be massively improved by careful application of principles from design theory. All these additional considerations, while vital for a design career, can add more time to your learning journey, even expanding it from three months to a year if you choose to study part-time. Design careers also depend heavily on professional experience, which takes time and diligence to acquire, but is often included as a component in certificate training programs. 

How Can I Learn InDesign More Quickly?

Regardless of how much you want to learn about InDesign, there are strategies that you can use to speed up your learning journey, and which one you use will depend on your goals. 

Free Resources (For Exploring InDesign Basics)

If you’re simply hoping for some basic tips to get you started or need to resolve a specific issue for one of your existing design projects, free resources can be one of the quickest ways to go from A to Z. In a matter of seconds, you can search for and find Internet tutorials on beginner topics like how to navigate the InDesign workspace and how to add a table of contents to a book spread.

When using free tools, however, there are a few caveats to bear in mind. Because free resources are relatively compact, you shouldn’t expect a free resource to take you beyond the beginner level. Additionally, because free resources are less than a dime a dozen, they’re not all of equal quality, meaning that it’s worth taking a few extra seconds to double-check that the one you choose comes from a reliable source. You’ll find some of the best free InDesign resources being published by design companies like Adobe and TechEd companies like Noble Desktop. These experts can help you dodge bad InDesign habits and even learn shortcuts. 

Short Introductory Classes (For Expert-Guided Instruction)

Trying to scavenge information from free resources isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Live InDesign classes offer straightforward, no-nonsense instruction for InDesign beginners who want to talk to a real person. In these classes, there’s no need to fall down a Google search rabbit hole that might or might not end in frustration. With an expert present, students can simply ask their instructor questions in real-time, whether they choose a class that takes place in-person or online. 

Typically covering basic InDesign like how to make a simple layout, most introductory classes can be completed in less than a week (some in under one day). These classes are most suited to amateur designers and can only take students through their beginner-level InDesign education. 

Advanced Classes (For Amateur Designers Who Want More)

If you plan to learn InDesign at an advanced level but aren’t necessarily interested in using InDesign professionally, joining a live InDesign class will help you learn InDesign much faster than if you try to learn InDesign without instructor support. 

Short Advanced Classes (For Niche Training)

After taking prerequisite beginner classes, you can qualify for most short advanced InDesign classes, which will allow you to level up while focusing your training on the specific topics you’re most interested in. Rather than wasting time on professional subjects like portfolio development and career planning, you can select from classes on topics like digital publishing, InDesign for Instagram, XML, and color printing. 

InDesign Bootcamps (For Comprehensive, Beginner-friendly Training)

You can also choose to learn all of InDesign’s functions in one go by participating in an InDesign bootcamp. These beginner-friendly programs typically aim to cover every corner of InDesign in just a few days or weeks by taking you through a series of hands-on design projects. 

Certificate Granting Programs (For Budding Design Professionals)

If you plan to learn InDesign at an advanced level for a design career, a certificate training program will give you the best career preparation you can ask for in three months. These programs were created as cheaper alternatives to college design degrees and typically cover InDesign alongside other professional design skills such as Photoshop and Illustrator. By teaching you design skills at a professional level, certificate programs give you the advanced knowledge necessary to pass professional certification exams and succeed in today’s oversaturated job markets. In addition, these programs typically include built-in professional experience, along with career advancement perks like portfolio workshops, career counseling, job support, interview training, and one-on-one coaching. 

When taken at a full-time pace, many design certificate courses can be completed in three months. However, you can also choose to take a part-time design certificate, studying the same skills over six months to a year. If you opt for part-time study, you may still be able to master InDesign in three months, but it will depend largely on your course curriculum as each course drills skills in a different order. 

What Design Skills Will I Need to Learn After 3 Months?

After three months of learning InDesign, you’ll likely be interested in ways you can expand your design skills to meet your goals more effectively. Depending on what those goals are, the skills you prioritize may vary, but in general, most InDesign users find value in not only furthering their in-app InDesign skills but also learning how to combine InDesign with other design skills to create even more stunning designs. Additionally, taking the time to work on professional development can be an important step for anyone dreaming of a career in design. 

Level Up in InDesign

Being a beginner doesn’t last forever, and when you’re ready to take your InDesign skills a bit further, there are a variety of directions you can go. One strategy is to choose a new project incorporating skills that you’ve never tried before (such as inserting a table of contents) and learn as you go. If you want to learn even more tips and tricks along the way, you can even join an advanced InDesign class focusing on your topic of choice. 

If you don’t already know them, skills you may want to explore include: 

• Master pages
• Using color swatches
• Inserting transparent images (such as .png files)
• Running heads
• Kerning and tracking
• InDesign Libraries
• Anchoring frames and objects
• Inserting an Excel table
• Typesetting with paths, various paragraph styles, columns, bulleted lists, hanging bullets, special break characters, hyphenation, or discretionary hyphens
• Automatic page numbering and text flow
• Building and formatting a table of contents
• Combining multiple files into one
• Drawing bézier curves with the Pen tool
• Spell checking and find and replace

You may also enjoy testing challenge projects like the following: 

• Magazine or book spreads
• Magazine or book covers
• Multiple-column advertisements

Learn Another Design App

If you love multimedia designs, chances are, you’d love being able to take advantage of other design tools too. Thanks to InDesign’s compatibility with other Adobe Creative Cloud apps, files created in Illustrator or Photoshop can be easily worked back and forth between InDesign and these tools. As a result, it’s possible to take charge of every aspect of your design projects, from fine-tuning photographs in Photoshop to generating unique artwork in Illustrator, and finally producing the perfect InDesign layout to display your work. In addition, learning how to work with multiple design tools can secure your footing as a design professional. 

However, Photoshop and Illustrator are just two of the many possible apps that can make your InDesign experience more rewarding. Other compatible tools include:

• InCopy
• XML
• Excel
• Procreate
• Word

Learn Applied Design Theory

Although creative people are often better at design, it’s not true that creativity is something you can’t improve. Believe it or not, you can grow your creative capacity by learning how to apply design theory to your projects. Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, you’ll discover that the more time you spend with design concepts like white space and color theory, the better your designs will become. 

While many classes (including InDesign-related career certificates) can teach you applied design theory in three months, you’ll need to practice applying design principles to your work for several years if you want to master this skill at an expert level. The reason for this extended timeline is that design application is highly situational, and successful application comes just as much from trial and experience as it does from theoretical knowledge. 

Get Professional Development Training

While nearly every artist likely wishes it weren’t so, success in today’s design industries has become highly commercialized, and now depends even more heavily on professional skills and industry-approved qualifications than it does on the caliber of your designs. As a result, you won’t want to skip over professional development if you have any plans of becoming a professional designer. There are a variety of ways to get professional training, including certificate-granting bootcamps, career-oriented advanced courses, and college degrees. 

Today’s most popular professional development foci for designers include: 

• A high-quality portfolio of design samples
• Professional experience
• Design certifications (obtained by passing a proctored exam)
• Project management skills
• Soft skills including communication and teamwork
• Interview training
• Networking
• Tech skills such as coding

Learn InDesign Skills with Noble Desktop

Whatever your goals for the software, learning InDesign in three months is 100% doable with the help of NYC and live online InDesign classes from Noble Desktop. In addition to exploring beginner basics in short classes like InDesign in a Day, you can get a comprehensive of all InDesign features by signing up for the Adobe InDesign Bootcamp. Open to both beginners and veteran designers, this hands-on training program will teach you the skills to create InDesign layouts of many sorts. Like all Noble Desktop classes, the bootcamp provides experiential assignments that will simultaneously familiarize you with theoretical concepts and help you build technical skills. By the end of the course, you’ll already have created numerous advanced InDesign projects, including a full-page advertisement, brochure, magazine spread, and stylized text project. 

To set you up for a successful design career, Noble Desktop also has a wide range of career certificates, including a Graphic Design Certificate that pairs InDesign with applied design, Photoshop, and Illustrator. While working in a realistic studio environment, you’ll have the opportunity to gain professional experience as you hone both technical skills and key soft skills. In addition, you’ll also team up with an expert who will mentor you through the stages of planning your career, reworking your portfolio, and preparing to land your dream job.