10 Careers That Use Adobe InDesign

Adobe InDesign is a program that allows users to create and publish projects like flyers, posters, brochures, and even entire magazines and books. Whatever you make with this software can then be shared via both digital and print copies. It is especially useful when developing projects that require complex layouts, large amounts of text, and/or multiple pages.

While this program is often considered the gold standard for fields like publishing and graphic design, there are plenty of other careers out there that require skills in this innovative program. Read on to learn more!

1. Graphic Designer

These professionals use a combination of creative and technical skills to design images that efficiently communicate a message to their audience. Graphic designers are often employed to produce content for a specific agency, but they can also work freelance if they prefer to set their rates and hours. Adobe InDesign helps to make documents appealing to the eye, even when they contain a lot of text. Graphic designers also use other software programs to complete their work such as Adobe Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Adobe XD.

2. Digital Designer

This career path often gets confused with graphic design. It does contain some similar elements as graphic design, but digital designers tend to create designs that are more dynamic like interactive pages, 3D modeling, and animation. Adobe InDesign is a vector-based program, meaning a digital designer can create projects here and scale them up or down depending on their client’s needs without changing the quality of their work.

3. Marketing Coordinator

Marketing Coordinators are typically responsible for using an array of digital channels to help their clients increase their revenue and widen their customer base by building brand awareness. Among other things, Adobe InDesign allows Marketing Coordinators to create interactive PDF documents. This helps them stand out against their competitors because their marketing materials are more engaging for the user. If this career path appeals to you, you’ll also want to learn the basics of other digital marketing tools like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Google Analytics.

4. Social Media Manager

As the title suggests, Social Media Managers handle the various social media accounts for their employers. A big part of this job is to create content for customers to notice and want to interact with as they’re scrolling. InDesign has tools that are specifically designed to create content for social media. For instance, the program has features that allow you to optimize your creations for Instagram stories that are almost exclusively viewed on mobile devices. 

5. Technical Illustrator

If you have a keen eye for design but also like to engage with data and statistics, becoming a Technical Illustrator might be a great fit for you. These professionals help break down complex information into easily understandable diagrams or drawings. Their work is often seen in places like textbooks or instructional manuals. With InDesign, a Technical Illustrator can create scalable drawings that can be displayed both in print and digitally. 

6. Design Editor

Generally employed in the marketing industry, Design Editors layout ads that will be distributed digitally and on print-based materials. They can also assist with other marketing tasks like creating illustrations of products and designing logos. With Adobe InDesign, they can easily develop attractive layouts for their campaigns and other marketing materials. 

7. Copywriter

Not to be confused with copyrighting, a Copywriter is someone who creates dynamic content for a digital platform. Things like blog posts, informational emails, and social media posts are usually delegated to copywriters. They use InDesign to make their content stand out and appear professional on a variety of platforms. From email marketing to press releases, a Copywriter does it all!

8. Production Artist

A Production Artist is often part of a larger creative team. These professionals combine creative and technical skills to execute the vision of an Art Director. They also usually collaborate with Graphic Designers. InDesign is used to create a variety of deliverables like press releases and PDFs. 

9. Desktop Publishing

These professionals use InDesign to design layouts of pages that are printed on paper and digitally published. In addition to the required technical skills, Desktop Publishers also assist with editing materials for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These are skills you’ll want to boost if you feel that publishing is the right career for you. 

10. Layout Artist

If working in the art and design industry appeals to you, consider starting your career as a Layout Artist. Skillfully combining text, photographs, and illustrations, a Layout Artist works to create appealing layouts that are generally used for print purposes like brochures, magazines, posters, and books. InDesign is a vital tool for them since creating layouts is one of the program’s primary functions. 

Learn Adobe InDesign With Career Centers

Ready to dive in and boost your InDesign skills? Check out all of the Adobe InDesign courses that are offered by Noble Desktop, a partner program of Career Centers. These classes can be taken in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus or remotely from the comfort of your home. 

Noble offers an InDesign in a Day course which is six hours long and specifically geared toward beginners. This class focuses on the most fundamental InDesign skills like layouts, text customization, and image effects. Noble Desktop also has an 18-hour Adobe InDesign Bootcamp as part of its programming. This course goes more in-depth than the one-day course. If you’re interested in a more comprehensive experience, you might consider the Graphic Design Certificate. This 12-day program covers the fundamentals of InDesign in addition to other Adobe programs like Illustrator and Photoshop.