In this InDesign video, Julie Shaffer shows how to take data from a source file and automate a layout in her InDesign project. She constructs and fills out a sample of the design then—using InDesign’s data merge function—sets the data to populate that design. Julie is able to set text with styling, put image frames in place, drag and drop data placeholders, then she puts the automation in motion.
This video is an excerpt from Julie’s “Turning Data Into Design” session at CreativePro Week 2022.
This article was last modified on August 29, 2025
This article was first published on October 16, 2022
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
Recommended for you
Don’t Apply Baseline Shift to Move a Paragraph Up or Down
Here’s another installment in a series I like to call: Please, for the love of a...
Layout Grid Calculator for Book Page Design
Online tool helps you to calculate perfect page grids according to three differe...
Creating a Pop Out Effect with Photoshop and InDesign
At the 2016 InDesign Conference in Washington, D.C., Nigel French reminded me of...