For example, here are some wacky shapes you might use: If you want a fancier shape, you might consider creating it with a combination of the Corner Options, Pen tools, the Pathfinder panel (or menu), or the Direct Selection tool. (Of course, see here for how to make a perfect triangle in InDesign.) That can be particularly helpful for making triangles. You can make many other shapes in InDesign by starting with a rectangular frame and then choosing from the Object > Convert Shape menu: If you’re using CS4 or earlier, you can fake it by adding a blank paragraph before the text, then adjusting the size and leading of the two paragraphs - one blank and one with text - until the text is centered vertically.) ?Making Shapes with Convert Shape and Pathfinder In CS5, it’s simple: Just open Object > Text Frame Options and choose Center from the Vertical Justification pop-up menu. Horizontal centering is easy, but vertical centering has long been a bugaboo. (You may notice that the text is centered in the image above. That might seem like a lot of work, but of course, you only need to do it once and then you can duplicate it whenever you need another. ?If you want the diamond more squat, just change the H field in the Control panel, or drag the top or bottom handle. The result is a diamond-shaped text frame in which the text is still horizontal. Now select the rotated square and the text frame and choose Object > Pathfinder > Add. Here’s one:įirst draw a square frame (hold down the Shift key to keep it square). Rotate it 45 degrees in the Control panel’s rotation field.ĭraw a small text frame over it (make sure the text frame is completely surrounded by the diamond), and (optionally) put some text in it. If you can’t draw a proper diamond with the Pen tool, you’re not alone. But lots of folks want diamonds and other shapes. If that’s all you need in your flow chart, then you’re set. InDesign is great at making rectangles and ovals.

Sometimes “pretty” is more imporant, and we turn to InDesign.īut how best to make an org chart in InDesign? In this first of several articles, I’m going to describe a few of my favorite charting tips. On the other hand, other apps are not the best at making professional-looking (“pretty”) layouts. On the one hand, InDesign is not the best tool in the world for making flow charts and org charts and that sort of thing.

Lucidchart org chart change to vertical