InDesign is an amazing program, and being able to use it with confidence is an awesome skill to have. But at $20 or more per month, it can be quite the investment, especially if you’re on a small blogging budget.
How do you know when it’s the right time to invest in InDesign? In my opinion, there are 5 clear signs that you’re ready to make the leap and start using Adobe InDesign.
You’re ready to make an ebook.
Do you have a kick-ass ebook idea that you want to create for your audience? Whether you’re going to sell it for a profit or use it as a list-building tool, ebooks are really popular with bloggers, and with good reason! They’re an awesome way to show your expertise while helping out your audience on their own time.
And you know what the best program for creating ebooks is? InDesign. It’s specifically designed to let you integrate illustrations, photos, text, and more into one long-form document.
So if you’re ready to make an ebook, InDesign is the way to go. But I recommend waiting until you already have the book written, or at least mostly written. Because you pay for InDesign via a monthly subscription, you don’t want to be paying for it during the months when you’re sitting in Microsoft Word writing out all of your content.
Use InDesign to take your blog to the next level. Enroll in the InDesign Adventure Guide!
You want more customization than other programs offer.
Speaking of Microsoft Word, it’s a great program for writing your ebook… but when it comes to designing your ebook, it’s got a ways to go.
Apple Pages is an awesome next step, but there are some limitations to what it can do. If this is your first rodeo, I’d say stick with the lower-cost option of Pages. But if you’ve tried Pages and are ready to take the next step with some more customization and options, go with InDesign.
You’re interested in learning a new skill.
InDesign proficiency is an incredibly marketable skill. It’s a versatile program, so having the confidence to open it up and create something is highly sought after in certain professions.
If you’re interested in learning InDesign to develop a new skill that you can put on your resume, I recommend it. It’s a great reason to invest in InDesign, because you’re also investing in yourself!
P.S. Interested in learning more about InDesign? Enroll in the InDesign Adventure Guide for just $197!
You’re already comfortable with Photoshop or Illustrator.
Adobe has set up an amazing suit of programs that work really well together. If you’re already familiar with Photoshop or Illustrator, adding in InDesign is a natural next step.
Plus, if you’re comfortable with more than one program in Adobe Creative Cloud, it makes the $50/mo investment for all of the programs that much more reasonable. It’s one thing to pay $50/mo and only feel confident enough to open one program. It’s another when you’re able to open two, three or even four.
Plus, any one of these programs won’t solve all of your issues. Photoshop is great for photo editing, but it’s not great with large blocks of text or multi-page documents. Illustrator is great for creating illustrations and logos, but doesn’t really do anything with photos. InDesign is great for composition and creating long-form documents, but not photo editing.
Having access to all of these programs will greatly expand what you’re going to be able to accomplish.
InDesign intimidates you a little bit.
And finally, if the program intimidates you a little bit, it might be a sign that you should invest in InDesign.
It’s great professional development to try things that scare you, because they show you that you can overcome your fears and improve your confidence in the meantime.
Don't forget! Enroll in the InDesign Adventure Guide to become an InDesign master!
The relatively high monthly cost of InDesign and Adobe Creative Cloud intimidates a lot of bloggers and small business owners and prevents them from investing in it. And for a lot of people, that’s a great choice!
But if you’re ready to take your blog and your design skills to the next level, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re ready to invest in InDesign.
