resOurces, tips & Guidelines

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 What’s
included?
These design templates were created to give you to the tools you need to successfully
promote your event from start to finish. We’ve created over 100 templates with various
designs, colours, formats and sizes and made them available for different software
applications.

Included in this guide:

1. How and where to access the templates

2. Photography available for use
3. A step-by-step guide on how to use the templates in InDesign
4. A step-by-step guide on how to use the templates in Photoshop
5. A step-by-step guide on how to use the templates in Microsoft Word
6. A step-by-step guide on how to use the templates in PowerPoint
7. Basic design tips and tricks
8. A guide to preparing and sending your materials for print
9. How to get your materials proofed and approved by the Hart House Communications Department

Included in the template folders:

2013/2014 Posters (2012/2013 available as well):

Design style: modern, photo background, illustration
background Sizes: 11” x 17” and 8.5” x 11”
Software: InDesign, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint

Postcards / flyers (2012/2013 folder):

Design style: modern, photo background, illustration
background Size: 4” x 6”
Software: InDesign, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint

Event program (separate download):

Design style: basic event program
Size: 5.5” x 8.5”
Software: Microsoft Word

Logos:
All formats of the Club & Committee
logos All formats of the Hart House logo
All formats of the Accessibility logo

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1.How to access files
All template folders and files are hosted online at:

Step 1:
Choose either the PC or Mac folder; each one is specifically formatted for these
operating systems. Click the link to download.

Step 2:
Once the folder has been downloaded, you will need to extract (or unzip) it. Usually,
double clicking on the compressed files will do this automatically.

Step 3:
Open up the folder and familiarize yourself with all of the different options available to
you. Have fun and be creative!

*Note: These templates are for Hart House Clubs & Committees and staff. These are not to be
sent to any other faculty, department or student group.

2.Photography
Available in the template folders online at:

We have provided some general photos for you to use, these are for Hart House events only
and are not to de distributed to any other faculty, department or student group.

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3.Using InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a page layout application and is the standard program used in graphic
design for all document layout and design work. Our templates were created in InDesign 5.5
so be sure to use at least that version of the software. We have also created a version saved
in InDesign 4, but it’s always preferred that you work in the most up to date software.

Important Tools:

Selection Tool

Type Tool

Frame Tool (for adding images)

Zoom Tool

Select either outline colour or fill colour

Step 1: Opening the file

Open the poster template that best suits your needs, according to design
and function (and the amount of content you have to include on it).

Step 2: View it in high resolution

To view your work in a finished high resolution format, go to the View drop
down menu at the top, choose Display Performance and then High Quality
Display.

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Step 3: Setting up your workspace
Open up your toolbars/palettes, you’ll need these to do the layout and design. You’ll need to use
Character, Paragraph, Layers, Pages, Swatches and Links. You can select which ones to open by going to
Window in the drop down menus at the top.

Step 4: Changing the title or text

To change the title on your poster, select the Type Tool from the toolbar on the left side of your screen (it
looks like an uppercase letter T). Once you have selected this tool, highlight the title text and replace it with
your event title. You can change all of the text on the poster the same way by selecting the type with Type
Tool and replacing it with your info.

Step 6: Making your title or text fit

You may need to change the size or weight of the font to get your text to fit. Select the text with Type Tool,
using either the Character palette or the toolbar at the top of your screen, and change the size of the text
or change the weight of the font from bold to regular. You can also adjust the letter spacing in the Character
palette (this is called tracking) to tighten it up.

Step 7: Changing the colour of the text

To change the colour of the text, select the Type Tool again and highlight the text you want to change.
Select the colour you want to use from the Swatches palette.

Step 8: Changing the background colour or image

To change the colour of the background, use the Selection Tool to select the background (if the layer is
locked and you can’t select it, go to your Layers palette and unlock the layer by clicking on the little lock
icon). With the background selected, choose the colour you want to use from the Swatches palette. To
add an image, use the Selection Tool and select the background. Go to File at the top left of your window
and select Place, this will prompt you to choose an image file on your computer.

Step 9: Changing the Club &

Committee logos
Select the Selection Tool from the
toolbar on the left of your screen. Click
on the logo in the bottom left corner of
your document, then go to File in the
top drop down menu.
From here you will click Place and be prompted to choose the file you would like to place in that box. The
Club & Committee logos are located in the template folder.

Step 10: Adding logos for event partners

If you have partner(s) for your event and need to include their logo, you will place it the same way as your Club

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& Committee logo in Step 8. Three gray place holder boxes are under the footer for these logos, if you don’t
have any sponsors you can simply delete those boxes by using your Selection Tool to select and delete
them. Before you place the logos in these boxes, you need to get rid of the gray background colour. Using your
Selection Tool, select the three gray boxes, go to your Swatches palette and click on the white box with
the red line through it, this will clear any colours from the box.

Step 11: The address line and accessibility logo

Do not change the address line or the accessibility logo. They must appear in this exact format on all materials.

Step 12: Saving your file

Once you have completed all of your revisions, you’ll need to save you file. Go to File and select Save As.
Be sure to choose a file name that represents your event (eg. janedoe_reading.indd).

Step 13: Packaging your file for future revisions

Packaging your file creates a folder with all of your images and links in one place. This makes future revisions,
edits and sharing your files easier. Go to File > Package, you may get an error stating that you can’t copy
the fonts over but it’s ok to ignore that. Select Package and continue with the process. You’ll need to
choose a location to save it in and a name for the folder.

Step 14: Creating a PDF

Make a PDF of your poster by going to File > Adobe PDF Presets > Press
Quality and click Save (remember the place that you save the PDF). Be
sure that in the Export Adobe PDF window that the Adobe PDF Preset is set
on Press Quality.
Select the Export button.

Step 15: Getting your work approved by the Hart House Communications Department
Send the final PDF to the Hart House Communications department for final review and approval. Send your file to
communications@harthouse.ca with the subject line: Communications REVIEW - Design

www.harthouse.ca
5.Using Word
Although Microsoft Word is meant for creating word processing documents, it can also be
used to create basic posters and event flyers.
Instructions are based on Microsoft Office 2010

Step 1: Opening the file

Open the poster template that best suits your needs, according to design and function (and the amount of
content you have to include on it).

Step 2: Editing the title

Select the title by highlighting the type in your event title. You may have to change
the size of the font to make it fit properly. You can do this by going to the Home
in top menu where you can also change the font, size, weight and color.

Step 3: Editing text

You can change the rest of the text in the same way as explained in Step 2.

Step 4: Changing logos and images

Click on the logo or image you would like change and delete it. To insert a new
logo or image, go to Insert > Picture > and choosing your file.
Note: In some poster templates, the logos and address line are in the footer. You
will have to double click on the footer to be able to edit that area. Click close
when you are done to return to the full document preview.

Step 5: Changing the background photo (for photo background templates)

Select the background photo and delete it. Go to Insert in the top menu, Insert > Picture > From File.
When the photo is inserted you will see conflicts with existing text, or possibly even a second page. To fix
this, double click on the image and go to Wrap Text on the top menu again, choose Square. This should
resolve the issue.

Step 6: Changing the background colour

Go to Page Layout on the top menu and choose Page Color. You can choose your colour from the pop-up window.

Step 7: Changing the footer information

The footer must remain exactly how it is with the exception of switching the logo.

Step 8: Saving your document

Select Save As, name your document after your event (eg. eventname.doc) to easily recognize and edit it in the future.

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Step 9: Preparing for print
Go to File on the top menu and choose Print > Print Setup, click on Print Options > Display, click on
Printing Options and check off Print background color and images. Go to File > Print, select Save As
PDF. Save to your desktop.

Step 10: Getting your work approved by the Hart House Communications Department
Send the final PDF to the Hart House Communications Department for final review and approval. Send your file to
communications@harthouse.ca with the subject line: Communications REVIEW - Design

www.harthouse.ca
6.Using PowerPoint
PowerPoint is meant for creating presentations but can be used to easily create simple
posters and flyers for your events.
Instructions are based on Microsoft Office 2010

Step 1: Opening the file

Open the poster template that best suits your needs, according to design and function (and the amount of
content you have to include on it).

Step 2: Editing the title and text

Select the title by highlighting the type in your event title. You may have to change
the size of the font to make it fit properly. You can do this by going to the Home
in top menu where you can also change the font, size, weight and color.

Step 3: Changing logos and images

To change the Club & Committee logo, go to Insert from the top menu and go
to Picture > and choose your file. In the Choose Picture window, locate your
Club & Committee logo folder and select either the white-EPS or black-EPS
(depending on whether the background is light or dark). You can insert partner
or sponsor logos or other images using the same steps.

Step 4: Saving your file

Select Save As, name your document after your event (eg. eventname.ppt) to easily recognize and edit it in the future.

Step 5: Preparing for print

To create a proper PDF file in PowerPoint, you need to go to File > Options > Advanced, from the Image
Size and Quality section, check off “Do not compress images in file” and set the default target output to
220 ppi. Go to Print section check off “Print in background” and “High Quality”. Save your file as a PDF.
You can also send the PowerPoint file to the printer. Be sure to only use system fonts in your design as there
can be compatability issues and your design will be altered when you send it to print.

Step 6: Getting your work approved by the Hart House Communications Department
Send the final PDF to the Hart House Communications department for final review and approval. Send your file to
communications@harthouse.ca with the subject line: Communications REVIEW - Design

www.harthouse.ca
7. Basic tips & tricks
Here’s a few things to keep in mind when designing your promotional materials.

1. Be concise: You only have a split second to grab someone’s attention. Bio’s, background information and
excessive contact details are all things to have on your website. Keep the poster clean and only include the
most important info.

2. Contrast: Be sure to choose background and text colours that contrast well. Using yellow type on a
white back- ground can be very difficult to read and is not accessible for people with a visual impairment

3. Formatting your text: It is standard to lay out your text so that it is read from left to right, this means
that you should always left align you text and titles. Centering blocks and right aligning text makes it
difficult to read and understand.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,

consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna aliqua.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna aliqua.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna
aliqua.

4. Choosing the right image: When choosing an image to use for your event remember that you have to be able
to read the text over top of it. Choose something that isn’t too busy or has a lot of contrast so that your text
still pops out.

5. Keep the design simple and clean: The more you add to the poster, the more opportunity there is for
people to miss the important information. Less is more.

6. Don’t distort text or images: Never stretch or compress any text, photos or illustrations.

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8. Preparing for print
Not sure how to prepare your files for print or where to send them? We’ve got you covered.

File format: Always send your documents to print as a PDF file.

Printing deadlines:
It’s important to leave enough time for printing, on average it takes 3-5 days to receive your materials
from the printer. Always work this in to your promotions timeline.

How to send your files for print:

Here’s an example of the specs you need to include when ordering your posters or flyers:

filename.pdf
- document size (11 x 17, 8.5 x 11 or 4 x 6)
- full colour or b/w
- paper type (also called stock) which would usually be Bond
- no bleed (the colour does not extend past the edge of the document)
- double or single sided (flyers & postcards that have information on both sides, you need to print double sided)
- quantity

While you are welcome to use whatever printing company you want, if you use Captain Printworks you can use
you Club & Committee account number for payment and the invoice will be mailed to Hart House.

The contact info for Captain Printworks:

730 Yonge Street, Unit 1
416-920-4114
www.captainprint.com
Contact name: Brenda Massie, brenda.massie@captainprint.com

Account Numbers:
Alumni Committee: 2612 Hart House Finnish Exchange: 2626
Archery Club: 2613 Literary and Library Committee: 2627
Art Committee: 2614 Hart House Players: 2628
Bridge Club: 2615 Hart House Investment Club: 2629
Camera Club: 2616 Hart House Jazz Choir: 2630
Hart House Chamber Strings: 2617 Hart House Jazz Ensemble: 2631
Chess Club: 2618 Music Committee: 2632
Hart House Chorus: 2619 Hart House Orchestra: 2633
Debating Club: 2620 Recreational Athletics Committee: 2634
Debates Committee: 2621 Hart House Singers: 2635
Farm Committee: 2622 Social Justice Committee: 2636
Hart House Film Board: 2623 Hart House Symphonic Band: 2637
House Committee: 2624 Theatre Committee: 2638
Finance Committee: 2625 Hart House Underwater Club: 2639

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9. Getting your design
reviewed &
approved
It’s mandatory that you receive sign off from the Hart House Communications Department on
all printed materials.

Why is it mandatory?

It is crucial that we review all Hart House materials before printing and distribution in order to maintain
brand integrity. Here are some of the things we’ll be looking for:

• spelling and errors

• correct logo usage
• brand integrity and consistency
• ensuring the content is accessible and readable

How do you get your materials reviewed?

Send the final PDF to the Hart House Communications Department for final review and approval. Send your file to
communications@harthouse.ca with the subject line: Communications REVIEW - Design. We will respond to you
within 48 hours with approval or a list of revisions. Once you have our approval, you can send your work to print
and begin distribution.

Still have questions?

We will be holding open office hours every Wednesday from 2:30 – 4:30 pm, if you have any questions or
concerns you are more than welcome to stop by and ask in person, or send us an email at
communications@harthouse.ca and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

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