A known issue in InDesign Creative Suite (CS) 5 has to do with the new Live Corners feature. You may find that this feature does not present itself quite the way it is supposed to when working with rectangular interactive buttons. 

Live Corners lets you apply corner effects to rectangular frames and edit the radius of each corner together or individually using the small, yellow diamond shapes that appear on a frame when it is selected.

When working with rectangular interactive buttons, however, the initial small, yellow box you need to click in order to access the corner diamonds is nowhere to be seen.

As a workaround, simply double click the button to activate the small, yellow box and then click the small, yellow box to activate the four yellow diamonds in the corners of the button. 

Use these yellow diamonds to edit the corners of your button. For example:

• To adjust the radii of all four corners together, drag one of the diamonds toward the center of the frame.
• To adjust a single corner, [shift]-drag the diamond associated with the corner you want to edit.
• To cycle through the various corner effects, [option]-click ([Alt]-click in Windows) a yellow diamond.

Where, Oh, Where Did My Favorite Fonts Go? (Adobe Creative Suite 5)

If text in your Adobe Creative Suite (CS) 5 documents reflows after upgrading versions, there’s a good reason. Upon installing a newer version of Adobe software, newer versions of fonts are installed in the default system font directory. If older versions of these fonts exist in this directory, they are uninstalled and saved in a new directory. When you open a document in CS5 that was created in an earlier version, the new fonts are used. New fonts often mean new font metrics. The change in font metrics is what causes text to reflow and, subsequently change the appearance of your layout.

All is not lost, however. One option is to just deal with it, and readjust your layouts using the new fonts. Alternatively you can restore the flow of text in your documents by reverting back to the older version of fonts. 

There are two ways you can do this:

• Use a font manager to control the fonts used in specific documents; or
• Re-install the older fonts by deleting the new font files from the default system font directory, and moving the old files back into that directory.

You’ll have to refer to your font manager for instruction on how to do the first option, but here’s how to do the second option:

 The default system font directory where new fonts are stored is located in the <System Disk>/Library/Fonts folder in Mac OS X or the <System Disk>:\Windows\Fonts folder in Windows XP.

 The older fonts are saved in the new directory located in the <System Disk>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/SavedFonts/current folder in Mac OS X or the <System Disk>:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\SavedFonts\current folder in Windows XP.

 This new directory also contains a file named “Read Me.html,” which lists the saved fonts, and the version numbers of the new and old font files.

 Now, (for Mac OS X users) just copy or move all the font files from the individual font folders into the <Volume>/Library/Fonts folder (while logged on as administrator) to make fonts available to all users; or copy or move all the fonts files into the <Volume>/Users/<username>/Library/Fonts folder to make the fonts only available to the specified user.

 To do this in Windows XP, double-click on My Computer. Under Other Places click Control Panel. Click Fonts (Classic View) or Appearance and Themes and then Fonts. In the Fonts window, select the File menu and choose Install New Font. Locate the folder with your fonts and select the ones you want to reinstall. Click OK.

Tips are reprinted from New Horizons Graphic & Digital Designers eTips.

As a designer, you have the opportunity to work on various projects that can range from business cards, flyers, books, large format posters and everything else that you can put your creative work on to be shown.

Most of my projects are fun to work on and many stretch my imagination. But there is one project that is very difficult to not only design, but it is also hard not to get emotionally involved. That project would be obituaries.

The first obituary I did was for my nephew Darius. His mother’s only wish was to make it the best work I had done. And for us at that time it was…still is in many ways. Adding a collage of pictures and basketball inserts made his obituary almost as unique as Darius himself.  I had immersed myself into the design and didn’t even grieve until I saved the files to a CD for the printer. Once the CD ejected…I lost it. Learning to separate or withhold emotion during that time was a cornerstone in the process of dealing with the loss of a loved one when speaking to families during the gathering of information.

Since obituaries aren’t your normal design project, the regular rules of consultation to product delivery don’t apply. Understanding the difference, I have rules that are general, yet heavy in meaning, when asked to celebrate a life of a loved one, via program, for many people to view and keep as a memorial.

In no particular order:

• Be Patient – You must always remember you are dealing with families that are very emotional. The best thing is to take as much pressure off the process as possible. The initial consult can be the longest because the obituary for most families is low priority and they may not be prepared when you meet. Patience is key.
• Use Templates – Having two or three mock obits ready to present to the family will help expedite the decision making. Because this is a time-sensitive project, the less you have to design the better, but leave room to be flexible with possible changes. You have to remember they could have chosen to go with the funeral home or another designer.
• Don’t Be A Hassle – If you practiced patience during the initial consult, you more than likely compiled all the information needed to at least prepare a draft for the family to review. The point is to not call your contact constantly. Of course the family can and will call you often, but again…patience.
• Don’t Let Money Become An Issue – The laborer is worthy of his hire, but in many cases the profit margin may be slimmer than other projects. Again, the obituary is a low priority and if costs are going to be cut, it will be there. When you discuss price, many families think you can go to your local copy shop and do it themselves. It may not be a bad idea to have a quote from other sources to show your savings.
• Count This An Honor – A family has chosen you to create a lasting positive image of their loved one. Don’t take that lightly. Create a story with the pictures they give you and decorate the obit according to what you see in the loved one’s life. Let what you design for families become more than an order of service. Let it become a visual memorial of who the deceased was and not what lies before them.