This has simplified Agidea’s process for print document creation, making it a much more flexible and joined up process. Any required layout updates are then trivial to amend. To update a content section just requires one click. When content editors alter linked items in Google Drive, the designer gets an instant notification alert and chooses when they want to update the linked Google Doc/ Sheet items in Indesign.Īll the Doc Flow linked items are visible in the Links panel in Indesign and the update icon also appears there if linked items are updated. The ‘Docs Flow’ systemĮmsoftware’s Docs Flow system is a plugin for Indesign that allows the designer to import Google Doc or Google Sheet items from their Google Drive folder, including items shared with content editors, directly into Indesign. Because of the lack of flexibility with integrating copy and visual designs, as a work around in the past, we have used Word or Powerpoint as these are easy for content editors, despite delivering less professional visual layouts.

Our problem at Agidea was that we wanted to create high quality, illustrated, on-brand documents, that could be reused and easily updated in Indesign when required, with copy and design kept separate, so that copy editors didn’t have to go into the graphics package.

This inflexible work methodology means that if the copy is amended the print layout can only be manually updated by the designer or someone comfortable with the graphics package, which creates a considerable blocker. The traditional workflow is something along the lines of - copy is written, the document layout is designed, the designer then fits the copy to the design. The problem of inflexible workflow between copy and designersįor the creation of print documents with complicated design layouts there are some key logistical problems that plague all organisation involved in print production of such items as newspapers, magazines, to brochures and leaflets. Agidea utilizes new software to allow content editors and designers to work simultaneously on the same document in real time using Google Docs and Adobe Indesign.

Open google drive with adobe