Creating a Postcard


A postcard is an affordable marketing option. Postcards can be mailed affordably, as well as left on counters or packed in with purchases. The postcard is a very popular tool for promoting a variety of events and organizations.

Pages offers a number of postcard templates to choose from. In this part of the lesson, you'll start with one of those templates, but then you are going to substantially modify it to create a custom card.

Selecting a Template

You will first select a template that is similar to the postcard you want to create, so you have a foundation for your customization.

1.

Choose File > New to open the Template Chooser. Click the Invitations category, choose Announcement Postcard, and click Choose.

A new, untitled document opens.

The postcard is presented in a 4-up view, which means there are four copies of the postcard on the page, an arrangement that allows you to print multiple postcards efficiently. You will build one copy of your postcard in one of the quadrants, and then copy it and paste it into the other quadrants.

2.

Choose File > Save; name the file Nadas Postcard and store it on your local hard drive.

The postcard is ready to be modified to match the style and functional needs of the band.

Designing the Card Front to Match the Poster

You want the front of the postcard to be similar in style to the band poster you just designed. It is a good idea for your marketing materials to have a similar look, to help build audience recognition. The front of your postcard will use the same images and colors as the poster.

1.

From the Media Browser, drag the Guitar photo to replace the large placeholder photo at the upper-left postcard.

2.

Click the text block and press the Delete key to remove the text block from the postcard.

3.

In the toolbar, click the Objects button and choose Shape > Rectangle.

You will use this rectangle as a design element on the page.

4.

In the Metrics Inspector, size the square to be 4.25 inches wide and 4.25 inches high.

This fills the full height of the postcard, and sets the rectangle to be a perfect square.

5.

In the Metrics Inspector, set the X and Y positions to 0; then send the object to the back by choosing Arrange > Send to Back.

6.

Scale the Guitar photo so it is large enough to fill the card top to bottom.

You can use the Metrics Inspector to set the height to 4.25 inches and the Y position to 0.

7.

Send the photo to the back by choosing Arrange > Send to Back.

8.

Hold down the Shift key and click the square to select it.

Both the square and the photo should be selected.

9.

Choose Format > Mask With Shape. Scale or reposition the photo to taste. Double-click the photo to apply the mask.

10.

In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

11.

In the toolbar, click the Objects button and choose Shape > Rectangle.

12.

Click the Colors button to open the Colors window (if it's not visible). Drag the red swatch you made for the poster and apply it to the square.

13.

Drag and position the red box to fill the right side of the postcard. Scale it so it is 1.75 inches wide by 4.25 inches high. Use alignment guides to position the rectangle.

14.

From the Media Browser, drag the image 06 Listen_Through_The_Static.jpg to your document.

The image is very large and needs to be sized to fit into the red rectangle.

15.

In the Metrics Inspector, enter a width of 1.75 inches and select the Constrain proportions check box. In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box. Position the CD cover in the upper-right corner of the postcard.

16.

Click the red rectangle to select it; then drag the top edge of the rectangle so it is aligned with the bottom of the Listen Through the Static CD cover.

17.

In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

The front of the postcard is almost complete; it just needs text.

Adding Text to the Postcard

The postcard needs some text information. You are going to create a text logo for the band and add tour information.

1.

Click within the red rectangle to make sure no insertion point is showing. Then, in the toolbar, click the Objects button and choose Text; then enter the word THE.

2.

Select the text; then open the Font and Colors windows and modify the font attributes:

  • Color: Use the red swatch you saved earlier.

  • Font: Gill Sans Regular

  • Size: 30 points

3.

In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

4.

In the Metrics Inspector, rotate the text 180°.

5.

Size and position the text box to match the above figure.

6.

In the toolbar, click the Objects button and choose Text; then enter the word NADAS.

7.

Select the text; then open the Font and Colors windows and modify the font attributes:

  • Color: Use the red swatch you saved earlier.

  • Font: Gill Sans Regular

  • Size: 78 points

8.

In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

9.

In the Metrics Inspector, rotate the text 90°.

10.

Size and position the text box to match the following figure.

11.

Select the NADAS text block and choose Edit > Duplicate.

12.

Modify the text block so it says LISTEN THROUGH THE STATIC TOUR.

13.

Select the text; then open the Font and Colors windows and modify the font attributes:

  • Color: White

  • Font: Gill Sans Regular

  • Size: 17 points

14.

Size and position the text box to match the following figure.

15.

Open the file 08Nadas Postcard Text.pages in the Lesson 08 folder; select and copy the front postcard text.

16.

Return to your postcard document. Double-click the red box to edit it; then choose Edit > Paste to add the text.

17.

Select the text in the red rectangle and press Command-= (equal sign) two times to increase the point size by 2 points.

The text now more completely fills the red box.

Repeating the Postcard

The card is designed, but needs to be duplicated a few times for easy printing. You will be able to print four postcards on a sheet of paper.

1.

Select the elements on the page that are not part of your design and press Delete.

2.

Hold down the Shift key and click each element in your new postcard (be sure to select all six elements). You may need to click near the corners of objects as many overlap.

3.

Choose Arrange > Group to combine the six elements into a single unit.

4.

Hold down Option key and drag the image to the right until its right edge meets the right edge of the page. When a cloned copy begins to move, add the Shift key to constrain the movement.

Pressing Option while dragging an item creates a duplicate of the object and holding the Shift key constrains the drag to a vertical or horizontal straight line.

5.

In the Wrap Inspector, deselect the Object causes wrap check box. You will need to click twice.

6.

Hold down the Shift key and click to select both postcards. Then hold down the Option key and drag downward until the bottoms of the duplicate cards touch the bottom of the page.

7.

Save your work.

Designing the Card Back

You can design the back of the postcard, too, to include additional information. Here, you will add the names and images of the band's albums. To keep the design consistent, you will use elements from the card front. You can use the file Nadas Postcard_Final.pages for reference.

1.

Click the Next Page button (the down-pointing arrow) at the bottom of the document window to display the second page of the postcard layout.

2.

Delete all but the first postcard template on page 2.

Tip

You can click and drag to lasso multiple elements and then press Delete.

3.

Shift-select the three text blocks: for Gallery name, Gallery hours, and Contact information; then press Delete.

4.

Shift-click to select the two orange rectangles.

5.

Open the Graphic Inspector and click the Fill color well; then, in the Color window, choose the red swatch you created earlier.

The rectangles turn red.

6.

Select the two red boxes and the gray box; then open the Wrap Inspector and deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

7.

Select the return address and addressee text blocks and press Delete.

8.

Open the Media Browser and drag the six album covers into your document.

They are different sizes and too large for the layout.

9.

While the images are all still selected, switch to the Metrics Inspector and enter a width of 0.6 inch. Ensure that the Constrain proportions check box is selected. Press Enter to apply the transformation (some of the images will obscure those below).

10.

Switch to the Wrap Inspector and deselect the Object causes wrap check box.

11.

Position the album covers to match the following figure. Use the Arrange commands to change the stacking order.

12.

Open the file Nadas Postcard_Text.pages in the Lesson 08 folder and copy the album titles for the back copy.

13.

Double-click to select the text in the top text block; then choose Edit > Paste. Drag the text block down so its top aligns with the top of the upper red rectangle. Drag to the right so its left edge is just to the right of the top album cover.

14.

Select the Text Inspector and choose the following options to position the text within the text block:

  • After Paragraph: 11 pt

  • Inset Margin: 6 pt

15.

Adjust the size of the text block to reveal all of the text; then position the text block on the page to align it with the CDs; then choose Arrange > Bring to Front to bring the text forward.

16.

Type spaces before the album titles so they are farther from the album images; change the text color of the first title and the last two titles to white.

You now need to borrow some elements from the front of the postcard.

17.

Scroll back to page 1 and select one of the postcards. Hold down the Option key and drag a copy to page 2.

The copy of the front of the card is added on page 2 as a grouped object. The front needs to be ungrouped so you can select individual elements.

18.

Choose Arrange > Ungroup. Delete all elements except the text blocks containing the words THE and NADAS; then select these two words and choose Arrange > Group.

19.

In the Metrics Inspector, rotate the object 270°. Then drag the grouped words into the left corner of the postcard.

The words are too large and overlap the stamp area. You need to size down the text. Fortunately, you can still edit grouped text.

20.

Double-click the word THE and change the point size to 24; then double-click and change the word NADAS to 64 points.

21.

Ungroup the object. Then reposition the text elements to clean up the alignment to match the following figure.

The postcard design is complete. All that's left is to duplicate the postcard design so a copy occupies each of the four quadrants of the layout.

22.

Group the objects for the back of the postcard as you did before: select all elements on page 2 and choose Arrange > Group.

23.

Duplicate the postcard and place three copies on the page to fill out the layout.

24.

Save your work and then close the postcard document.

You can check your work by opening the file 08Nadas Postcard_Final.pages in the Lesson 08 folder.



Apple Training Series. iWork '06 with iLife '06
Apple Training Series: iWork 06 with iLife 06
ISBN: 0321442253
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 171

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