Then add a table ( Table > Insert Table) with one column for each year, minus one. Start by creating a text frame large enough to contain the entire area of the timeline. More after the jump! Continue reading below↓įree and Premium members see fewer ads! Sign up and log-in today.īuilding and editing this kind of graphic with any kind of precision would be a time-consuming pain in the neck if you tried to use separate frames and lines for everything. Here is an example of a simple horizontal linear timeline, featuring milestones in the history of audio storage technology from 1935 to 2001. Plus you can save a lot of time (and have a lot more fun crafting the look) when you let InDesign handle the chore of making an accurate and flexible structure for the timeline. You can make them horizontal, vertical, or even in a grid format. They’re the perfect kind of infographic for any time you need to portray a sequence of events. You might use timelines in posters, brochures, web graphics, magazine articles, even evidence exhibits for a court case. Often these textbooks would include graphical timelines with important dates, images, and other content arranged in a precise linear fashion to give students a sense of the timing and context of important events.īut timelines aren’t just for textbooks. When you want to make a graphical timeline, there’s one tool in InDesign you should reach for immediately: tables.Įarlier in my career, I spent many years making textbooks. Subscribe now for the best InDesign content on the planet! This article originally appeared in InDesign Magazine Issue 69.