Adobe InDesign is a versatile and powerful tool that allows designers to create compelling layouts for various types of documents, including books, magazines, brochures, and much more. One of the best features of InDesign is its extensive customization capabilities, including the ability to adjust bullet points to suit your design needs. Often, you may want to make bullet points a different color than the associated text to help them stand out or to create a visually appealing hierarchy. In this article, we’ll cover how to make bullet points a different color from the text in Adobe InDesign.
Why Change the Color of Bullet Points?
Color can be a powerful tool for design, and adding a splash of color to your bullet points can serve multiple purposes:
- Create Visual Hierarchy: Different colors can help distinguish bullet points from the rest of the text, guiding the reader’s eye and making your content more accessible.
- Highlight Key Information: Using contrasting colors for bullets can draw attention to specific areas of the list, making key points more memorable.
- Add Aesthetic Appeal: Color coordination can also enhance the overall visual design of your document, making it look polished and professional.
Now, let’s explore how you can achieve different colored bullet points in InDesign.
Step-by-Step Guide: Making Bullet Points a Different Color
Changing the color of bullet points while keeping the text a different color may not be as straightforward as changing text color, but it is entirely achievable by leveraging InDesign’s character and paragraph styling capabilities. Follow these steps to make it happen.
Step 1: Create a Bulleted List
The first step is to create a bulleted list:
- Select the Text: Using the Type Tool (T), click and drag to select the text you want to turn into a bulleted list.
- Add Bullets: To add bullets, open the Paragraph Panel (Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph) and click on the bulleted list icon. You can also access this by going to Type > Bulleted & Numbered Lists > Apply Bullets.
Your text should now be formatted as a bulleted list, using the default bullet symbol.
Step 2: Open the Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box
To customize the appearance of your bullet points, including changing their color, you will need to access the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.
- With your bulleted list selected, open the Paragraph Panel.
- Click on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the upper-right corner of the Paragraph Panel, and select Bullets and Numbering.
- This will bring up the Bullets and Numbering dialog box, where you can customize the appearance of your bullets.
Step 3: Define a Custom Bullet Character
To make the bullet points a different color, it helps to define a custom bullet character. Here’s how to do that:
- In the Bullets and Numbering dialog box, click on the Add button next to the bullet character options.
- This will open the Glyphs panel, where you can choose a bullet symbol from any available font. Once you’ve chosen your symbol, click Add to include it in your list of bullet characters.
Step 4: Apply Character Styles to the Bullet Points
The key to making bullet points a different color than the text is to use Character Styles. Character Styles allow you to apply specific formatting, such as color, font, or size, to specific parts of your text without affecting the entire paragraph.
- Create a New Character Style:
- Open the Character Styles Panel (Window > Styles > Character Styles).
- Click on the Create New Style button at the bottom of the panel.
- Double-click the new style to open the Character Style Options dialog box.
- Name the style something like “Bullet Color” to keep things organized.
- In the Character Color section, choose the color you want for your bullet points. Click OK to save the style.
- Apply the Character Style to Bullet Points:
- Go back to the Bullets and Numbering dialog box.
- Click on the Character Style dropdown menu and select the “Bullet Color” style you just created.
This will apply the character style to only the bullet points, changing their color without affecting the text in the list.
Step 5: Fine-Tune the Bullet and Text Formatting
Once you’ve applied different colors to the bullet points, you may need to make some additional adjustments to ensure that everything looks consistent and professional.
- Adjust Bullet Indentation: Use the Left Indent and First Line Indent settings in the Bullets and Numbering dialog box to control the position of the bullets and the alignment of the text. This will help keep your bullets and text well-aligned and easy to read.
- Modify the Text Style: You can also create a separate Paragraph Style for the text within the bulleted list. This allows you to make changes to the text, such as font size or weight, without affecting the bullet point styling.
Using Nested Styles for Advanced Customization
InDesign also allows you to use Nested Styles to create more advanced bullet point formatting. This approach gives you even more control over how the bullets and text appear together.
- Create a Paragraph Style for the bulleted list, and then go to the Drop Caps and Nested Styles tab within the Paragraph Style Options dialog box.
- Add a Nested Style that applies your “Bullet Color” character style through the first character (which is the bullet).
- This will automatically apply the color to the bullet, while keeping the rest of the text styled according to your paragraph style.
Additional Tips for Coloring Bullet Points
- Use Swatches for Consistency: Make sure to use swatches from your Swatches Panel when selecting colors. This ensures consistency throughout your document, particularly when working with branded colors.
- Experiment with Opacity: To add subtlety to your design, consider changing the opacity of the bullet points. You can do this by selecting the bullet character and adjusting the opacity in the Effects Panel (Window > Effects).
- Apply Gradient to Bullets: If you want to get more creative, you can also apply a gradient to bullet points by selecting the bullet character and using the Gradient Panel (Window > Color > Gradient). This technique can be particularly useful in visually dynamic designs like posters or magazine covers.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Character Style Not Applying to Bullets: If the character style doesn’t seem to apply to the bullet points, make sure that the correct Character Style is selected in the Bullets and Numbering dialog box. Also, verify that the bullet character you are using is supported by the selected font.
- Bullets Look Misaligned: If the bullet points don’t line up correctly with the text, check the Left Indent and First Line Indent values in the Bullets and Numbering dialog box. Adjust these settings until the alignment looks right.
- Bullet and Text Overlapping: If the bullet point and text are overlapping, adjust the Tab Position in the Bullets and Numbering dialog box. This will create appropriate space between the bullet character and the text.
Summary
Changing the color of bullet points in Adobe InDesign can elevate your designs by adding visual interest, enhancing readability, and creating a clearer hierarchy. By leveraging Character Styles and Paragraph Styles, you can easily customize bullet points to be a different color from the text. Use the Bullets and Numbering dialog box to apply the character style, adjust indentation settings, and fine-tune the alignment of the bullet points and text.
With these tools and techniques, you can create visually appealing lists that draw the reader’s attention to important information while keeping your design cohesive and professional. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colors, gradients, and character styles to make your bullet points stand out in your next project!
