iWork: The Missing Manual

Chapter 6. Beyond Text: Laying Out Documents

Way back in Chapter 1, you heard lots of talk about how Pages’ graphic-design kung fu sets it apart from other word processors. Since then, though, you’ve learned only about Pages’ more traditional word-processing features—not a peep about graphic design. Patience, Grasshopper. Now that you’ve learned the basics, you’re ready to stretch your legs and move beyond text and into the stylish, colorful world of page layout.

Like most word processors, Pages lets you add images and free-floating text boxes to your documents. But Pages goes several steps beyond the typical offerings, letting you do more than just prettify your text. The program gives you a full-blown set of layout tools in what amounts to a consumer-level version of heavyweight design software like Quark or InDesign. Whether you’re making a brochure, a newsletter, a poster, or an elegant annual report, Pages helps you create documents designed for visual impact.

In Pages, your creative focus shifts from words to the overall design. Your text becomes just one of many elements as you compose your document into a symphony of images, tables, charts, shapes, and even sound and video. These design elements are known collectively as objects in Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. In the next few chapters you’ll dig into the details of working with these building blocks.

If you’ve got all the design savvy of a platypus, don’t be daunted. Although graphic design is a sophisticated field with infinite ...