Pacific Environment, an environmental technology consultancy, had an InDesign document they wanted converted to a Word proposal template. The page layout they had in mind was basically a two-column grid. They also wanted to use full-width tables and place pull out text in the left-hand column of the layout.

Matching the visual design in Word was easy. However, the client was concerned that using numerous section/column breaks would be difficult for the 100 or so staff to use. Anything complicated, they said, was out of the question. Could we (a) replicate their design and (b) make it easier to use?

Yes, of course we could. We replicated the layout by setting the left-hand margin to 6 cm. We then floated full-width elements such as quotations (contained in a text box) and tables across the text column. These elements had a top and bottom text wrap and consequently gave the page layout an overall appearance of a thin/fat, two-column layout.

Most importantly, we did not use any section or column breaks in the text pages – apart from the front matter of the document, i.e., cover, table of contents, document control, etc. We saved the landscape page along with all tables, breakout boxes, etc. as Quick Parts. Consequently, the template was very easy to use.

We developed several report-style templates for this client. Click the links to see the PowerPoint presentation template and Word CV and letterhead templates.