How to create Excel-like cells in illustrator?

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
June 20, 2018
4 replies
3006 views

Hello everyone,

I am currently working on a work project where I will be constantly adding and replacing people in a graph.. now this has become and extreme amount of work and upkeep to even update this thing. I created a version where I added all the lines from scratch, and am adding blocks of color in the background, and just using text blocks.

Is there another way to do this that isn't so tedious? I added a photo (please don't mind the black smudges blocking out the names.)

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Jeff Witchel, ACI

I created a version of one of these on the other side of the screenshot above. Do you think it would be possible to create the same thing in indesign?

I would create the circular chart in Illustrator, Place it into InDesign (File > Place) as part of a layout and create the Table directly in the InDesign layout. InDesign is the layout program. It's where all art and text come together as a layout.

Jeff Witchel, ACI

Community Expert

There is no feature in Illustrator to easily create tables. As Mike said, do it in InDesign. Here's a quick video tutorial that should help: http://www.jeffwitchel.net/2014/06/bringing-easier-editing-to-the-table-in-indesign-cc/

Mike_Gondek10189183

Community Expert

InDesign has tables, have you considered using that?

InDesign tables have many features so can get tricky,. Recommend experimenting & doing atleast one tutorial before going ahead full steam, as you will learn some useful tips on auto resize and contextual menus.

J

Julian Beach

Participating Frequently

I have to ask... Would it not be easier to just create it in Excel in the first place? You can use cell formats to achieve exactly the same results, it is easier to update, and you can automate it using formulas and conditional formatting. You can output the results from Excel in a variety of formats, including PDF files which you could then edit in Illustrator if there are design features that you can't do in Excel.

V

VanillaBlossomsAuthor

Participant

Well I am only showing the grid part of it, but it's a full 11 x 17 sheet that also had a map on the other side with a graphic I created to show where each employee is on the spectrum, so I don't think using excel alone would work. I should have mentioned that.

V

VanillaBlossomsAuthor

Participant

I created a version of one of these on the other side of the screenshot above. Do you think it would be possible to create the same thing in indesign?