In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a flyer template in InDesign for a sporting event. Inspired by the famous 'Rumble in the Jungle' fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974, this vintage-style flyer design has a retro, punchy style which can be easily adapted to other events. 

In this tutorial that's suitable for beginners to InDesign, you’ll learn how to build up the design in layers, creating a vintage look with lots of texture and a retro vibe. 

Looking for more easy-to-edit sports events flyers? These flyer templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of customisable styles.

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What You’ll Need to Create Your Flyer

We’ll be putting the main layout together in Adobe InDesign, and also briefly using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to edit the boxing gloves photo and other graphics for the flyer. 

You’ll also need to download the following images and fonts from Envato Elements:

• Boxing gloves on a white background


• Fast Track font


• Fright Night font


• Robinson Urban Rough font


• Frantic font


• Vintage paper textures bundle


• Illustrated sunbursts


• Vintage grit textures


• Geometric badge shapes

Once you’ve installed the fonts on your computer, you’re ready to start creating your boxing flyer. 

1. How to Set Up Your Flyer Template in InDesign

Step 1

Open InDesign and go to File > New > Document. 

Click on Print at the top of the window, and choose Letter for the page size. 

With the orientation set to Portrait and number of Pages to 1, deselect Facing Pages. 

Add Margins of 0.375 in and a Bleed of 0.25 in, before clicking Create. 

Step 2

Expand the Layers panel (Window > Layers), and double-click on Layer 1, renaming it Paper. 

Create six more new layers in this order—Gradient, Burst, Type Behind, Boxing gloves, Type in Front, and finally Overlay Texture.

Then lock all the layers except Background. 

Step 3

Expand the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches) and choose New Color Swatch from the panel’s main menu. 

Set the levels to C=0 M=21 Y=36 K=0, and then click Add and Done. 

Repeat to create three more new swatches:

• C=0 M=7 Y=15 K=0


• C=55 M=60 Y=63 K=69


• C=0 M=95 Y=90 K=0

2. How to Create a Papery Backdrop for Your Event Flyer

Step 1

Working on the Paper layer, pull out guides from the left and top ruler (View > Show Rulers) to mark out the center-point of the page. 

Select the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) from the Tools panel, and drag across the whole page, extending the edge up to the bleed. 

File > Place, navigate to the folder of paper textures you downloaded earlier, choose ‘Vintage-Paper-Texture-1.jpg’ and Open it, allowing it to fill the whole frame. 

Step 2

Lock the Paper layer and unlock the Gradient layer above it. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a shape across the whole page, setting the Fill to C=0 M=21 Y=36 K=0.

With the shape selected, head up to Object > Effects > Transparency. 

Set the Mode to Multiply and bring the Opacity down to 65%.

Click on Gradient Feather in the left-hand menu, and set the Type to Radial, allowing the gradient to become more transparent towards the center of the page. 

Then click OK to exit the window. 

Step 3

In Illustrator, open up the ‘05-06-Combo.eps’ vector inside the sunburst folder you downloaded earlier.

Select the vector and Edit > Copy it. 

Head back over to InDesign and lock the Gradient layer. Unlock the Burst layer, and Edit > Paste the vector onto the page. 

Center it on the flyer, and adjust the Fill Color of the illustration to [Paper].

3. How to Edit the Boxing Gloves Photo for Your Flyer

Step 1

Open up the boxing gloves photo in Photoshop. 

Duplicate the Background layer to preserve a copy of the original image. 

Working on the top layer, go to Select > Color Range, and click once anywhere onto the white area around the gloves. 

In the Color Range window, slide the Fuzziness slider until the selection is reasonably tight around the silhouette of the gloves. Then click OK. 

Step 2

Click on the Refine Edge button in the top Controls panel. 

In the window that opens, check Smart Radius and move the Radius slider along, making the selection around the silhouette tighter. Adjust the Shift Edge slider as well, if needed. 

When you’re happy with the selection, click OK. 

Then hit Delete on your keyboard to remove the white background, before switching off the visibility of the original Background layer. 

File > Save As your image as a Photoshop file, naming it ‘Boxing gloves_no background.psd’.

Step 3

Return to InDesign and lock the Burst layer. Unlock the Boxing Gloves layer. 

Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to create an image frame across the center of the page, and File > Place, choosing your ‘Boxing gloves_no background.psd’ image. Click Open.

4. How to Format Vintage Type for Your Flyer

Step 1

Lock the Boxing Gloves layer and unlock the Type in Front layer above it. 

Use the Type Tool (T) to create a narrow text frame across the top of the flyer, typing in the first name (here, ‘Muhammad’).

Create a second text frame below, typing in the second part (‘Ali’).

Set the Font of both frames to Fright Night, and the Font Color to your red swatch, C=0 M=95 Y=90 K=0.

Step 2

Select both text frames and Edit > Copy, and Edit > Paste them. Position them below the gloves, and edit the text to read the second fighter's name. 

Step 3

Select all the text frames and head up to Object > Effects > Transparency.

Switch the Mode to Multiply and click OK. 

Step 4

Create a new text frame across the center of the page, over the gloves, and type in ‘VS’.

Set the Font to Alt Frantic Regular and the Font Color to [Paper].

Step 5

From the geometric badge shapes bundle, open the ‘Circle.eps’ file inside the ‘Thick_Outline’ folder in Illustrator. 

Select the vector, and Edit > Copy it.

Back in InDesign, Edit > Paste the circle onto the page, and center it over the ‘VS’ text frame, using Shift while you scale it to preserve the proportions. 

Set the Fill Color to [Paper] to match the text. 

Step 6

Add a text frame at the very top of the page, for an introductory sentence. 

Set the Font to Robinson Urban Rough, and the Font Color to C=55 M=60 Y=63 K=69.

Step 7

Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw a rough rectangle shape across the bottom of the page. This can be a little imperfect, as this will add to the overall vintage look of the flyer. 

Set the Fill of the shape to C=55 M=60 Y=63 K=69.

Step 8

Add a text frame over the top of the shape, typing in the location of the event, and setting the Font to Alt Frantic.

Switch the Font Color to C=0 M=7 Y=15 K=0 for contrast. 

If needed, add more text frames to the outer edges of the shape, set in Fright Night, Rough Oblique.

Step 9

Open the ‘Circle.eps’ file from the ‘Solid’ folder inside the geometric badge shapes bundle.

Select the vector and Copy it. 

Head back to InDesign. Lock the Type in Front layer and unlock the Type Behind layer. 

Paste the circle onto the flyer and position it just behind the top-right corner of the gloves photo. Adjust the Fill of the circle to C=55 M=60 Y=63 K=69.

Step 10

Add a text frame over the top of the circle, typing in a slogan or maybe a ticket price, and set the Font to Fast Track and Font Color to C=0 M=7 Y=15 K=0.

Step 11

Add text frames to the left side of the boxing gloves, listing the day and date of the event. Set the Font to Alt Frantic and Font Color to C=55 M=60 Y=63 K=69.

5. How to Add a Vintage Texture to Your Flyer

Step 1

Lock the Type Behind layer and unlock the top layer, Overlay Texture. 

Create an image frame across the whole page using the Rectangle Frame Tool (F). 

File > Place, navigate to the grit textures folder you downloaded earlier, and choose the ‘Grit02-byGhostlyPixels.eps’ image. 

Open it and allow it to fill the whole frame. 

Step 2

With the image frame selected, go to Object > Effects > Transparency. 

Switch the Mode to Screen and pull the Opacity down to 65%. Then click OK to exit the window. 

6. How to Export Your Flyer for Printing

Step 1

When you’ve finished working on your flyer design, you will need to export it as a print-ready PDF.

Go to File > Export. Choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format drop-down menu, name the file, and click Save. 

In the Export Adobe PDF window that opens, choose [Press Quality] from the Preset menu at the top. 

Step 2

Click on Marks and Bleeds in the window’s left-hand menu.

Check both All Printer’s Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings, before clicking Export at the bottom.

InDesign will generate a press-ready PDF you can send straight off to be professionally printed. Great job!

Conclusion: Your Finished Event Flyer

Your boxing flyer is finished and printed, and it's ready to send out to promote your event. Awesome work!

In this tutorial, you’ve picked up some handy skills for applying to InDesign and other print projects in the future. You now know how to:

• Create an eye-catching flyer design in Adobe InDesign.


• Use Photoshop and Illustrator to edit graphics for your flyer.


• Format typography to a pro standard, giving your text a vintage look.


• Export your artwork for professional printing.

Looking for easy-to-customise sports events flyers? These flyer templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of adaptable styles.

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