Looking for a stylish InDesign report template for your business? This InDesign business report template has a clean and modern design which can be customized with your own text and images. 

This eight-page template, including a front and back cover, can be adapted as an annual report, business brochure, or pitch document, and the InDesign template is also quick and easy to put together for beginners.

Ready to create your InDesign report template? Awesome, let’s get started.

Looking for more easy-to-edit InDesign templates? These InDesign business report templates and brochure templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of customizable styles.

What You’ll Need 

As well as access to Adobe InDesign, you’ll also need to download and install the following font family from Envato Elements to use in your report layouts:

• Adriatic font family

You can choose to use the photos used in the template as pictured or replace these with your own choice of images. The photo used in the template, as pictured here, is:

• Business team group portrait

Infographic elements are a great way to explain statistics or facts in a more compelling way. This pack of infographic vector graphics contains a wide range of graphs, charts and tables in a stylish flat style:

• Pack of infographic vector elements

Once you’ve installed the font files on your computer and have your image(s) to hand, you’re ready to start creating your report template.

1. How to Set Up the Report Template in InDesign

Step 1

Open InDesign and go to File > New > Document. 

Select Print from the Intent options at the top of the window, and choose Letter for the page size. 

Increase the number of Pages to 8 and make sure Facing Pages is checked. 

Add a Margin width of 17 mm to all edges of the page except the Outside edge, which you should set to a shorter 15 mm. 

Add a Bleed of 5 mm to all edges except the Inside edge, which you can keep to 0 mm. Then click Create. 

Step 2

Go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers) and double-click on Layer 1, renaming it Images. 

Create two more new layers—Color and Type. 

Step 3

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

Set the levels to C=93 M=79 Y=38 K=37, and click Add and Done.

Create three more new CMYK swatches:

• C=8 M=92 Y=81 K=1


• C=19 M=100 Y=83 K=11


• C=8 M=6 Y=5 K=0

Step 4

Expand the Pages panel (Window > Pages) and click on the Page 3 icon to highlight it. 

Choose Numbering & Section Options from the panel’s main menu. 

Check Start Page Numbering at: 1, and make sure ‘1, 2, 3, 4...’ is selected from the Style menu. 

Click OK. A warning message will flag up about repeated page numbers, but we’ll rectify this in the next step, so go ahead and click OK. 

Step 5

Select the first Page 1 icon of the document (the original page 1), and choose Numbering & Section Options again. 

Check Start Page Numbering at: 1, as before, but this time choose ‘i, ii, iii, iv...’ from the Style menu. Then click OK. 

This splits the report into two sections—a front cover and contents page which won’t be numbered, with the first page beginning on the ‘Introduction’ page of the report. 

Step 6

Click on the A-Master icon at the top of the Pages panel, bringing up the master on screen.

Lock the Images and Color layers, keeping the top Type layer unlocked and active. 

Use the Type Tool (T) to create a text frame across the bottom of the right-hand page.

Step 7

With your type cursor set inside the frame, go to Type > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number. 

Highlight the page number and, from either the top Controls panel or the Character and Paragraph panels (Window > Type & Tables > Character / Paragraph), set the Font to Adriatic Bold, Size 12 pt, Align Right, and the Font Color to C=8 M=6 Y=5 K=0.

Make sure the A-Master is only applied to Pages 1-6 of your document. You can remove it from Pages i-ii by dragging down the [None] icon at the very top of the Pages panel and dropping it onto these pages. 

2. How to Add Gradient Color Bars to Your Report Template

Step 1

Click on Page i in the Pages panel to bring up the page on screen. 

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a shape across the bottom seventh of the page, setting the Fill to your dark blue swatch.

Step 2

Create a second shape, roughly a seventh of the page in height (40 mm). Set the Fill of this to your dark red swatch, C=19 M=100 Y=83 K=11.

Select this shape and Edit > Copy, Edit > Paste it, moving it directly above. Switch the Fill to the paler red swatch, C=8 M=92 Y=81 K=1.

Step 3

Paste the shape again, moving it above, and adjusting the Tint of the Fill to 95%. 

Paste the shape repeatedly, creating a sequence of shapes across the top of the page, each with a slightly lower Tint, with the final shape having a 70% Tint.

Step 4

Select all the shapes on Page i (which is going to be the front cover of your report), and Edit > Copy them. 

Scroll down to Page 6, which will be the back cover, and Edit > Paste them into the same position. 

Step 5

Scroll up to the first spread of your document, Pages ii and 1, and Paste the shapes again onto this spread. 

On the shapes, Right-Click > Transform > Rotate 90 Degrees CW. 

Move the shapes over to the left side of the spread, and extend the width of all the shapes together until the two bars on the far right of the group are both sitting on the right-hand page. 

Step 6

Select three of the red bars from the group, and Edit > Copy them. 

Scroll down to the next spread, Pages 2 and 3, and Paste them. Ensure the right page has a completely solid red shape across the whole page, with two narrower bars sitting next to the spine on the left-hand page. 

Step 7

Repeat a similar process for the next spread down, Pages 4 and 5. This time, adjust the Fill of the shapes to blue, and add an extra bar on the right-hand page, splitting the page roughly in half. 

3. How to Add Typography to Your Cover and Contents Page

Step 1

Lock the Color layer and unlock the Type layer. 

Use the Type Tool (T) to create a large text frame on the front cover, typing in the title of your report and setting this to Adriatic Bold, Size 65 pt, All Caps, and the Font Color to C=8 M=6 Y=5 K=0. 

Step 2

Add any other details, such as the year and a subtitle or the name of the business, to the cover, setting the Font to Adriatic Bold.

Step 3

Scroll down to the next spread, which will be the Contents and Introduction pages. 

Create a text frame for the ‘Contents’ title, setting the Font to Adriatic Bold, Size 65 pt, and the Font Color to C=8 M=6 Y=5 K=0.

On the text frame, Right-Click > Transform > Rotate 90 Degrees CCW. 

Position the text frame at the bottom of the blue bar on the left-hand page.

Copy and Paste the text frame, and Right-Click > Transform > Rotate 180 Degrees. Position it at the top-right of the right-hand page and switch the Font Color to blue. 

Step 4

Create a text frame at the top of the first red bar on the left-hand page, typing in ‘1’.

Set the Font to Adriatic Bold, Size 100 pt, and the Font Color to C=8 M=6 Y=5 K=0.

Add a title text frame, set in Adriatic Bold, Size 40 pt, and rotate this 90 Degrees CW, positioning it directly below the number. 

You can also add subtitle text below in the same arrangement, with a smaller 17 pt Font Size. 

Step 5

You can use these first three text frames as a foundation for populating the rest of the colored bars on the contents page. 

Copy and Paste the group, varying the Font Color and Tint of them to contrast with the different-colored bars. 

Step 6

On the white section, you can add introductory text for the report. 

Create a subtitle text frame set in Adriatic Bold, Size 18 pt, and a blue Font Color.

Add body text below set in Adriatic Medium and an 11 pt Font Size.

4. How to Add Images and Content to Your Report

Step 1

Scroll down to the next spread in your document. Lock the Type layer and unlock the bottom layer, Images.

Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to create an image frame across the whole of Page 2.

Go to File > Place, choose an image (such as this one) and Open it, allowing it to fill up the whole frame. 

Unlock the Color layer, select the two colored bars overlapping the image frame and head up to Object > Effects > Transparency. Set the Mode to Multiply and click OK. 

Step 2

Unlock the Type layer.

Copy the ‘Introduction’ header from Page 1, scroll back down to Page 3, and Edit > Paste in Place, adjusting the Font Color to your off-white swatch. 

You can also use the subtitle and body text frames from the ‘Introduction’ page to populate Page 3. Copy and Paste the text frames, adjusting the Font Color. 

Thread any long sections of text into a second column. To do this, click on the small square symbol at the bottom-right of the first text frame, and click anywhere to create a second linked text frame. 

Add pull-out quotes to the spread, set in Adriatic Bold, Size 27 pt.

Step 3

Add a number text frame to the bottom-left of Page 2, set in Adriatic Bold, Size 100 pt.

Step 4

You can now use this spread as a model for creating further spreads in your report. 

Begin by unlocking the Images and Type layers, selecting all the elements sitting on the spread and copying them. 

On the next spread down (Pages 4-5), Edit > Paste in Place.

Switch up the image, and adjust the position of the text frames. 

If you want to add infographic details to your pages, simply open the infographic elements file in Illustrator or another vector program, select and Copy individual graphics, and Paste these onto the Type layer in your InDesign document. 

You can adjust the color of these vector graphics directly in InDesign, to match your gradient color scheme.

5. How to Export Your Report for Printing

Step 1

Go to File > Export and choose Adobe PDF (Print) from the Format menu at the bottom of the window. Name your 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 left-hand menu, and check both All Printer’s Marks and Use Document Bleed Settings.

Click Export to create your PDF.

Great job! You can send this PDF straight off to be printed. 

Conclusion: Your Finished Report

This modern and stylish report template can be used in its original style or as a versatile template for creating your own unique report design. 

Why not try mixing up the fonts and color swatches for a fresh look?

Looking for more stylish report templates? These InDesign templates on GraphicRiver and Envato Elements come in a huge range of modern and customizable styles.

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