Adobe InDesign & Photoshop Specialist needed

MASTER PRODUCTION ORDER & INDESIGN DESIGNER INSTRUCTIONS—10,000 FLIP-CARD PROGRAM
Act as the Client’s Adobe InDesign production designer, Photoshop production artist, and publishing workflow operator for a scalable multi-project flip-card program. The contemplated program is up to 10,000 completed cards for a potential total value of $10,000. This is NOT a guaranteed one-time 10,000-card order, guaranteed revenue, retainer, or commitment to purchase all remaining cards. Work will be released, reviewed, accepted, and paid in separate batches, normally a minimum of 100 unique completed cards at a time. At the contemplated rate of $1.00 per accepted completed card, a standard 100-card batch equals $100 unless otherwise agreed in writing before that batch begins. Approval of one batch does not obligate the Client to order the next. Continuation depends on quality, accuracy, consistency, and technical compliance. Do not produce future batches until authorized.
TWO REQUIRED OUTPUT ORDERS PER CARD: Each card must be produced in two coordinated versions from the same approved project master-template system. ORDER 1—PHYSICAL: finished trim size 5 inches wide × 8 inches high, portrait orientation, 0.125-inch bleed on all sides, with raster imagery prepared for an effective 300 PPI at final placed size. FRONT and BACK must be separate InDesign pages and production assets. ORDER 2—DIGITAL: 1600 × 2560 pixels, portrait orientation, 5:8 aspect ratio, optimized for phones, tablets, LMS platforms, web flip-card interfaces, e-learning products, PDFs, and digital study environments. The digital version must preserve the same identity, content, card ID, front/back pairing, and layout logic as the physical version. Both outputs must come from the same controlled master system.
MASTER-TEMPLATE RULE: Within each project, use the SAME approved Adobe InDesign master templates for every card. Only variable images and variable content will change. Once approved, geometry, margins, grid, typography, styles, colors, image frames, question/answer/rationale blocks, alert areas, headers, footers, IDs, metadata, safe zones, and export behavior must remain consistent unless the Client authorizes a revision. Different projects may use different approved master templates, but the principle remains the same: one approved template system per project, reused consistently while only designated content and images change.
CLIENT-PROVIDED GENERATION PROMPTS: The Client will provide all image-generation prompts and content-generation prompts for each batch. Prompts may contain card IDs, scenarios, questions, answers, rationales, references, captions, image directions, and metadata. The designer will use these prompts through ChatGPT or another Client-approved workflow to create required source images and text, then accurately transfer approved content into the correct InDesign fields. Do not materially rewrite supplied educational meaning without authorization. If generated content is incomplete, contradictory, duplicated, malformed, or mismatched to the image/card ID, flag it before final production.
AI IMAGE → PHOTOSHOP → INDESIGN: Every AI-generated image intended for final use must pass through Adobe Photoshop before final InDesign placement. Preserve the original generated image as a raw source asset. Upscale/resample the selected image as necessary so it contains sufficient pixel data for final size, prepare it so its effective resolution in InDesign is approximately 300 PPI for the physical card, and inspect it at production size. Simply changing metadata to “300 DPI” without adequate pixels is not sufficient. Review sharpness, crop, anatomy, artifacts, unwanted text, distortion, and overall quality; correct obvious defects where practical. Do not stretch images out of proportion. Crop/reframe to fit the approved image frame and retain layered Photoshop files when meaningful edits are made.
ILLUSTRATOR/INDESIGN WORKFLOW: If figures, diagrams, tables, charts, icons, or technical graphics should be vectorized, Adobe Illustrator may be used to create or rebuild them. InDesign remains the controlled composition and publishing environment. Build files as a repeatable system using Parent Pages/Master Pages, styles, named layers, swatches, controlled text frames, and structured image frames. Data Merge, CSV/JSON/XML ingestion, scripting, UXP/ExtendScript, or other automation may be used where useful, but every result must be checked. Automation does not eliminate QA.
FRONT/BACK DEFINITION: One “card” means one unique learning card consisting of a FRONT and BACK. A 100-card batch normally contains 100 unique card records and 200 designed faces: 100 fronts and 100 backs. Front and back must carry the same card ID and belong to the same content record. They are not to be billed as two separate cards unless the Client expressly agrees otherwise. Side-by-side layouts are for proofs only; production must preserve independent FRONT and BACK pages/assets.
READABILITY STANDARD: These are educational products, so readability takes priority over decorative density. For the 5 × 8-inch physical version, use approximately 10–11 pt body/rationale text where content permits, 10.5–12 pt answer-choice text, 12–14 pt question/scenario emphasis, and larger headings according to the approved design. Avoid essential instructional text below approximately 9.5 pt unless specifically approved. Use adequate leading, contrast, margins, and white space. Overset text is prohibited. Do not solve overflow by arbitrarily shrinking type; flag cards requiring an approved editorial or layout solution.
PHYSICAL/DIGITAL EXPORT STANDARD: Unless a printer later supplies different requirements, build the physical card at 5 × 8 inches trim with 0.125-inch bleed, safe areas, and imagery at effective 300 PPI. Use the Client/printer-approved color handling and PDF export standard. Produce the digital card at 1600 × 2560 pixels or an approved equivalent using the same 5:8 system. Digital exports must be sharp, readable, consistently named, and free from print-production artifacts. Preserve stable IDs for LMS, EPUB, interactive PDF, or web integration so each front pairs with its correct back.
QUALITY CONTROL FOR EACH 100-CARD BATCH: Before submission, inspect every card. Verify template version, card ID, front/back pairing, correct image, Photoshop processing, resolution, crop, missing fields, overset text, fonts/links, answer/rationale placement, styles, dimensions, bleed, margins, references, matching physical/digital versions, and clean exports. Run InDesign Preflight, correct material errors, and inspect exported files.
BATCH ACCEPTANCE: A 100-card batch is complete only after 100 unique card records have been produced with required fronts and backs, physical and digital outputs are delivered, source files are organized, links are intact, and the batch meets approved specifications. Corrections caused by the designer’s production mistakes are part of completing that batch and are not separate billable cards.
COMMERCIAL TERMS: The stated 10,000-card/$10,000 opportunity describes the potential scale of the relationship, not a guaranteed one-time purchase. Orders will normally be placed in minimum batches of 100 cards, with each batch serving as a performance checkpoint. Every batch must meet the required quality level before the next batch is authorized. The Client may issue another 100-card order, approve a larger batch, request corrections, change the master for a future project, switch projects, pause production, or stop placing new orders. Unissued future batches are not owed, assigned, reserved, or payable. Only specifically authorized batches should be started.
SOURCE FILES, VERSION CONTROL & HANDOFF: Keep production files organized so the Client or another qualified designer can continue the project without rebuilding it. Maintain applicable InDesign/IDML files, linked Photoshop and Illustrator assets, raw AI source images, processed images, data/scripts, export presets, print PDFs, and digital exports. Use clear naming based on project code, batch, card ID, FRONT/BACK designation, and version. Do not knowingly use unlicensed or unauthorized third-party assets. Each project master must have a clear version number, and every batch must identify the master version used. Do not silently alter a master midway through a batch.
FINAL PRODUCTION PRINCIPLE: The Client provides the prompts and creative/content direction. ChatGPT or the approved AI system generates designated source images and content. Photoshop prepares and upscales selected imagery for professional production and approximately 300 PPI effective print use. Illustrator handles vector elements when needed. InDesign is the controlled layout, typography, pagination, and publishing environment. The same approved master templates are reused throughout each project, with only designated images and content changing from card to card. QA is performed before delivery. Both physical and digital outputs are generated from the same controlled system. Every batch must look like one professionally managed publication series, not 100 unrelated designs. Accuracy, readability, technical cleanliness, organized source files, dependable front/back pairing, and faithful execution of the approved master are mandatory. Strong performance on one accepted batch creates the opportunity for additional batches toward the potential 10,000-card program; poor quality, inconsistency, preventable errors, repeated template deviations, missed specifications, or unreliable delivery may result in corrections or no further batch authorization.