OutDesign is an open-source publishing platform developed as part of the Déborder Bolloré project to facilitate the production of multi-format publications from documents created with Adobe InDesign. Its goal is to bridge the gap between graphic design practices in print layout and the open publishing methods of the web and digital publishing, without requiring graphic designers and publishers to completely abandon their existing tools.

Rather than treating InDesign files as unformatted, static documents intended solely for print, OutDesign treats them as an editorial source whose structure can be extracted, interpreted, and reused. The project relies on the IDML (InDesign Markup Language) format (an open XML representation of InDesign documents) to separate content from its formatting and integrate it into a publishing workflow based on open formats.

The editorial workflow relies on the idml2docbook converter, which transforms the structure of an IDML document into DocBook, a semantic XML format recognized by Pandoc. From this intermediate representation, Pandoc can generate numerous output formats (Markdown, HTML, DOCX, ODT, EPUB, or AsciiDoc) while applying filters and mapping rules to preserve the document’s editorial structure. This architecture makes DocBook a bridge format between layout tools and various publishing environments.

One of OutDesign’s founding principles is the belief that the value of a publication lies primarily in its editorial structure rather than in its production format. The project emphasizes the structure of semantic elements (headings, paragraphs, quotes, notes, images, etc.) so that they can be reinterpreted in different publishing contexts. The styles used in InDesign thus become structural information that can be associated with other representations through mapping systems, rather than mere formatting attributes.

Originally developed to meet the needs of the Déborder Bolloré project, OutDesign aims to bring together the practices of graphic designers, publishers and web developers within a single editorial workflow. It allows users to continue using InDesign as their graphic design environment while making content available for other forms of publication, thereby facilitating the simultaneous production of print, web, and accessible versions from a single source.

Ultimately, OutDesign aims to go beyond a simple command-line converter to become a more comprehensive publishing environment. The project includes the development of a dedicated interface designed to make these tools accessible to a wider audience and to simplify the management of conversions, editorial settings, and various output formats. This evolution reflects a broader ambition: to offer an open alternative to editorial production workflows that rely on proprietary tools, while ensuring interoperability with existing practices.

More than just a format converter, OutDesign can be viewed as an interoperability infrastructure between publishing tools. By treating editorial structure as an object for translation rather than conversion, it enables content to flow between DTP environments, Pandoc-based editorial workflows, and digital publishing systems, while minimizing dependencies on any single software or format. It is thus part of a broader movement aimed at developing open, modular, and reusable editorial infrastructures.