Purpose
This assignment is designed to flesh out concepts from the lecture, and to give you an opportunity to build a few Illustrator files that will focus on the topics from this week.
Directions
- Download the file archive linked above. Double-click on the file to decompress it.
- Inside the archive, you'll find a PDF file and separate folders for each project.
- Read through the handouts at the beginning of the PDF. They are designed to supplement the material in the lectures.
- There are three hands-on projects that are part of this assignment. You will find step-by-step instructions for building these files in the PDF document. Sample files showing you the completed project are also supplied in each project folder.
- One project in this assignment is a Challenge Project where I will give you only minimal instructions. This will be a great test of your mastery of the material from this section.
- When you have completed this assignment return to this week's Module and continue with the next lecture.
Turning in your Work
Follow these steps to upload your completed projects directly to Canvas:
- Place all the completed files into a single enclosing folder
- Name the folder LastNameFirstName_Illustrator2.2
- Compress the folder into a .zip archive. In the Finder, target the folder and go to File > Compress...
Vector Graphics: Working with Type V I S U A L M E D I A D E S I G N 10 5 TYPESETTING IN ILLUSTRATOR Illustrator offers you a dazzling array of choices when it comes to setting type. In addition to simple point type which works just like its namesake in Photoshop, Illustrator comes with dedicated tools for creating type that runs along a path or shape, an area type option for setting type inside any shape or path and even the ability to convert type to editable outlines. ESSENTIAL TYPE FORMATTING Most common formatting commands will appear in the Properties Panel when any type object is selected. Dedicated Character and Paragraph Panels offer more options. These panels work just like their counterparts in Photoshop and allow a full range of character and paragraph formatting. TYPE ON A PATH There is a dedicated tool for setting type that follows a path or shape, useful primarily in spicing up display typography in logos, advertising and packaging of all kinds. TYPE OUTLINES Another useful typographic option in Illustrator is the ability to convert type to outlines, essentially giving you point-by-point control over the character forms in a logo or headline. This is also an elegant option for generating files that can be viewed and edited without requiring the additional font files that may have been used in creating the file. AREA TYPE The type tool in Illustrator has a number of dedicated tools for special typographic situations; these extra tools can be revealed with a long press on the tool tile, and even expanded into panel form. Area type, available in horizontal and vertical flavors allows you to flow text into any shape you create in the program. AT is useful in generating creative type treatments and for creating multi-column layouts. You can even thread a longer "story" across multiple linked shapes. Type tool Vertical Type tool Type on a path tool Area type tool Vertical Area type tool Vertical Type on a path tool 129 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media FONT MANAGEMENT IN ILLUSTRATOR You can avoid technical issues with fonts by following a few simple rules: • Include fonts in your file management. If you always have copies of any font files used in an illustration, you'll never see a warning. If you use type that you've downloaded at home on class projects, be sure to bring the files with you to school. • You can use the Package command to gather all project assets together in a single folder. This is incredibly useful for transporting a digital project to a new computer. • Convert to outlines. Type that has been converted to outlines is just like any other path or shape in an Illustrator file. You lose the ability to edit the type as type, but sometimes this can actually be an advantage if you want to ensure that no changes can be made to the type elements you've used in a composition. Let this be a lesson to you! 130 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media PROJECT: A BAND PROMO This project will give you an opportunity to combine type and image to create an online promotion for a band. The file you build will explore some of the creative typesetting options you have in Illustrator, and will explore how to combine artwork from Photoshop and Illustrator. Scenario: You've been hired by the band Sirens to help promote the release of their new masterpiece. They want you to overlay some type on top of an image from one of their live shows. You will deliver a folder with all of the assets for the project collected in one place. Note: If you're working on a PC you will need to substitute fonts for all the projects in this section. For this project Piedra from Google Fonts is a good substitute. GETTING STARTED £ Navigate to the project folder and look through the assets for this project. SirensLive.psd is the background photographic image. The typeface Ironwood is also provided. £ Before you begin, use FontBook to activate the font Ironwood. £ Now, jump into Illustrator and create a new document that is 1024 x 768. £ Use File > Place to import the background PSD file. £ Click with the "loaded" place cursor in the upper left corner of the Artboard to fit the image into your file perfectly. £ Save the file to the Desktop as LastName_Firstname_Sirens.ai SET THE SIRENS TYPE £ Create a new layer called Sirens £ Set the word Sirens in Ironwood 340 points. £ Use the Character pane in Properties to increase the tracking to about 30 to give each letter a bit more breathing room. £ Fill the type with a rich RGB red £ Give the letters a 1 point black stroke. £ Finally, to center the type on the Artboard, both horizontally and vertically. £ Save your file and move on. Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media MODIFY THE LETTERFORMS The Sirens logo uses a modified version of Ironwood with an elongated S. You can turn this type into vector outlines to change some of the individual letters in the logo. £ First, use the controls in the layers panel to lock the image layer to avoid selecting it by mistake . £ Select the type with the Selection Tool £ Go to Type > Create Outlines. £ Now use the Direct Select Tool to grab the top-most anchor points in each S and use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move them upwards. £ Do the same for the lower points on each S. £ Save your file. 132 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media CREATE THE TYPE PATHS The final ad design calls for two separate arcs of type, framing the band logo. Let's make these now. £ Make a new layer called ArcType £ Temporarily turn off the visibility of the image and Sirens layers so you can focus on this element. £ Equip the Ellipse tool and make a circle that is 570 x 570 pixels. £ Give this shape a 1 point black stroke and no fill. £ Use the alignment controls to center this on your Artboard. £ Now, grab the Scissors tool and click once on each side of the shape to cut it in half. You now have two perfectly equal arcs to use! ADD THE TOP TYPE £ Equip the Type on a Path Tool. This is a sub-tool that shares space with the normal Type Tool. £ Set the following type on the top arc in Ironwood 60 point type: MUSIC THAT MOVES YOU! £ Equip the Selection Tool and use the type handles to center this type on the top arc. £ On the bottom arc, set the following type in 50 point Ironwood: MACHINE SINGLE OUT NOW! £ Go to Type > Type on a Path > Path Options. Click the Flip checkbox to flip the type onto the inside of the shape. Reposition it to be centered as you did before. £ Turn the other layers in the file back on and give each type arc element a fill of white and a .5 black stroke. £ Save your file and move on. 133 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media SET THE FINAL TYPE In the bottom right corner, set the following type in Helvetica 12 point: "Machine is available for download on iTunes, Amazon & spotify" PACKAGE THE FILE The package command makes it easy to collect all the assets for a project in a single folder. £ Go to File > Package. £ Accept the defaults and save the package on your desktop FINISH UP Make any additions or embellishments to the ad. When you're happy with the final file, save and move on. 134 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media PROJECT: A VINTAGE LOGO Illustrator is the perfect environment for designing logos and other branding elements that will need to scale for different projects. In this exercise you'll recreate a vintage logo from an original scan. You'll use the scan as a template and also get into a host of other clever way to manipulate type. This project is adapted from a tutorial by Chris Spooner [blog.spoongraphics.co.uk] Scenario: You've been hired to digitize a vintage logo from a scan your client has provided. GETTING STARTED £ Navigate to the Vintage Logo folder in the exercise files for this section. Inside, you'll see a scan of the logo and a folder with the fonts for the project. £ To get the ball rolling, use FontBook to activate both fonts: Lavanderia and Nevis. Just drag the LogoFonts folder into FontBook to create a new set; then activate both fonts for use. £ Now, jump into Illustrator and create a new file that is 800 x 800 pixels. £ Name your file LastName_Firstname_VintageLogo.ai as you save it out to the Desktop. CREATE A TEMPLATE LAYER You have a scan of an old logo that will serve as a reference for the file you're about to build. This is a common technique when pixel artwork needs to be converted into vector artwork. £ Go to File > Place and locate the file LogoScan.png. £ Click in the upper-left corner of your Artboard to import the document into your working file. £ Scale the scan so that it fills your Artboard. £ By default the scan gets placed on Layer 1 in your file. In the Layers Panel, target this layer and use the popup menu in the upper-right to designate it as a template. The contents will turn gray and the layer will be locked.. £ Rename this layer Template. £ Now create a new layer in the file and call it Logo. This layer will contain your recreation of the logo. £ Save and move on. 135 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media SET THE WORD BLACK £ Begin by setting the big word "Black" £ Equip the type tool and click once in the artboard. Type out the word black. £ For this font, choose Lavanderia Sturdy. £ Scale and position the type using the template as a guide. Your type won't match the scan perfectly, but try to get as close as possible to the reference image. SET THE TYPE AT THE TOP £ Now, set the word "The" in Lavanderia Sturdy. £ Use the Pen Tool to create the two small stars on top of the logo. £ Use the Paintbrush or pencil to generate the underline. SET THE TYPE AT THE BOTTOM £ The second typeface in this project is called Nevis. Make your way through the file and add the type elements to the bottom of the logo using the template as a guide for scale and position. £ Don't worry if your type doesn't match the scan exactly; just get as close as you can. £ Save your file and move on. CREATE THE BANNER £ Use the rectangle tool and the Pen Tool to recreate the shapes in the banner. £ Use Object > Arrange to stack the "Denim" type on top of the banner elements. £ Adjust the fill of this type to match the scan. £ Save and move on. This is coming along! ADD THE DASHED CIRCLE £ One last element! Use the Ellipse Tool to create a perfect circle that matches the scanned sample. £ Then use the stroke Panel to assign it a dashed line. £ Save your file and move on. FINISH UP! As alweays, feel free to embellish and experiment with the elements in this file. When you're happy with the logo, save and move on. 136 Visual Media Design 105 > Digital Skills for Visual Media CHALLENGE: YOUR OWN TIMELINE A fantastic challenge project to round out this section! This file will give you an opportunity to work with both color and type. It will also introduce you to another big category of Illustrator work: the InfoGraphic. Scenario: You've been hired to create a timeline infographic. You client has provided you a template, but you must choose a subject matter, new colors and type! GETTING STARTED £ Look through the assets that are provided for this project. You have a sample file and a native .ai file. £ Locate the file Timeline_Start.ai £ In the Finder, rename this file Lastname_Firstname_Timeline. ai. £ Open this file in Illustrator and explore the basic structure. You have mostly simple shapes and type. REQUIREMENTS • Choose a subject matter for the