Create a Furry Calligram in Illustrator In this tutorial I will walk you through creating your own calligram inspired by a dog named Poppy. You'll learn how to manipulate a typeface through to rendering fur, adding doggy features, and various details. Introduction I've got an obsession with my cat and have done numerous vectors featuring her. The wonder that is Wikipedia states: A calligram is a poem, phrase, or word in which the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting is arranged in a way that creates a visual image. To expand my portfolio of animals, I decided to start vectoring dogs, which are a similar process to cats, but for the most part have more shaggy, coarse hair. In this tutorial I'm going to walk you through the creation of a piece of text art that is inspired by my "Meow" calligram, but this one is based on a dog. Typeface Theory The word I'm going to render is "WOOF" and this is for two reasons: Stereotypically cats are seen more as a feminine creature, illustrated with curves and very few harsh lines. Step 1 Step 2
Create a Mummy Text Effect In Illustrator Halloween is in a couple days and why not celebrate by creating a mummy styled text treatment? In this tutorial you will learn how to create this treatment with some gradients and, of course, heavy use of the Appearance panel. There isn’t a lot of steps but the tutorial is slightly more advanced than previous tutorials. Final Image Below if the final text treatment we will be working towards. Tutorial Details Program: Adobe Illustrator CS5 (You should be able to create this tutorial in CS4 but some of the tutorial images might look different.) Step 1 Create a new document and type out some text with the Text tool (T). Step 2 Outline your text (Command + Shift + O) and fill it with a linear gradient. Step 3 Now we got the base text, let’s start creating the mummy fabric. Step 4 Take off any stroke on the strip and fill it with a linear gradient. Step 5 For this next gradient we are going to use a linear gradient with numerous color stops to create the fabric folds. Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9
Wet Ink Typography Effect in Photoshop This post was originally published in 2009 The tips and techniques explained may be outdated. Follow this Photoshop tutorial to create an awesome distorted type design. Using a range of Photoshop brushes we’ll create the appearance of printed type that has come into contact with drops of water, breaking up the text with oversaturated drips, runs and splats. I was recently out at the clothes store and came across a cool t-shirt by Diesel. The design featured some nice typography that had been treated to some image manipulation to give an awesome effect of wet ink, as if the design has come into contact with drops of water that distorted the print. I remember originally seeing a similar design by Craig Ward, with his amazing ‘Ink and water don’t mix’ design. Start work in Photoshop by creating a new canvas. Split the words into their own layers and move them into position to form a balanced layout, align elements of the words with the letters above and below to give structure.
Add an extra dimension to your type Software: Photoshop and Illustrator CS3 or later Project time: 3 hours Skills: Use different blending options, Edit anchor points, Master Smart Vector Objects, Create Photoshop patterns As a designer and illustrator, I always tend to look for inspiration far away from my regular field of printed work. Recently, in an exploration of London’s West End, I’ve been looking into unusual combinations of 17th century architectural elements with art deco neon advertising - which formed the basis of my latest solo gallery show. In this tutorial, I’ll explore old design values even further and shape them into a different and unusual aesthetic; a design that might resemble a futuristic posh biscuit tin, for example, with a fitting sci-fi style packaging design. I’ll explain how you can build up complex vector patterns from just one basic shape, and how to turn a simple serif font into a headline with extra dimension. Step 01 Step 02 Step 03 Step 04 Step 05 Step 06 Step 07 Step 08 Step 09 Step 10
Abstract Geometric Mosaic Text Effect This post was originally published in 2011 The tips and techniques explained may be outdated. I recently stumbled across the new branding for the Canadian Olympic Team, which then reminded me of my recent abstract geometric poster design tutorials, so I decided to combine my technique with the idea of creating a patriotic design with a similar mosaic effect. Follow this step by step Illustrator tutorial to create a colourful abstract text effect made up of lots of tessellating mosaic elements. The original design that spurred this idea was based on the country of Canada, so for my own design I’ll base it on the text Great Britain. The dividing lines across the text follow the crude angles of the Union Jack design and two shades of each colour are used to add a range of tone. View the full size text effect design Open up Adobe Illustrator and type out the wording of your choice. Select the Line tool and begin drawing intersecting lines across the text. Download this file
Dirty Typographic Blackletter Design In today’s tutorial we’re going to create a typographic blackletter layout full of character with dirty textures. We’ll begin by creating the layout in Illustrator before importing everything into Photoshop to bring the design to life with colour, tone and weathered textures. The typographic design we’re going to create is the quote ‘All Roads Lead to Metal’, set in a suitable blackletter font. The letters and words are laid out in a stylish composition before being given a range of treatments in Photoshop to enhance the design with colour and texture. View the typographic blackletter design We’ll use Illustrator’s vector capabilities to make the composition of the text elements much easier than it would be in Photoshop. Press CMD+Shift+O to create outlines, then right click and select Ungroup to split each word and letter into individual objects. Drag a selection around each word and move it into place to create a natural flow between the words. Download the source file
Novel Constructions A sudden bolt of inspiration would makes for an enticing story of a typeface’s beginnings, one that would perhaps be helpful when marketing it. However, in reality, not all typefaces come into the world that way. Sometimes, as was the case for Novel, the idea slowly percolates. Even the somewhat unspectacular name I chose for this family reflects that process. Just like many of my fellow Type and Media graduates I was adamant about continuing to work on designing typefaces after graduation. Though there was no sudden moment of insight, I believe that with most type designers it’s very obvious which typefaces could have had an influence. For me the start of working on a typeface involves strictly being away from computer. Designing typefaces this way takes a little longer at the beginning, but I feel that working this way provides me with a much better and clearer understanding of the shapes. When drawing type I tend to focus on the darker book weight.
Newzald: From Moleskine to Market By Kris Sowersby In this article I will attempt to illustrate my design process—from typeface concept to a marketable font. Not many folks are willing to write about this. Perhaps they find it boring, irrelevant or just a little bit personal. I suspect it is a mix of all the above. I’ll try to remain as concise as possible. 1) Purpose. The first thing to decide is the purpose of the typeface. 2) The first sketches Bearing these things in mind I made some rough sketches. 3) Firing up FontLab Fontlab is the only application that I use for drawing and spacing letterforms. 4) Looking at the lasers Print tests are done at all stages in production. 5) Adding a bit more When I’m happy with how the lowercase is looking, I’ll add a few capitals. 6) Balancing the white It took me a while to understand that a typeface is the harmony of black & white. Thirty spokes unite at the single hub; It is the empty space which makes the wheel useful. 7) Fleshing out the character set 8) The extended family
Create a Candy Flavored Text Effect in Photoshop In this quick tip tutorial we will explain how to create a candy cane-style text effect in Photoshop. Let's get started! Tutorial Assets The following assets were used during the production of this tutorial. Step 1 First of all you have to install both .pat files. Step 2 Create a new document. Step 3 Duplicate the background (Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer > OK) and rename the new layer as 'Background Pattern'. Step 4 Now we are going to add some texture. Step 5 To create the vignette style you have to double click on 'Background Pattern' layer and, once the Layer Style window appears, set the following values. Step 6 Type the word CANDY or a text of your choice using 'Anja Eliane' font. Step 7 Using the 'Move Tool', select the text and background layer, then click the align commands: 'Align Horizontal Center' and 'Align Vertical Center' on the top menu to center it, as shown in the image below. Step 8 Step 9 Let's start with the text effect! Step 10 Now we start with the candy texture. Step 11 Step 12