Mastering Photoshop for Web Designers Vol. 2

As the technology becomes more advanced, all of us seek for time-saving tips and guidelines to make our work much more effective and productive. Mastering Photoshop for Web Design Vol. 2 contains 11 articles that cover useful and partly unknown Photoshop techniques and tricks from experts in the field. The articles discuss retouching, cloning, compositing, obscure Photoshop timesavers and designing for iPhone. The articles have been published on Smashing Magazine in 2010 and 2011 and have been carefully edited and revised.

Productivity is a crucial asset of professional designers. Photoshop is an extremely powerful application for photo processing and image manipulation, and we can make it even more powerful by using advanced techniques and design approaches that professionals and experts in the field are using regularly.

The better our professional skills are, the more time we can spend to focus on the actual design process rather than the tool we are using to implement it on screen. This book is the brand new Photoshop eBook edition in our Smashing eBook Series which will help you mastering Photoshop and gain a more efficient, advanced workflow in your design process.

When it comes to designing in Photoshop, there is a myriad of ways one could use to achieve a certain result. Designers use techniques they are most confident as well as comfortable with, which is great because it’s always useful to peek into the workflow of our colleagues and learn new design approaches. Creating great artwork without intimately knowing your tools is certainly possible, but the more you know, the more likely you are to work faster and with greater confidence.

This eBook contains 11 articles that cover useful techniques and tricks from experts such as retouching, cloning, compositing, obscure Photoshop time- savers and designing for iPhone. You may know some of them, but hopefully not all of them.

Be a Rockstar Icon Design

Veteran icon designer Kate McInnes introduces you to the wonderful world of icon design, so you too can become a Rockstar Icon Designer!

In this book Kate shares with you her experience and expertise by covering everything from the history and theory of icon design, to best practices and methods. She’ll also take you through the whole process of creating your own icon set, and walk you through actual tutorial exercises where you’ll design icons from scratch.

Hi, I’m Kate, the author of ‘Rockstar Icon Designer’.

When I first started out in icon design I found that there was very little information to help guide me though the design process. Through a lot of trial and error, I finally came to understand and really appreciate the wonderful world of icons.

During the course of this book, I will share my experiences in the field of icon design. I’ll look at rendering styles and ways to achieve them, and the many uses for icons today. This book won’t teach you how to emulate others. It won’t focus heavily on one OS over another; nor will it turn you into a master overnight. Instead it will help you create designs that will stand up to the test of time and help you better understand the constraints (and the joys) of pixel perfect rendering and icon design in general.

Here’s what I cover in each chapter of the book:

Chapter 1: A Brief History of Computer Icons

By studying the history of computer icons, we can further understand current aesthetics and predict styles that will be used in the future. This chapter will examine a collection of important milestones in computer icon history, each example representing an evolution in technology and design.

Chapter 2: Design Guidelines

If you take a closer look at icons throughout history, you will notice that over time a visual language has evolved. Unsuccessful icons have fallen by the wayside, while successful icons such as the ‘trash can,’ have become irreplaceable in our vocabulary.

A successful icon has a heavy focus on concept over aesthetic, and should quickly and clearly communicate its purpose. But what other things make for a good icon? In this chapter I look at these things and how icon design is so much more than simply effective communication.

Chapter 3: File Formats and Terminology

Before even beginning an icon or icon set, you should be familiar with the format(s) required for your project. Knowing the format will help you determine which programs are needed to create your design and how many sizes you’ll need to create your icons in. Therefore this chapter is dedicated to file formats and terminology, because a good knowledge of file formats and icon specifications is key to successful icon design.

Chapter 4: Icon Categories and Conventions

It’s an exciting time to be an icon designer. We have an explosion of mobile devices, third party software being developed around the globe, and display technology that allows it all to be seen on amazingly crisp and colorful screens. In this chapter we will explore the different varieties of icons out there, and best practices for their concepts, rendering and output.

Chapter 5: Rendering Styles

In this chapter we examine the four main styles of icon rendering (i.e. Hyper Realistic; Clean and Simple, etc) and look at the best way to approach them in your workflow.

Chapter 6: Perspective

In art and design, perspective is a way to draw objects that appear to have the same three-dimensional qualities that can be seen in real-world objects and scenes. In this chapter we look at all forms of perspective, and start with hands-on practical exercises. Starting at zero perspective and moving through two-point perspective to isometric projection, you will learn about the various forms of perspective while gaining skills in traditional drawing skills with pencil and paper, pixel pushing in Photoshop and shape building in Illustrator. The learning process will guide you from basic to intermediate rendering skills while you brush up on your perspective theory. Learning how to draw perspective will help you focus your attention on the form and construction of objects and give you the skills to create effective three-dimensional icons.

Chapter 7: View Points

In this chapter we look at View Points, which are a simplified version of perspective, and are used to instruct designers of the viewing angle an icon should be drawn with, rather than a specific set of perspective rules. You will find viewpoints referred to in various icon guides such as the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) and the Mac OS X and Human Interface Guidelines, but basically there are three types of View Points which make up the majority of the icon views for Mac, PC and Linux based icons, and they are Desktop, Shelf, and Front View. Not all items can have the same view applied, so some icons will be required to have a different perspective depending on where they appear in an interface.

Chapter 8: Popular Platforms – Guidelines and Style Tips

Icons are a balance between creativity and usability. When you create icons for a program or application, you should always follow the developer guidelines and style guides set out by the operating system you will be using. Each OS has its own set of design rules that are created to help designers create assets that blend harmoniously into existing graphical user interface. This chapter takes a closer look at the various platforms and a simple explanation of the styles required for each. I begin with the two giants of the desktop computer world, take a look at two smartphone platforms battling to be number one, and end with a project that’s giving open-source software a facelift.

Chapter 9: Basic Steps to Plan and Create an Icon Set

By the time you get to this chapter, you will have a better understanding of how to design and render icons, and so you’ll be ready to make an actual icon set for yourself. This chapter outlines the steps needed to plan and render a basic icon set.

Chapter 10: Troubleshooting

In this chapter we look at a few examples of some of the common problems that may occur while working on an icon design, and then we cover a few of the methods we can use to solve them.

Chapter 11: Designer Interviews

While I was writing this book, it dawned on me that perhaps the book would be more ‘wholesome’ if we could hear from at least a couple of the other icon designers out there, and get them to share with us some of their own personal experiences in the icon design world – so that’s what I did – and that’s what this chapter is all about!

I hope you enjoy my book, and find it a useful tool in helping you become a Rockstar Icon Designer!

Principles of graphic design balance

The principle of balance in our daily lives can be implemented in a multimedia graphic design. It’s simple. Balance is the similarity in the distribution of weight. We design with linkage equilibrium tend to feel together, seem united and harmonious feeling. Advertising in the print media of the American Red Cross uses the principle of balance. The ad won a bronze medal in the Hispanic Creative Advertising Awards. Ad titled “gifts” (Gift) is shown to recruit young donors and give gratitude for his blood. Ads created by agency J. Walter Thomson is shown in Figure 01

Ads from the company to use the principle of the balance of the Bell helmet. Ads created by Crispin Porter Bogusky, entitled “Laugh“ which is shown in figure 02 was awarded Gold at the Festival OnShow 2003 for the category of magazine ads. These ads are shown to users of the helmet is a stylish and trendy.

Likewise ads from Nintendo‘s “New Weapon“. Artificial Leo Burnett London advertising is awarded “Gold” in 2003. See Effie festivals 03 photos

            Gambar 01

                    gambar 02

                     gambar 03

Easy Ways to Make Coffee Mug Design in Adobe Illustrator

Mugs are part of our everyday life. They help us enjoy most of our favorite daily beverages – from warm coffee and tea to cold milk and ice tea. Can we make the experience even more enjoyable while having our drink from our very own designed mug? Sure we can. It’s always more fun to use a colorful mug instead of the boring blank ones. And it will be also a nice addition in the kitchen. So let’s start designing our mug!

1. Create a New Print Document.

Most of the printable mugs are the same size – so we’ll go with 200mm by 90mm. 

2. Start Sketching

Step 1

Let’s make a sketch filled with funny monsters which will brighten our sleepy mornings. Most of the blank printable mugs are white – let’s take advantage of it and make a bright and cheerful illustration on white background. We can also put a small banner at the middle bottom of the mug where you can write your name on it, so everyone (siblings, roommates and co-workers) will know it’s your mug! I am using a pen tablet but you can also draw your sketch on a piece of paper and then scan it and import it to Illustrator.

I chose five colors for our illustrations. They may seem little, but later on we’ll add tiny details and you’ll be glad we didn’t add more colors.

Step 2

Rasterize the sketch. Select the drawing and go to Object > Rasterize.

Step 3

Choose 150 dpi from the dialog box.

Step 4

Drop the Opacity to 50% and Lock the layer (Control-2). Add new layer to start creating the illustration. The sketch will be visible enough so we can trace the shapes. Being locked, it won’t bother us on accidental clicking.

3. Trace the Sketch

Step 1

Start tracing! Using the Pen Tool (P), we’ll trace the drawing we made, shape by shape. It requires a bit of time and maybe some nerves if you are a beginner, but trust me it is worth it when you see the final result.

Try not to add many anchor points. This way your lines will be smooth and eye-catching.

Step 2

Pay extra attention when you’re tracing the letters. We want them readable, so try to follow the sketch’s path well. You can drop the Stroke Weight to 0.5 points for better viewing.

Step 3

Once you’re done, delete the sketch layer and check your traced drawing. Make sure all paths are closed. Your drawing should look like this.

4. Color Your Design

Step 1

Let’s see how our mug monsters will look in color. We already had a color palette in our sketch so we can use the same colors. My palette contains five colors. I am showing you them in CMYK percentage, but feel free to use any color you want. You can draw little colored boxes next to the artboard so you can pick them easily.

Step 2

First select every monster’s body and color it according the sketch. It should be easy as pie since we have five color palette. Just select the body shape and using the Eyedropper Tool (I) select a desirable color from our palette or from the Swatches panel.

Step 3

Now that we have colored bodies, it’s easier to continue coloring. We’ll resume with coloring the horns and their eyes. Use dark gray (90%) – that way we won’t have absolute black and our illustration will get a certain retro feel to it.

Step 4

Now let’s color their legs – we can use the same color as the body for their feet, and their legs can be in any other color out of our five color palette. We’ll leave their hands in outline, like they did in those old cartoons.

At this point our illustrations should look like this.

Step 5

Now, let’s add color to our last element, the name banner.

Use light color for the front part, darker one for the back part, and darkest one for the middle part. That way we’ll get the right perspective and depth in our 2D illustration. We are using the dark gray (90% gray) for the letters.

5. Add Details

Our illustration should look like this. But, we have still much white space! Let’s fill it up with some confetti-like shapes!

Step 1

Outside the artboard, using the pen tool draw four simple triangles and four simple circles. Color them in some of the colors from our color palette.

Step 2

Now using the copy and paste command, replicate them, let’s say five times. Now we have lots of vector confetti to throw around our monsters!

Step 3

Start randomly arranging the circles and triangles around the monsters.

Step 4

Don’t stop until you fill most of the blank space. Your illustration should look something like this! It’s funny how few simple colorful shapes can brighten up a drawing!

6. Add a Subtle Texture to Shapes

Now for our final touch, let’s add a discreet outline texture to our monsters. It won’t be noticeable at first sight, but it will add a dose of retro charm to it.

Step 1

Select the main monster body. Open the Brushes panel and in the options menu, find the Open Brush Library. Click on it, and you will get brush sets in various categories.

Step 2

Open the Artistic category, and select the Chalk Charcoal Pencil subcategory.

Step 3

You will get a library of rough brushes. Select a suitable brush. I will use the one labeled as Charcoal Pencil. You see the effect of the stroke brush – subtle yet very appealing.

Step 4

Repeat the same step for all other monsters bodies.

Sit Back and Relax, You’re Done!

And we are done! Our illustration is ready for printing. Take it to your local print shop and get your very own, one of a kind mug!

But before you run off to the print shops, I have one very important tip regarding printed mugs: never, ever wash them in a dish washing machine. The print will fade and eventually it might fall off. Always hand-wash them. Enjoy your coffee!

How to Easily Create Surreal Poster Design in Adobe Illustrator

1. Build the Mouth

Step 1

Let’s start with the mouth. It’s the top of the image and where the viewers’ eyes will likely fall first. To begin, sketch out the mouth with the Pencil Tool (N). I’m using a 1pt weight stroke with the color set to a light blue (this is not important).

1. I usually start with the top lip. I think of it as four curved strokes: two on either side that curve inward and two shorter stroked that form the cupid’s bow.
2. To complete the top lip I drew four strokes. The two side strokes curve in opposition to the top lines. The lines below the cupid’s bow mimic them on a smaller scale.
3. Choose how open you want your mouth to be. Just a little bit, as seen in Figure 3 below.
4. Or you can go for a mouth that will reveal more teeth.
5. The bottom lip flattens out a bit in the middle of the bottom edge.
6. Complete the mouth. Note where the teeth are (is it a closed smile, open smile, etc). Group (Control-G) these lines together.

Step 2

Let’s build up the mouth with shapes.

1. Starting with the top lip, again, I want to focus on one half of it. Using the Pen Tool (P), I have traced the left half of the mouth, stopping in the center point and making sure the shape is closed.
2. Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-P) the lip shape and Reflect over a Vertical Axis. align the two shapes so they overlap a bit and create a nice top lip.
3. Repeat for the bottom lip.

Step 3

Unite the top lip shapes and the bottom lip shapes in the Pathfinder panel with their respective partners.

1. In order to create the teeth, use the Pen Tool to draw a curved shape defining the bottom edge of the top row of teeth.
2. Use the Rounded Rectangle Tool in order to draw a row of teeth overlapping the blue space from the previous step.
3. Use the Shape Builder Tool (Shift-M) in order to delete the rounded bottoms of the teeth. Select the blue shape and each tooth, Select the portion of the teeth shapes that do not intersect with the blue shape, Deselect, and Delete.
4. Some of the teeth may sit above the lips themselves. Make sure to delete non-overlapping components of teeth before Grouping them together and placing them below the top lip in the Layers panel.
5. Move the teeth group down a small bit so the blue shape from Figure 1. Draw a rounded tongue shape (with the Ellipse Tool (L)) and place it under all mouth objects in the Layers panel.

Step 4

Create a bottom row of teeth in the same manner as the group from Step 3.

1. Your mouth will need a dark color drawn for the inside as well (behind the tongue). I drew shapes behind the mouth in dark brown with the Pen Tool.
2. The drip shape seen in the final image is the same teal as the lower lip and was drawn with the Pencil Tool. Optionally, you can also build rounded drip shapes with a series of ellipses, rounded rectangles, or carefully using the Pen Tool.

Group together your mouth components.

2. Create the Umbrella

Step 1

Before we get to the umbrella, let’s quickly create a rainbow. Use the Rectangle Tool (M) in order to draw a long, narrow, vertical rectangle. Copy and Paste five times. I’ve used the following colors:

• Orange: R=241 G=105 B=63 
• Yellow: R=251 G=193 B=96
• Light Green: R=151 G=203 B=121
• Green: R=102 G=170 B=123
• Light Blue: R=85 G=198 B=212
• Navy Blue: R=21 G=49 B=73
• Align the rectangles so they are the same distance apart, Group them together and place them underneath the mouth (and all other poster elements).

Step 2

It’s pretty simple to create an umbrella from a series of ellipses.

1. Draw a large ellipse using the Ellipse Tool. Note that this isn’t a perfect circle.
2. Draw four overlapping circles and Unite all four in the Pathfinder panel.
3. Using the Shape Builder Tool, select the intersecting an non-intersecting shapes that you’ve drawn (five total).
4. The four bottom shapes, now separate from each other, are to be deleted.
5. Once those other four sections are deleted you’ll be left with your umbrella.

Step 3

The top of the umbrella, the ferrule, has a pointed teardrop shape. It’s extremely simple to create. Draw a circle, pull the top anchor point upward using the Direct Selection Tool (A), and bring it to a point with the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C). Place on the top of the umbrella.

Step 4

For the handle of the umbrella, use the Pen Tool to draw a line that starts at the top of the umbrella and kicks to the left beneath it. Set the stroke weight to 8-10pts and taper the line with the Width Tool (Shift-W).

Step 5

Finally, for the stitched lines on the umbrella, draw curved lines from each umbrella point to the ferrule. Set the Stroke Weight to 1pt, Cap and Corner to Rounded, and Dashed Line to 5pt Dash and 5pt Gap. Group all of these umbrella components together.

3. Sunshine and Rain Clouds

Step 1

In order to create the smiling sun for our poster we need to start with the sun’s rays. Draw another pointed teardrop shape in yellow-orange (see Section 2, Step 3). With the teardrop selected create a New Brush in the Brushes panel. This is a simple Pattern Brush (see below) where the Outer Corner Tile is Auto Between and the Side Tile is Original. Hit OK and you’ll find your new brush ready for use in the Brushes panel.

Step 2

Use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle. Fill it with the same color as the brush you just made. Apply the brush to the stroke and resize both the circle and the Stroke Weight as needed to get the amount of rays you’d like on your cute little sun.

For the face draw ovals for the eyes and use the Pen Tool to draw a mouth and little heart for a tongue, if you so desire. Group these pieces together and place the sun behind the umbrella within your poster’s composition.

Step 3

1. For the rain clouds, use the Ellipse Tool to draw a series of overlapping circles and ovals in various sizes. Unite them in the Pathfinder panel.
2. Use the Rectangle Tool to draw a rectangle that overlaps half of the cloud.
3. Hit Minus Front in Pathfinder so you’re left with a puffy cloud with a flat bottom edge. Copy, Paste, and Reflect the cloud. change the fill color on the second cloud to a dark color and place it behind the first. Use the same teardrop shapes from Section 2, Step 3 for the raindrops in the poster design.

4. Render the Rainbows and Composition

Step 1

Use the Rectangle Tool in order to draw two rectangles that will appear beneath the mouth and umbrella. Each will have the same width as the rainbow. Apply a Linear Gradient using the Gradient Tool (G) that goes from dark brown at 100% to 0% Opacity. Set the gradient’s angle to -90° so the darker color starts at the top of the gradient shape.

Step 2

Let’s take a minute to check out the composition so far. Notice that the same gradient was applied to the mouth corners and tongue from the previous step.

Step 3

In order to create the paintbrush handle at the bottom of the poster, check out the following:

1. The handle and the base of the brush are both Rounded Rectangles. A circle forms the hole in the handle and the half circle strip on the handle was drawn with the Pen Tool.
2. Place the brush at the bottom of the rainbow and draw a narrow rectangle (also cream-colored, as that is our background color) across the top of the brush.

Step 4

Finally, we’ve got to draw some little birdies.

1. Start with a circle.
2. Pull the left anchor point out with the Direct Selection Tool.
3. Manipulate the top and left anchor point tools to form the head and tail (you’re curving the former circle up and inward).
4. Bring the curved left side to a point.
5. Use the Pen Tool to draw a beak.
6. Draw a circle for the eyes. Group together, Copy, Paste, and Scale the copied birds down or up, depending on your preference and scatter them around the left side of the composition. Change the bird’s base color so there’s more than just navy blue birds flitting about.

5. Add a Patterned Texture

Step 1

In order to create the patterned texture over top the whole poster, we’ll start with a couple squares.

1. Use the Rectangle Tool to draw a perfect square (hold down Shift). Ultimately, my pattern will be in navy blue. For visibility’s sake, it’s cream right now.
2. Copy and Paste the square and Rotate them so you can Align them to their center points.
3. Copy and Paste the squares again so you have a group of four, as seen below.

Step 2

Select your squares and Make a New Pattern in the Pattern Options panel. Keep the pattern type as a simple Grid. When satisfied, hit Done.

Step 3

Draw a large rectangle that covers the entire artboard. Apply your new pattern and reduce the Opacity to 21% or so in the Transparency panel. Change the Blending Mode to Soft Light.

Congratulations, Your Poster is Complete!

When creating surreal poster designs, it’s helpful to keep a list of items, objects, and concepts at hand. Doodle out designs and throw them together with a unifying palette.

Tips on How to Make Easy Flower Field Pattern in Adobe Illustrator Design

Create a simple, shape-driven floral pattern with Adobe Illustrator. Use polygons to make each of the pattern’s elements, distort them with vector effects, and use the Pattern Options panel in order to bring your design together.

1. Let’s Draw a Tulip

Step 1

Start with the Ellipse Tool (L) and draw a small circle. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to pull the top anchor point upwards. You have a few options here: keep the top rounded, use the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-B) to bring it to a point, and/or use the Selection Tool (V) to squish the now teardrop-like shape down so it’s smaller and fatter. The shape you choose will be the basis for your tulip’s petals.

Step 2

Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-P) your tulip’s petals twice. Use the Rotate Tool (R) to rotate both of the outside petals 20° and -20° respectively (you’ll want the tops to rotate outward). Select all three of the shapes and Unite them in the Pathfinder panel. Use the Delete Anchor Point Tool (-) to delete the bottom anchor points that are not in the center of the tulip (see below).

Step 3

For the stem and leaves, you’ll follow the same process from Step 1: draw a circle, pull the side anchor point out, and decide if you want the leaf’s tip to be pointy or rounded. The stem was drawn with the Rectangle Tool (M). Place it beneath the tulip’s head in the Layers panel. Copy and Paste your leaves and Rotate them as needed. Group (Control-G) your tulip’s components together and let’s move on to the next pattern element.

2. Let’s Draw a Daisy

Step 1

Daisies and petaled flowers like them are fairly simple. Using the Polygon Tool, draw an eight-sided figure. With your octagon selected, go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat. Move the slider to 76% Bloat. 

Step 2

Hit Expand under Object and your daisy will be its very own shape. Use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle for the flower’s center.

Step 3

For the stem, draw a long, narrow rectangle. Select the stem and go to Effect > Warp > Flag. In the Warp Options, select Vertical and push the Bend slider to 50%. Once you’ve hit OK, make sure to Expand under Object and place it under the flower’s petals in the Layers panel.

3. Creating Other Flowers

Step 1

This next one is another daisy. Instead of eight sides, however, choose 20 sides. Once again, apply the Pucker & Bloat effect at 92% so the petals are plentiful and thin. Don’t forget to Expand your flower under Object and draw a circle for the flower’s center.

Step 2

The next pattern element requires a quick custom brush. Draw a small circle with the Ellipse Tool. Select the circle and in the Brushes panel hit New Brush… and Scatter Brush. Keep its options set to Fixed, give it a unique name, and hit OK. Your new brush will be found in the Brushes panel.

Step 3

Draw a circle and set the stroke to your new brush (Select the circle and choose the brush in the Brushes panel). If you decide to change the color of your shape, you can edit the brush’s color under Edit > Edit Colors… > Recolor Artwork. Expand your flower shape and Delete any extraneous shapes (those that aren’t filled in) in the newly expanded group (take a gander at your Layers panel and keep it organized).

Step 4

Another rather simple pattern element are these green clover-like shapes. Draw a circle and apply the Pucker & Bloat effect at 82%. Expand the shape under Object. These will be copied and pasted around the pattern design.

Step 5

For the final flower of this design, we’re going to create a simple layered daisy. Draw a six-sided polygon and set the Bloat to 96%.

Step 6

Copy, Paste, and set the fill color to a contrasting, bright color on the copied flower. Scale the copied flower down so it’s about half the size. Place it on top of the original flower and draw a circle for the center. Group your components together.

4. Assemble Your Pattern

Step 1

Arrange your pattern components together in a pleasing way. I like to place them inside a rectangle and fill up the space as much as possible. Copy and Paste components around, recolor some of them, and don’t forget to add various sizes of circles.

Step 2

Select the components of your design and hit Make New in the Pattern Options panel. Note empty spaces in your pattern design and fill them in with other flowers, circles, sparkles, etc. Hit Done when you’re satisfied with your pattern, or to test it in action. You’ll find it saved in your Swatches panel and you can edit it at any time (or make a copy to edit) by Double-Clicking on the pattern swatch.

Step 3

As you’re filling in your design, Zoom (Z) out and notice how the pattern looks when repeating. Is it obvious that you’ve designed it in a rectangle? Or is the pattern seamless? I’ve changed the Tile Type to Brick by Column so its seams aren’t as easily seen. Note how the stems of the daisies play up the tile change by creating sweeping lines throughout the pattern.

Well Done, You’re Through!

Your pattern is now complete. With a handful of polygons you’ve made a field of flowers. Push your pattern designs further by creating more complex shapes and motifs with blends, gradient shapes, and gradient meshes.

How to design logo illustration Weathered Located in Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial, I’ll show you a potential process for approaching a simple illustrative logo design project. We’ll go through the steps you can take to develop ideas, refine your logo work, and experiment with different looks for a logo.

I’ll give you a few tips along the way about some techniques you can take advantage of in Adobe Illustrator with a Wacom tablet, creating great hand-drawn looking illustrations with pressure sensitive brushes.

1. Sketching

Sketching out a bunch of rough concepts lets you hash out a variety of ideas for a logo, and explore a few visual directions.

A lot of designers will grab a notebook and draw ideas by hand, but a fantastic way to enhance the speed of your work is to sketch directly into Adobe Illustrator with a tablet. Your sketches will be vector-ready, you can drop them right into your final document as a reference, and, with lots of pressure sensitivity, there’s no detail lost.

Set Up Your Sketching Document

I recommend starting out with an A4 size artboard in Adobe Illustrator, so that you can easily print out your roughs if you need to show them to a client.

If you select the Artboard Tool (Shift-O), after you’ve created your document, you can hold Alt and drag on the first artboard to duplicate it. This way, you’ll have a bit more space to work with, and you can print out each artboard as its own page.

Using Pressure Sensitive Brushes for Sketches

I’ve set up a single pressure sensitive brush for sketching, just so I have a bit of control over the weight of my lines. I use the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B) for this sort of sketch work in Illustrator.

You can create a new brush by opening the Brushes panel (Window > Brushes) and clicking the New Brush icon.

Select Calligraphic Brush in the dialogue that appears.

To give the brush pressure sensitivity, we have to select Pressure from the dropdown next to the Size slider.

Then, define the amount of variation to the size of the brush. For sketches, I find it’s better to have less variation, to simulate more closely using a pen or pencil.

Here’s how my document looks after sketching out some ideas with the tablet using the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B), and the pressure sensitive brush:

2. Refining Sketches and Exploring a Concept

After you’ve sketched out a bunch of ideas, it’s time to refine and explore a particular concept.

In this instance, I’ve gone with an idea built around illustrations of baked goods. Depending on the product, the packaging would have a different illustration.

Taking the initial sketches, I roughed out the type and settled on a layout.

3. Illustrating the Logos

Now, we’ll illustrate the logos. Adobe Illustrator, just like Photoshop, allows you to assign different brush parameters to different tablet input types.

Set Up a Brush

We’ll need a thicker brush to draw out the complete logos. Create a new Calligraphic Brush using the same steps from the previous section, this time setting the size to 30pt and the pressure variation to 12pt.

Draw the Icons

I’ve kept the illustration style loose and rough. For each illustrative logo I use the Blob Brush Tool (Shift-B) to create the basic shape. Then, I flip my tablet pen over and use the Eraser Tool (Shift-E), or the Knife Tool to refine the shape and carve out details.

After drawing each icon, I’ve added a roughen effect to give edges some character. You’ll find the Roughen effect under Effect > Distort & Transform > Roughen. The settings I’ve used are:

• Size: 2pt, Absolute
• Detail: 12/in
• Points: Smooth

After roughening, this is how the illustrations look:

4. Different Color Treatments and Layouts

Once you’ve created the base assets for your logo work, you can experiment with different color treatments and layouts.

Since everything we’ve done so far is vector, it’s trivial to modify colors and adjust positioning.

Conclusion

When your design brief calls for visuals that feel handcrafted and homely, you don’t need to sacrifice vector versatility for texture and grunge. You can use tools that already exist in Illustrator and the power of a tablet to give life and character to your work.

How to Design a folky Gig Posters in Adobe Illustrator

Let’s play with Linear Gradients in this abstract poster design. Fire up Adobe Illustrator (I’ll be using Illustrator CC 2014) and get ready to doodle out some rainbows, curving arrows, and paisley-like splash designs.

1. Set Up Your Document

Step 1

Create a New Document. It’s your call on the size. I ultimately wound up with a design of 8.27″ x 11.69″. If you’re keen on keeping your design at print resolution, make sure the ppi is set to 300. Otherwise, 72 ppi will do just fine.

Step 2

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to draw a large light gray rectangle over the Artboard. Draw two triangles that cover most of the design space (one over the top left and one over the top right). Apply a Linear Gradient that goes from dark gray at 100% to 0% Opacity. Adjust the angle of the gradient with the Gradient Tool (G) so the darker color is in the corner of the design. In the Transparency panel, set the Blend Mode to Multiply and Opacity to 21%.

2. Background Shapes

Step 1

The white banner-like shapes in the background of the design are fairly simple. Use the Polygon Tool to draw two hexagons (of the same size) and the Rectangle Tool to draw a rectangle of the same length as the hexagons. Place the hexagons on either end of the rectangle (see below). Group (Control-G) these shapes together.

Step 2

Copy (Control-C) and Paste (Control-V) the banner-like shapes so you have six of them placed in a V over the artboard. Group all the shapes together and place them beneath the triangular gradient objects from Section 1, Step 2 in the Layers panel.

3. Draw the Central Design

Step 1

Draw a circle with the Ellipse Tool (L). Apply a Linear Gradient at a -90° angle that goes from light gray to white. Select the circle and Offset the path by going to Object > Path > Offset Path. Offset the circle by 2–4 pixels. Set the fill color of the new shape to white and make sure it is behind the smaller gradient circle in the Layers panel. Group the two shapes together.

Step 2

To apply a Drop Shadow to the circle group, Select it and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and add the following attributes:

• Mode: Multiply
• Opacity: 40%
• X Offset: 0.08 in
• Y Offset: 0.04 in
• Blur: 0.1 in
• Color: Black

Step 3

Use the Pencil Tool (N) to draw curving, paisley-like designs around the dimensional disc. If you’re using Illustrator CC, you can adjust the Pencil Tool Options so the Fidelity of the tool is Smoother, and you’re more likely to have clean shapes. Draw several of these going diagonally from the top right to the bottom left of the design.

Step 4

In total, I drew 14 of the white splash shapes. Select all of them and Offset the shapes by 2–4 pixels. Apply the same gradient from Step 1 in this section to the smaller of the shapes. Set the fill color of the offset shapes to white. Group all of the splash components together and place them below the white disc group in the Layers panel.

Step 5

Once again, we’ll apply a Drop Shadow to the design. Select the splash shapes, go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow, and add the following attributes:

• Mode: Multiply
• Opacity: 33%
• X Offset: 0.05 in
• Y Offset: 0.03 in
• Blur: 0.05 in
• Color: Black

4. Create the Rainbow

Step 1

Draw seven thin rectangles of the same size in seven different colors (pink, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, and purple) and Align them together so they’re evenly spaced in a rainbow strip. Group the rectangles together and Rotate the group so it stretches across the Artboard diagonally.

Step 2

To draw the dimensional bump in the rainbow, use the Pen Tool (P) to create a small curving stroke (see below). Set the Stroke Color to match the first rainbow stripe. In the Brushes panel, create a New Calligraphic Brush with the attributes seen below (the goal is for it to be flat and ribbon-like).

Step 3

When satisfied with the rainbow ribbon stroke, Expand it under Object. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to make sure its corner anchor points align with the first rainbow stripe. Copy and Paste the bump shape and use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to select each rainbow stripe color in turn. Line up seven of the bump shapes, parallel to the rainbow stripe group. Group the rainbow bump shapes together. Copy, Paste, and Rotate this group for the opposite end of the rainbow stripe group.

5. Render the Rainbow

Step 1

Copy and Paste the rainbow bump group. Ungroup and Unite the shapes together in the Pathfinder panel. Apply a Linear Gradient that goes from dark purple at 0% Opacity to light yellow at 100% Opacity back to dark purple again. Angle the gradient so the highlight appears in the center of the group. Repeat for the bump on the other end of the rainbow.

Copy and Paste the main rainbow group. Ungroup and Unite the shapes together in the Pathfinder panel. Apply a Linear Gradient that goes from dark purple at 100% Opacity to magenta at 0% Opacity back to dark purple, back to magenta, and back to purple again. Angle the gradient so the shadows (dark purple) appear at the edges of the rainbow stripe and beneath the splash design from Section 3. Place this shape underneath the rainbow bump groups in the Layers panel.

With the Pen Tool, draw an angled rectangle underneath the rainbow bump group that goes from dark purple at 100% to 0% Opacity. Concentrate the shadow beneath the main curve of the bump group.

Step 2

With either the Pen tool or the Pencil Tool, draw curving arrow shapes of varying colors coming off the rainbow stripe. I chose to draw two on each end of the design.

Step 3

Group together all of the rainbow components and place them beneath the splash shapes group in the Layers panel. I added another gradient circle in the central shape to give it more depth.

6. Colorful Circle Shapes

Step 1

Copy and Paste the central circle shape (without the newly added gradient shape from Section 5, Step 3). Draw a circle in the center with the Ellipse Tool. I chose bright green for this design.

Draw a smaller circle and apply a Radial Gradient that goes from light yellow at 100% Opacity to the base green at 0% Opacity.

Copy and Paste the highlight circle and apply a Radial Gradient that goes from bright green to a darker green. Place it below the highlight circle in the Layers panel. This will give the green circles a more dimensional look.

Finally, draw another circle, smaller than the main green shape but larger than the two gradient circles, and set the Fill color to Null and the Stroke to 1 pt weight and a bright lime green. Group everything together.

Step 2

For varying colors, Copy and Paste the colorful circle group as many times as you need for your design (note there are several colorful circles in the final product). Draw a circle that overlaps the green color and set its Blending Mode to Color in the Transparency panel. The color you choose and the color you made your circle design in the previous step will affect the hue of your colorful circles. Alternatively, you can just repeat the previous step with different colors and have full control over what your circles look like.

Step 3

Copy, Paste, and Resize the circles around the Artboard to your liking. I wound up with ten in total within my design.

7. Colorful splashes

Step 1

The final set of steps involves bringing the whole design together with some colorful splash shapes. Once again, use the Pencil Tool to draw curving teardrop-like shapes around the artboard in various rainbow colors. I added in some heart shapes for good measure (and because I tend to like adding hearts to my artwork).

Step 2

Group together the splash shapes and Offset their Paths by 1–2 pixels.

Step 3

Like the white splash designs, apply a Linear Gradient to the inner shape on each going from gray to white. Set the Blending Mode to Multiply in the Transparency panel and adjust each shape’s gradient using the Gradient Tool so they resemble the ones drawn before. Note how all of the splash designs look as if they have concave centers.

Put It All Together!

Place your colorful splash group beneath the rainbow group in the Layers panel. Aside from Drop Shadows and gradients, the overlapping of objects gives the design depth. Push your work further with an assortment of abstract designs featuring the techniques explored in this tutorial. Show off your poster designs in the comments section below.

Quick Tip: Fun With Objects to Marker in Inkscape

In this Inkscape quick tip, we’re going to go over a neat object menu option called Objects to Marker. It’s a really neat way to use custom designs if the prepacked ones just don’t cut it. Let’s jump right in!

1. Objects to Marker Explained

Step 1

Well, if you’ve ever worked with markers in Fill and Stroke’s Stroke style options, then this will look familiar to you. You simply select Start, Mid, and End Markers – which are graphics applied on nodes.

Step 2

Inkscape comes with a bunch of prepacked shapes, but Objects to Marker allows you to use any custom object as a marker. Below, I’m going to turn a star into a marker by selecting it and heading up to Object > Objects to Marker. You’ll notice that your object will then disappear.

Step 3

Now is the time to go over to Fill and Stroke and open up the marker drop-down menu for your custom marker. For me, it never shows up the first time. I always end up having to expand the drop-down menu, close it, then open it up again to get it to refresh and display my custom marker as an option. Also, I have to do this with all three drop-down menus every time I add another marker.

2. Add Your Own Style to Custom Markers

Step 1

I went ahead and added my custom star marker on all of the markers. Also notice that when you change the width of your stroke, the size of your markers will change drastically (it’s almost a little annoying). If you need a bigger stroke with smaller markers, you’ll have to redo your Objects to Marker with a smaller scaled version of your object.

This is why you’ll see that almost all of the prepacked markers have a small, medium, and large version.

Step 2

And of course, you may want to change the color of your markers after the face. Thankfully, there’s an Extension for this one. Select your path and click Extensions > Modify Path > Color Markers to Match Stroke.

Step 3

You can also use complex designs as markers. The red apple below is indeed sideways, but this is so it appears correct as a marker. I’ll show you what I mean next.

Step 4

Below, I drew a vertical line from top to bottom. That means my Start Marker is on the top and an upright apple set as a marker would actually be sideways. That’s why I tilted my apple accordingly prior to setting is as a marker. Lot’s of manual adjustments for directional sensitivity

.

Step 5

Yes, you can even Color Markers to Match Stroke on complex objects.

3. Extend a Mid Marker Along a Stroke

Step 1

Below, I’ve arranged three separate parts of a pencil that I’ll be using as markers.

Step 2

Now I’ve drawn my line and applied the markers as you can see below.

Step 3

Finally, we just keep adding more middle nodes to let those MidMarkers fill in the gaps. Pretty cool, huh?

Step 4

Of course, we could start out with a crazy line like this as well.

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Step 5

Then we’d end up with a crazy pencil!

This Marks the End!

Now you know how to completely use Objects to Marker. It’s really easy and super fun to play around with, as you can see. Whether you need custom markers for professional projects, or you just want to make a crazy pencil, Objects to Marker is just what you needed. Thanks for reading!

Becoming a Print Designer with Tuts+ Courses

Although web design is everywhere nowadays, print design is still a huge part of the design industry and pops up everywhere we look. We read posters, magazines, business cards, newspapers — the list just keeps on going! But what do you need to know if you want to become a print designer? Let’s find out.

A Print Designer can work for an advertising or graphic design firm, or they work on a freelance basis. Successful and engaging Print Design is imperative to any company, because of its use in marketing and advertising.

Here is a learning pathway that I would like to suggest to anyone who is new to the print or graphic design industry and needs to understand what the prerequisites are so they can get that first client project or a permanent position in this dynamic and creative field.

Getting started

Needless to say, you have to start somewhere, and here is a selection of courses that will teach you the fundamentals.

Fundamentals of Print Design

Time to take your designs from the screen to the printed page? In Fundamentals of Print Design, Nicki Hart is here to help you understand how to craft an effective design for the page.

InDesign Fundamentals

Jump into the world of print design by learning the leading publishing software, Adobe InDesign. Cheryl Graham does a masterful job of explaining the ins and outs of this great publishing program.

Intro to Print Ad Design

Advertisements don’t really have a second chance to make a first impression. They should be well thought out and catchy enough to influence the viewer’s opinion. So designing print ads is more challenging than some may think since there is no direct communication with the target audience. In this course, Nicki Hart with guide you through the process of designing effective print ads by designing an event ad, product ad and a service ad.

Beyond the Basics

Now that you’ve come to grips with the fundamentals of print and logo design, it’s time to move on to more topics that take you beyond the basics!

Print Marketing Design

Print media is a great way to get the word out and market for your client or for yourself. In this course, Nicki Hart will cover the basics to get you started thinking about design, completing a project and prepping it through the printing process.

Book Layout in InDesign

With the rise of self publishing, book layout and design has become an in-demand skill. Get started with publishing layouts!

Typography Projects in InDesign

Typography is a fine art in any field, but in print design it’s down right vital. Join Cheryl Graham as she walks you through managing and mastering your text in InDesign. In addition to the basics, Cheryl will demonstrate a variety of print projects, from multi-page manuals to magazine pages.

Advanced Training

It’s time to tackle the more advanced level techniques and really delve deeper into some of the software applications we need to master.

Advanced Print Design

Now that you know the fundamentals, gear up to master InDesign for advanced projects and pre-press wizardry.

Mastering Gradient Mesh in Illustrator

From photo-realistic 3D to subtle shapes and shades of color, you can achieve some stunning effects with the gradient mesh tool. If you’re comfortable with Illustrator and ready to jump into advanced illustration techniques, this is the course for you.

Stay Inspired

According to one survey of graphic designers, print work is definitely still there and still a top wage-earner for lots of people, so this should help you to stay inspired while you learn!