Introduction to Vector Graphic

Vector graphic over view

Introduction to Illustrator and Workspace
Working with Illustrator Documents
Basic vector shapes and colors

Illustrator tools

Basic designing tools

Object editing tools
Effect tools
Working with layer
Vector Object Editing

Selection and grouping

Editing object
Adjustment and alignment
Layouts
Coloring

Color theory
Vector graphic color
Color and texturing in illustrator
Digital and Printing color
Advance Illustrations

Working with lines and curves

Tracing
Creating Abstracts
Effects
Editing appliance
Filter effect in illustrator
Photoshop filters in illustrator
Perspective and 3D

Logo sketching

Free hand drawing

Logo concept sketching
Importing sketching into illustrator

Corporate Identity

Creating corporate identity

Creating Mockup of Corporate design

Exporting for printing

Preparing the file for printing

Different file formats

UI Designing
Concept of UI Designing
Principals of UI
 Introduction to Vector Graphic
Vector graphic over view

Vector graphics is the creation of digital images through a sequence of commands or mathemati-
cal statements that place lines and shapes in a given two-dimensional or three-dimensional space.
Unlike JPEGs, GIFs, and BMP images, vector graphics
are not made up of a grid of pixels. Instead, vector
graphics are comprised of paths, which are defined by
a start and end point, along with other points, curves,
and angles along the way. A path can be a line, a
square, a triangle, or a curvy shape. These paths can
be used to create simple drawings or complex dia-
grams. Paths are even used to define the characters
of specific typefaces.

Because vector-based images are not made up of a

specific number of dots, they can be scaled to a larger
size and not lose any image quality. If you blow up
a raster graphic, it will look blocky, or “pixelated.”
When you blow up a vector graphic, the edges of
each object within the graphic stay smooth and clean.
This makes vector graphics ideal for logos, which can
be small enough to appear on a business card, but
can also be scaled to fill a billboard. Common types of
vector graphics include Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia
Freehand, and EPS files. Many Flash animations also
use
vector graphics, since they scale better and
typically take up less space than bitmap images.

File extensions: . AI, .EPS, .SVG, .DRW

Introduction to Illustrator and Workspace
The Start workspace in Illustrator gives you quick access to your recent files, libraries, and
mobile creations. Depending on your subscription status, the Start workspace may also display
content tailored for your requirements. You can also look for the right Adobe Stock asset for your
project directly from within the Start workspace.

Illustrator displays the Start workspace at launch or whenever no documents are open.
Create documents
When you create a document in Illustrator, instead of beginning with a blank canvas, you can
choose from a wide variety of templates, including templates from Adobe Stock. Templates
include stock assets and illustrations that you can build on to complete your project. When
you open a template in Illustrator, you can work with it just as you would work with any other
Illustrator document (.ai).

In addition to templates, you can also create a document by selecting one of the numerous
presets available in Illustrator.
 Working with Illustrator Documents
About new document profiles
A document is the space in which you create artwork. In Illustrator, you can create documents
destined for many different types of output.

You start a new document by choosing a new document profile based on your intended
output. Each profile includes preset values for size, color mode, units, orientation, transparency, and
resolution. All use one artboard, by default. For example, the Video And Film Document profile uses
pixels instead of points, and you can choose a device-specific crop area, such as NTSC DV
Widescreen, to create a document in the exact dimensions required, with video-safe guides in place
to help you lay out your design for optimal viewing.

You can choose from the following profiles:

Print Document: Uses a default letter size artboard, and provides a variety of other preset print
sizes to choose from. Use this profile if you plan to send this file to a service bureau for output to a
high‑end printer.

Web Document: Provides preset options optimized for output to the web.

Flash Catalyst: Creates an FXG document in RGB mode with 800px x 600px artboard as the default
size. Align to Pixel Grid is enabled for new art in the document and the Raster Effects Resolution is
set to 72ppi. It also has Swatches, Symbols, Graphic Styles and Brushes designed keeping Flash Cata-
lyst and Flash Professional workflows in mind.

Video And Film Document: Provides several preset video- and film-specific crop area sizes (note
that the Artboard option changes to Crop Size for this profile). Illustrator creates only square pixel
files, so to ensure that the sizes are interpreted correctly in video applications, Illustrator adjusts the
Width and Height values. For example, if you choose NTSC DV Standard, Illustrator uses a pixel size
of 654 x 480, which translates to 740 x 480 pixels in video-based applications.

Basic CMYK Document: Uses a default letter size artboard, and provides a variety of other sizes to
choose from. Use this profile if you plan to send a document to multiple types of media. If one of
the media types is a service bureau, you’ll want to manually increase the Raster Effects setting to
High.

Basic RGB Document: Uses a default 800 x 600 size artboard, and provides a variety of other print-,
video-, and web-specific sizes to choose from. Do not use this option if you plan to send a document
to a service bureau or output to a high-end printer. Use this profile for documents that will be out-
put to mid-level printers, to the web, or multiple types of media.
Workspace overview
• The Application frame groups all the workspace elements in a single, integrated window
that lets you treat the application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Applica-
tion frame or any of its elements, all the elements within it respond to each other so none
overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications or when you accidentally
click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position
each application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors. If you are using a Mac
and prefer the traditional, free-form user interface, you can turn off the Application frame.
Select Window > Application Frame to toggle it on or off.
• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only),
and other application controls. On Mac, the application bar is available only when
Application frame is off. You can toggle it on or off using the Window menu.
• The Tools panel contains tools for creating and editing images, artwork, page elements,
and so on. Related tools are grouped.
• The Control panel displays options for the currently selected object.
• The Document window displays the file you’re working on. Document windows can be
tabbed and, in certain cases, grouped and docked.
• Panels help you monitor and modify your work. Panels can be grouped, stacked, or docked.

Recent Files workspace

Use the Recent Files workspace to review a list or thumbnail view of the files you have been
working on recently. Select Recent Files from the Workspace Switcher menu to view Recent
Files workspace.

To set the number of files you want to view, modify the value of Number Of Recent Files To
Display text box (Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard > Files).

fig: Recent Files workspace

 Illustrator tools
Tools panel overview

When you start Illustrator, the Tools panel appears at the left of the screen. You use tools in the
Tools panel to create, select, and manipulate objects in Illustrator. Some tools have options that
appear when you double-click a tool. These include tools that let you select, type, paint, draw,
sample, edit, and move images. To see the name of a tool, hover the pointer over it.
Work with the Tools panel
View hidden tools
You can expand some tools to show tools hidden beneath them. A small triangle at the lower right
of the tool icon signals the presence of hidden tools. Hold down the mouse button on the visible
tool to view the tools hidden under it.

Fig: View hidden tools in the Tools panel

View tool options
Some tools in the Tools panel have options that appear in the context-sensitive options bar. Addi-
tionally, you can also double-click a tool in the Tools panel to view and change the settings for that
tool.

Move the Tools panel

You can move the Tools panel by dragging its title bar.

fig: Selecting the move panel

 Object editing tools
Select paths, segments, and anchor points
Before you can reshape or edit a path, you need to select the path’s anchor points, segments, or a
combination of both.

Select anchor points

Do any of the following:
• If you can see the points, you can click them with the Direct Selection tool to select them. Shift-click
to select multiple points.
• Select the Direct Selection tool and drag a boundary around the anchor points. Shift-drag around
additional anchor points to select them.
• You can select anchor points from selected or unselected paths. Move the Direct Selection tool over
the anchor point until the pointer displays a hollow square for unselected and filled square for
selected paths in a magnified state, and then click the anchor point. Shift-click additional anchor
points to select them.
• (Illustrator only) Select the Lasso tool, and drag around the anchor points. Shift-drag around additional
anchor points to select them.

Smooth and simplify paths

You can smooth the appearance of paths as well as simplify paths by removing excess anchor
points.

Smooth a path
1. Select the object
2. Select the Smooth tool from tools panel
3. Drag the tool along the length of the path segment you want to smooth out.
4. Continue smoothing until the stroke or path is the desired smoothness.

5. Using the Smooth tool

A. Original path B. Dragging across path with the Smooth tool C. Result
fig: smooth and simplify path difference
Erase artwork
You can erase portions of your artwork using the Path Eraser tool, the Eraser tool, or the eraser
on a Wacom stylus pen. The Path Eraser tool lets you erase parts of a path by drawing along the

fig: screenshot of image erasing

path. This tool is useful when you want to limit what you erase to a path segment, such as one
edge of a triangle. The Eraser tool and the eraser on a Wacom stylus pen let you erase any area
of your artwork, regardless of structure. You can use the Eraser tool on paths, compound paths,
paths inside Live Paint groups, and clipping paths.

Effect tools

About effects
Illustrator includes a variety of effects, which you can apply to an object, group, or layer to change
its characteristics.

Illustrator CS3 and earlier included effects and filters, but now Illustrator includes only effects
(with the exception of SVG Filters). The primary difference between a filter and an effect is that a
filter permanently modifies an object or layer, but an effect and its properties can be changed or
removed at any time.

Once you apply an effect to an object, the effect appears in the Appearance panel. From the
Appearance panel, you can edit the effect, move it, duplicate it, delete it, or save it as part of a
graphic style. When you use an effect, you must expand the object before you can access the new
points.

note: Previous versions of Illustrator included filters and effects.

The effects in the top half of the Effects menu are vector effects. You can apply these effects only
to vector objects or to the fill or stroke of a bitmap object in the Appearance panel. The following
effects and effects categories from the top section are exceptions to this rule and can be applied
to both vector and bitmap objects: 3D effects, SVG Filters, Warp effects, Transform effects, Drop
Shadow, Feather, Inner Glow, and Outer Glow.

About raster effects

Raster effects are effects that generate pixels, rather than vector data. Raster effects include SVG
Filters, all of the effects at the bottom section of the Effect menu, and the Drop Shadow, Inner
Glow, Outer Glow, and Feather commands in the Effect > Stylize submenu.

The Resolution Independent Effects (RIE) capability in Illustrator CS5 makes it possible to do the
following:

• When the resolution in Document Raster Effects Settings (DRES) changes, the parameters in the
effect are interpreted to a different value so that there is minimal or no change in the appear-
ance of the effect. The new modified parameter values are reflected in the Effect dialog box.
•
• For effects with more than one parameter, Illustrator reinterprets only those parameters that
are related to the document raster effects resolution setting.

For example, there are different parameters in the Halftone Pattern dialog box. However, only the
Size value changes when the DRES changes.

fig: Halftone Pattern effect before and after the resolution value changes from 300 ppi to
150 ppi
 Working with layers
About layers
When creating complex artwork, it’s a challenge to keep track of all the items in your document
window. Small items get hidden under larger items, and selecting artwork becomes difficult.
Layers provide a way to manage all the items that make up your artwork. Think of layers as clear
folders that contain artwork. If you reshuffle the folders, you change the stacking order of the
items in your artwork. You can move items between folders and create subfolders within folders.

The structure of layers in your document can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. By
default, all items are organized in a single, parent layer. However, you can create new layers and
move items into them, or move elements from one layer to another at any time. The Layers panel
provides an easy way to select, hide, lock, and change the appearance attributes of artwork. You
can even create template layers, which you can use to trace artwork, and exchange layers with
Photoshop.
Layers panel overview
You use the Layers panel (Window > Layers) to list, organize, and edit the objects in a document.
By default, every new document contains one layer, and each object you create is listed under
that layer. However, you can create new layers and rearrange items to best suit your needs.

By default, Illustrator assigns a unique color (up to nine colors) to each layer in the Layers panel.
The color displays next to the layer name in the panel. The same color displays in the illustration
window in the bounding box, path, anchor points, and center point of a selected object. You can
use this color to quickly locate an object’s corresponding layer in the Layers panel, and you can
change the layer color to suit your needs.

When an item in the Layers panel contains other items, a triangle appears to the left of the item’s
name. Click the triangle to show or hide the contents. If no triangle appears, the item contains no
additional items.

fig: layers panel

A. Visibility column B. Edit column C. Target column D. Selection column
The Layers panel provides columns to the left and right of the listings. Click in a column to control the
following characteristics:

Visibility column
Indicates whether items in the layers are visible or hidden (blank space), or whether they are template
layers or outline layers.

Edit column
Indicates whether items are locked or unlocked. The lock icon indicates that the item is locked and cannot
be edited; a blank space indicates that the item is unlocked and can be edited.

Target column
Indicates whether items are targeted for application of effects and edit attributes in the Appearance panel.
When the target button appears as a double ring icon (either or ), the item is targeted; a single ring icon
indicates that the item is not targeted.

Selection column
Indicates whether items are selected. A color box appears when an item is selected. If an item, such as a lay-
er or group, contains some objects that are selected and other objects that are unselected, a smaller selec-
tion color box appears next to the parent item. If all of the objects within the parent item are selected, the
selection color boxes are the same size as the marks that appear next to selected objects.You can use the
Layers panel to display some items as outlines and other items as they will appear in the final artwork. You
also can dim linked images and bitmap objects to make it easier to edit artwork on top of the image. This is
especially useful when tracing a bitmap image.

fig: Display options for layered artwork

Create a layer
1. In the Layers panel, click the name of the layer above which (or in which) you want to add the new layer.
2. Do one of the following:
• To add a new layer above the selected layer, click the Create New Layer button in the Layers panel.
• To create a new sublayer inside the selected layer, click the Create New Sublayer button in the
Layers panel.
Tip: To set options when you create a new layer, choose New Layer or New Sublayer from the Layers panel menu.
• For different drawing modes, Illustrator provides several options, which include:
• The Draw Behind mode automatically creates an active new layer behind the active layer.
• In draw behind mode, artwork is drawn behind all artwork on a selected layer if no artwork is
selected.
Move an object to a different layer
1. Select the object.
2. Do one of the following:
• Click the name of the desired layer in the Layers panel. Then choose Object > Arrange > Send To
Current Layer.

• Drag the selected-art indicator , located at the right of the layer in the Layers panel, to the layer
you want.
• Tip: You can move objects or layers into a new layer by selecting them and choosing Collect In New Layer from the
Layers panel menu. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) to select nonadjacent items; hold down Shift to
select adjacent items.

Release items to separate layers

The Release To Layers command redistributes all of the items in a layer into individual layers and can build
new objects in each layer based on the object’s stacking order. You can use this feature to prepare files for
web animation work.

1. In the Layers panel, click the name of a layer or group.

2. Do one of the following:

• To release each item to a new layer, choose Release To Layers (Sequence) from the Layers panel
menu.

• To release items into layers and duplicate objects to create a cumulative sequence, choose Release
To Layers (Build) from the Layers panel menu. The bottommost object appears in each of the new
layers, and the topmost object only appears in the topmost layer. For example, assume Layer 1
contains a circle (bottommost object), a square, and a triangle (topmost object). This command
creates three layers—one with a circle, square, and triangle; one with a circle and square; and one
with just a circle. This is useful for creating cumulative animation sequences.

fig: Release To Layers (Build) command creates new layers

Consolidate layers and groups
Merging and flattening layers are similar in that they both let you consolidate objects, groups, and sublayers
into a single layer or group. With merging, you can select which items you want to consolidate; with
flattening, all visible items in the artwork are consolidated in a single layer. With either option, the stacking
order of the artwork remains the same, but other layer-level attributes, such as clipping masks, aren’t
preserved.

• To merge items into a single layer or group, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and
click the names of the layers or groups that you want to merge. Alternatively, hold down Shift to se-
lect all listings in between the layer or group names you click. Then, select Merge Selected from the
Layers panel menu. Note that items will be merged into the layer or group that you selected last.

• Layers can only merge with other layers that are on the same hierarchical level in the Layers panel.
Likewise, sublayers can only merge with other sublayers that are within the same layer and at the
same hierarchical level. Objects can’t be merged with other objects.

• To flatten layers, click the name of the layer into which you want to consolidate the artwork. Then
select Flatten Artwork from the Layers panel menu.

Vector Object Editing

About vector graphics

Vector graphics (sometimes called vector shapes or vector objects) are made up of lines and curves defined
by mathematical objects called vectors, which describe an image according to its geometric characteristics.

You can freely move or modify vector graphics without losing detail or clarity, because they are resolu-
tion-independent—they maintain crisp edges when resized, printed to a PostScript printer, saved in a PDF
file, or imported into a vector-based graphics application. As a result, vector graphics are the best choice for
artwork, such as logos, that will be used at various sizes and in various output media.

The vector objects you create using the drawing and shape tools in Adobe Creative Suite are examples of
vector graphics. You can use the Copy and Paste commands to duplicate vector graphics betweenCreative
Suite components.
About paths
As you draw, you create a line called a path. A path is made up of one or more straight or curved segments.
The beginning and end of each segment are marked by anchor points, which work like pins holding a wire in
place. A path can be closed (for example, a circle), or open, with
distinct endpoints (for example, a wavy line).

You change the shape of a path by dragging its anchor points,

the direction points at the end of direction lines that appear at
anchor points, or the path segment itself.

fig: Components of a path

A. Selected (solid) endpoint B. Selected anchor point C. Unselected anchor point D. Curved path segment
E. Direction line F. Direction point
Paths can have two kinds of anchor points: corner points and smooth points. At a corner point, a path
abruptly changes direction. At a smooth point, path segments are connected as a continuous curve. You can
draw a path using any combination of corner and smooth points. If you draw the wrong kind of point, you
can always change it.

fig: Points on a path

A. Four corner points B. Four smooth points C. Combination of corner and smooth points

A corner point can connect any two straight or curved segments, while a smooth point always connects two
curved segments.

fig: A corner point can connect both straight segments

and curved segments.

About direction lines and direction points

When you select an anchor point that connects curved segments (or select the segment itself), the anchor
points of the connecting segments display direction handles, which consist of direction lines that end in
direction points. The angle and length of the direction lines determine the shape and size of the curved seg-
ments. Moving the direction points reshapes the curves. Direction lines don’t appear in the final output.

A smooth point always has two direction lines, which move together as a single, straight unit. When you
move a direction line on a smooth point, the curved segments on both sides of the point are adjusted simul-
taneously, maintaining a continuous curve at that anchor point.

In comparison, a corner point can have two, one, or no di-

rection lines, depending on whether it joins two, one, or no
curved segments, respectively. Corner point direction lines
maintain the corner by using different angles. When you
move a direction line on a corner point, only the curve on
the same side of the point as that direction line is adjusted.

fig: After selecting an anchor point (left), direction lines

appear on any curved segments connected by the an-
chor point (right).
Direction lines are always tangent to (perpendicular to the radius of) the curve at the anchor points.
The angle of each direction line determines the slope of the curve, and the length of each direction
line determines the height, or depth, of the curve.

fig: Adjusting direction lines on a smooth

point (left) and a corner point (right)

fig: Moving and resizing direction lines

changes the slope of curves.

Adjustment and allignment

Move objects
You can move objects by dragging them with specific tools, by using the arrow keys on the keyboard, or by
entering precise values in a panel or dialog box.

You can use snapping to help you position objects as you

move them. For example, you can snap the pointer to
guides and anchor points and snap object boundaries to gri-
dlines. You can also use the Align panel to position objects
in relation to each other.


fig: Hold down Shift while dragging or drawing to limit
movement to the nearest 45° angle.

You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a
precise horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction relative to the current orientation of the x and y axes. You
can also use the Shift key to rotate objects in multiples of 45°.
Move or duplicate an object by pasting

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Choose Edit > Cut to move the selection or Edit > Copy to duplicate the selection.

3. To paste an object into another file, open the file. (To paste between layers, see Pasting objects be-
tween layers.)

4. Choose one of the following commands:

Edit > Paste Pastes the object into the center of the active window.

Edit > Paste In Front Pastes the object directly in front of the selected object.

Edit > Paste In Back Pastes the object directly in back of the selected object.

Edit > Paste in Place Pastes artwork on the active artboard at the same position as the artboard from
where the artwork is copied.

Edit > Paste on All Artboards Pastes artwork on all the artboards at the same location where the artwork is
on the current artboard.

Move an object by dragging

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Drag the object to a new location.

If a selected object is filled, you can drag from anywhere on the object. If a selected object is unfilled, if you
are viewing artwork as outlines, or if the Object Selection By Path Only preference is selected, you must
drag from the object’s path. (See Duplicate selections using drag and drop.)

Move an object using the arrow keys

Select one or more objects.

Press the arrow key for the direction in which you want to move the object. Press Shift+arrow to move the
object ten times the value specified by the Keyboard Increment preference.

The distance the object moves each time you press an arrow key is determined by the Keyboard Increment
preference. The default distance is 1 point (1/72 of an inch, or .3528 millimeter). To change the Keyboard
Increment preference, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences >
General (Mac OS).

Move an object by a specific distance

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Choose Object > Transform > Move

3. Do any of the following:

• To move the object left or right, enter either a negative value (moves left) or a positive value (moves right)
in the Horizontal text box.

• To move the object up or down, enter either a negative value (moves up) or positive value (moves down) in
the Vertical text box.

• To move the object by an angle that’s relative to the object’s x axis, enter either a positive angle (coun-
terclockwise movement) or a negative angle (clockwise movement) in the Distance or Angle text box. You
can also enter values between 180° and 360°; these values are converted to their corresponding negative
values (for example, a value of 270° is converted to –90°).

4. If the objects contain a pattern fill, select Patterns to move the pattern. Deselect Objects if you want to
move the pattern but not the objects.

5. Click OK, or click Copy to move a copy of the objects.

Fig: Directions relative to the x axis

Move an object using x and y coordinates

Select one or more objects.

1. In the Transform panel or Control panel, enter new values in either the X or Y text box, or both.

2. To change the reference point, click a white square on the reference point locator before you enter the
values.

Move multiple objects at once

1. Select one or more objects.

2. Choose Object > Transform > Transform Each.

3. Set the distance you want to move the selected objects in the Move section of the dialog box.

4. Do one of the following:

To move the objects by the specified amounts, click OK.

To move the objects randomly, but no more than the specified amounts, select the Random option. For exam-
ple, if you draw a brick wall and want the bricks to appear slightly offset from each other instead of perfectly
aligned, you could select the Random option. Then click OK.
Paste an object relative to other objects
1. Select the object you want to paste.
2. Choose Edit > Copy or Edit > Cut.
3. Select the object in front or in back of which you want to paste.
4. Choose Edit > Paste In Front or Edit > Paste In Back.

If you paste more than one object, all pasted objects appear in front or in back of the selected artwork. Howev-
er, the relative painting order among the individual pasted objects remains the same.

Paste objects between layers

The Paste Remembers Layers option determines where artwork is pasted in the layer hierarchy. By default,
Paste Remembers Layers is off, and artwork is pasted into whichever layer is active in the Layers panel. When
Paste Remembers Layers is on, artwork is pasted into the layer from which it was copied, regardless of which
layer is active in the Layers panel.

You set this option by selecting Paste Remembers Layers from the Layers panel menu. A check mark displays
when the option is on.

Note: Turn on Paste Remembers Layers if you’re pasting artwork between documents and you want to automatically place it into a
layer of the same name as that from which it originated. If the target document does not have a layer of the same name, Illustrator
creates a new layer.

Paste in place and paste on all artboards

The Paste in Place command pastes artwork on the active artboard. To use this command, click Edit > Paste in
Place. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+V (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+V (Mac).

The Paste on All Artboards command pastes the selected artwork on all the artboards. Before using the Paste
on All Artboards command, make sure that the artboard from which you are copying the object, is the active
artboard.

To use the Paste on All Artboards command, click Edit > Paste on All Artboards when you cut or copy the art-
work.

If you copy artwork, and then select Paste on All Artboards, the artwork is repasted on the artboard from
where it is copied. (Recommended) Cut and then paste objects if you do not need to modify the original ob-
jects before using the Paste on All Artboards command.

Note: Paste in Place and Paste on All Artboards commands paste the object at the same position as the copied objects referenced
from the active artboard at the time of copying.

Align and distribute objects

You use the Align panel (Window > Align) and the align options in the Control panel to align or distribute
selected objects along the axis you specify. You can use either the object edges or anchor points as the refer-
ence point, and you can align to a selection, an artboard, or a key object. A key object is one specific object in
a selection of multiple objects.

The Align options are visible in the Control panel when an object is selected. If they do not appear, choose
Align from the Control panel menu.
Note: By default, Illustrator calculates alignment and distribution based on the objects’ paths. However, when working with objects
that have different stroke weights, you can use the edge of the stroke to calculate alignment and distribution instead. To do this,
select Use Preview Bounds from the Align panel menu.

Align or distribute relative to the bounding box of all selected objects

1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

2. In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Selection , and then click the button for the type of
alignment or distribution you want.

Align or distribute relative to one anchor point

1. Click the Direct-Selection tool, hold down Shift, and select the anchor points you want to align or distribute.
The last anchor point you select becomes the key anchor point.

The Align To Key Anchor option is automatically selected in the Align panel and Control panel.

2. In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Align or distribute relative to a key object

1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

2. Click again on the object you want to use as a key object (you don’t need to hold down Shift as you click
this time).

3. A blue outline appears around the key object, and Align To Key Object is automatically selected in the Con-
trol panel and Align panel.

4. In the Align panel or Control panel, click the button for the type of alignment or distribution you want.

Note: To stop aligning and distributing relative to an object, click again on the object to remove the blue outline, or choose Cancel Key
Object from the Align panel menu.

Align or distribute relative to an artboard

1. Select the objects to align or distribute.

2. Using the Selection tool, Shift-click in the artboard you want to use to activate it. The active artboard has a
darker outline than the others.

3. In the Align panel or Control panel, select Align To Artboard , and then click the button for the type of
alignment or distribution you want.
Distribute objects by specific amounts

1. You can distribute objects using exact distances between their paths.

2. Select the objects to distribute.

3. Use the Selection tool to click the path of the object you want the other objects to distribute around. The
object you click will remain fixed in its position.

4. In the Align panel, enter the amount of space to appear between objects in the Distribute Spacing text box.

5. If the Distribute Spacing options aren’t displayed, select Show Options from the panel menu.

6. Click either the Vertical Distribute Space button or the Horizontal Distribute Space button.

Layouts
Use rulers
Rulers help you accurately place and measure objects in the illustration window or in an artboard. The point
where 0 appears on each ruler is called the ruler origin.

Illustrator provides separate rulers for documents and artboards. You can select only one of these rulers at a
time.

Global rulers appear at the top and left sides of the illustration window. The default ruler origin is located at
the top-left corner of the illustration window.

Artboard rulers appear at the top and left sides of the active art-
board. The default artboard ruler origin is located at the top-left
corner of the artboard.

The difference between artboard rulers and global rulers is that if

you select artboard rulers, the origin point changes based on the
active artboard. In addition, you can have different origin points for
artboard rulers. Now, if you change the artboard ruler origin, the
pattern fills in objects on the artboards are not affected.

The default origin point for the global ruler is at the upper-left
corner of the first artboard and the default origin for the artboard
rulers is at the top left corner of the respective artboard.

• To show or hide rulers, choose View > Rulers > Show Rulers or View> Rulers > Hide Rulers.
• To toggle between artboard rulers and global rulers, choose View > Rulers > Change to Global Rulers or
View > Rulers > Change to Artboard Rulers. Artboard rulers appear by default, so the Change to Global
Rulers option appears in the Rulers sub-menu.
 • To show or hide video rulers, choose View > Show Video Rulers or View > Hide Video Rulers.

• To change the ruler origin, move the pointer to the upper-left corner where the rulers intersect, and drag
the pointer to where you want the new ruler origin.

• As you drag, a cross hair in the window and in the rulers indicates the changing global ruler origin.

• Note: Changing the global ruler origin affects the tiling of patterns.

• To restore the default ruler origin, double-click the upper-left corner where the rulers intersect.

The coordinate system has now been switched to fourth quadrant, which was previously the first quadrant.
In Illustrator CS5, when you move downwards, the value of y-axis increases and if you move toward right, the
value of x-axis increases.

For saving to legacy versions of Illustrator, the Global rulers remain at the position set in legacy document.
Although, the origin point does not move to upper left, the coordinate system changes to fourth quadrant.

The change in coordinate system and the ruler origin does not apply to scripting, which allows you to retain
old scripts. However, when you transform objects using scripting, the Y coordinate values differ from the
values that you set in the Illustrator user interface. For example, if you apply a move operation of say Y= +10
points, then to emulate the same movement with scripting, apply a transformation of Y = -10pts.

Use the grid

The grid appears behind your artwork in the illustration window. It does not print.

• To show or hide the grid, choose View > Show Grid or View > Hide Grid.

• To snap objects to gridlines, choose View > Snap To Grid, select the object you want to move, and drag it
to the desired location.
When the object’s boundaries come within 2 pixels of a gridline, it snaps to the point.

Note: If you choose View > Pixel Preview, Snap To Grid changes to Snap To Pixel.

• To specify the spacing between gridlines, grid style (lines or dots), grid color, or whether grids appear in
the front or back of artwork, choose Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid (Windows) or Illustrator > Prefer-
ences > Guides & Grid (Mac OS).

fig: Artwork with grid showing

Artboards
Artboards help streamline your design process by giving you an area where you can lay out designs for differ-
ent devices and screens. Artboards represent the regions that can contain printable or exportable artwork.
While creating artboards, you can choose from a wide variety of preset sizes or define your own custom
artboard size.

You can have 1 to 1000 artboards per document depending on the size of your artboards. You can specify
the number of artboards for a document when you first create it, and you can add and remove artboards at
any time while working in a document. You can create artboards in different sizes, resize them by using the
Artboard tool and position them anywhere on the screen—even overlapping one another. Illustrator also
provides options to set the orientation, reorder, and rearrange artboards using the Artboards panel, Proper-
ties panel, or the Control panel (when the Artboard tool is selected). You can specify custom names for an
artboard. You can also set reference points for artboards in Illustrator.

You can use artboards as crop areas for printing or exporting purposes. Multiple artboards are useful for
creating various things such as multiple page PDFs, printed pages with different sizes or different elements,
independent elements for websites, video storyboards, or individual items for animation in Adobe Animate or
After Effects.

Create an artboard

1. Do any of the following:

• To create a custom artboard, select the Artboard tool , and drag in the document to define the shape,
size, and location.

• To use a preset artboard, double-click the Artboard tool, select a preset and specify other options in the
Artboard Options dialog box, and click OK. Drag the artboard to position it where you want.

• To duplicate an existing artboard, select the Artboard tool , click to select the artboard you want to
duplicate, and click the New Artboard button in the Control panel or the Properties panel. To create
multiple duplicates, Alt-click as many times as you want. Or, using the Artboard tool, Alt-drag (Windows)
or Option-drag (macOS) the artboard you want to duplicate.

• To duplicate an artboard with the contents, select the Artboard tool, click to select the Move/Copy Art-
work With Artboard ( ) in the Properties panel or the Control panel, press Alt (Windows) or Option
(macOS), and then drag.

If you want the artwork to contain a bleed, make sure that there’s enough artwork beyond the artboard
bounds to accommodate the bleed.

2. To commit the artboard and exit the artboard-editing mode, click a different tool in the Tools panel or click
Esc.
Artboard options

To open the Artboard Options dialog box, do one of the following:

• Double-click the Artboard tool

• Click the Artboard tool and then click the Artboard Options button in the
Properties panel or the Control panel.
• Choose Artboard Options from the flyout menu of the Artboards panel.

Artboards panel overview

To access the Artboards panel, click Window > Artboards. You can do
the following using the Artboards panel:

• Add, rearrange, and delete artboards

• Reorder and renumber artboards

• Select and navigate through multiple artboards

• Specify artboard options such as presets, artboard size, and rela-

tive artboard position

Move an artboard
1. Select the artboards you want to move.

2. Do one of the following:

• To move the artboards and its contents, select the Move Artwork With Artboard options in the Properties
panel or click in the Control panel, and then position the pointer in the artboard and drag.
• To move the artboards without its contents, click to deselect the Move Artwork With Artboard option in
the Properties panel or click in the Control panel, and then position the pointer in the artboard and
drag.
• Specify new X and Y values in the Properties panel or the Control panel.
 Colouring

Colour Theory

Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications - enough to fill
several encyclopedias. However, there are three basic categories of color theory that are logical and useful :
The color wheel, color harmony, and the context of how colors are used.

Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegeta-
bles, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other.

Colour Wheel

A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. Sir Isaac Newton devel-
oped the first circular diagram of colors in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and designed
numerous variations of this concept. Differences of opinion about the validity of one format over another
continue to provoke debate. In reality, any color circle or color wheel which presents a logically arranged se-
quence of pure hues has merit.
Primary Colors: Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot
be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues.

Secondary Colors: Green, orange and purple

These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.

Tertiary Colors: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green

These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That’s why the hue is a two word
name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

Colour Harmony
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even
an ice cream sundae.

In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it
creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it’s
either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged.
The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is
so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can’t stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it cannot orga-
nize, what it cannot understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony
delivers visual interest and a sense of order.

In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation. Harmo-
ny is a dynamic equilibrium.

Monochromatic Color Schemes

The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme
tend to look clean, elegant while producing a soothing effect. The primary color can be integrated with neu-
tral colors such as black, white, or gray. The downside of monochromatic color schemes is that the can some-
times lack contrast and appear less vibrant than some other schemes.
Analogous Color Schemes
The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color
is set as the dominant color, the other add richness. The downside again is that there can sometimes be a lack
of contrast.

Complimentary Color Scheme

The complementary color scheme is made of two colors that are opposite each other on the color
wheel. This scheme is very successful for creating strong contrast and for drawing attention.
Split Complementary Scheme
The split complementary scheme is a variation of the standard complementary scheme. Take one color
on the wheel and two colors adjacent to its complementary. The advantage of this scheme over a compli-
mentary scheme is that it can be a little more sophisticated while still keeping a strong visual contrast.

Triadic Color Schemes

The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. It’s great for provid-
ing balance, richness and contrast, although not as much contrast as the complimentary scheme.
 Color and texturing in illustrator

Painting methods

Illustrator provides two methods of painting:

• Assigning a fill, stroke, or both to an entire object

• Converting the object to a Live Paint group and assigning fills or strokes to the separate edges and faces of
paths within it

Paint an object

After you draw an object, you assign a fill, stroke, or both to it. You can then draw other objects that you can
paint similarly, layering each new object on top of the previous ones. The result is something like a collage
made out of shapes cut from colored paper, with the look of the artwork depending on which objects are on
top in the stack of layered objects.

Paint a Live Paint group

With the Live Paint method, you paint more like you would with a traditional coloring tool, without regard
to layers or stacking order, which can make for a more natural workflow. All objects in a Live Paint group are
treated as if they are part of the same flat surface. This means you can draw several paths and then color
separately each area enclosed by these paths (called a face). You can also assign different stroke colors and
weights to portions of a path between intersections (called an edge). The result is that, much like a coloring
book, you can fill each face and stroke each edge with a different color. As you move and reshape paths in a
Live Paint group, the faces and edges automatically adjust in response.

Above fig: An object consisting of a single path painted with the existing method has a single fill and a single stroke (left). The same
object converted to a Live Paint group can be painted with a different fill for each face and a different stroke for each edge (right).

Above fig: Painting an object the traditional way leaves some areas that can’t be filled (left). Painting a Live Paint group with gap
detection (center) lets you avoid gaps and overprinting (right).
About fills and strokes
A fill is a color, pattern, or gradient inside an object. You can apply fills to open and closed objects and to faces
of Live Paint groups.

A stroke can be the visible outline of an object, a path, or the edge of a Live Paint group. You can control the
width and color of a stroke. You can also create dashed strokes using Path options, and paint stylized strokes
using brushes.

Note: When working with Live Paint groups, you can apply a brush to an edge only if you add a stroke to the
group using the Appearance panel.

The current fill and stroke colors appear in the Tools panel.

Fig: Fill and Stroke controls

Apply a fill color to an object

You can apply one color, pattern, or gradient to an entire object, or you can use Live Paint groups and apply
different colors to different faces within the object.

1. Select the object using the Selection tool ( ) or the Direct Selection tool ( ).
2. Click the Fill box in the Tools panel or the Color panel to indicate that you want to apply a fill rather than a
stroke.

Fig: Fill box active. The Fill box is above the stroke box.

Select a fill color by doing one of the following:

• Click a color in the Control panel, Color panel, Swatches panel, Gradient panel, or a swatch library.

• Double-click the Fill box and select a color from the Color Picker.

• Select the Eyedropper tool and Alt‑click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) an object to apply the current
attributes, including the current fill and stroke.

• Click the None button to remove the object’s current fill.

 Digital Colour
More consumers than ever are buying their way into the digital imaging market. Digital cameras, color print-
ers and color scanners have become less expensive and therefore, more accessible to new users. Accompany-
ing this revolution in color usage is the need to understand digital color and its inherent complexity.

Research indicates that typical end-users are baffled by the intricate behavior of color and often complain that
“the colors that print do not match what is on the monitor”.

In spite of astounding technological advances in color, it is readily apparent that few people understand the
theory of how digital color works. This inability to fully comprehend new color technologies can lead to cus-
tomer dissatisfaction and products that fall short of user expectations.

Spittin’ Image Software introduces a new “low-tech” invention designed to explain the principles of digital col-
or. This recently U.S.-patented device, aptly named the COLORCUBE, serves as a physical model of how color
is stored, manipulated, and reproduced using digital processes.

Included with the COLORCUBE is a manual describing the 10 steps to understanding digital color. The follow-
ing description is provided as an overview:

How the Human Eye sees Color

The eye contains two kinds of receptors: rods and cones. While the rods convey shades of gray, the cones
allow the brain to perceive color hues. Of the three types of cones, the first is sensitive to red-orange light,
the second to green light and the third to blue-violet light.
When a single cone is stimulated, the brain perceives the
corresponding color. That is, if our green cones are stimu-
lated, we see “green”. Or if our red-orange cones are stimu-
lated, we see “red”. If both our green and red-orange cones
are simultaneously stimulated, our perception is yellow.

The eye cannot differentiate between spectral yellow, and

some combination of red and green. The same effect ac-
counts for our perception of cyan, magenta, and the other
in-between spectral colors.
Because of this physiological response, the eye can be “fooled” into seeing the full range of visible colors
through the proportionate adjustment of just three colors: red, green and blue.

CMYK is used for print process and CMYK works in an entirely different way to RGB as instead of using
Print Colour
‘additive’ types of colour, it actually uses subtractive colours (i.e. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key). Key is sim-
ply another name for black.

The main difference is this; when you combine all the colours of the RGB colour mode (red, green and blue) in
varying amounts, you end up with the colour white (i.e. the most pure combination). With the CMYK colour
mode, all of the colours are subtractive and therefore, the more colours you add together, the darker the
colours are going to be.

For example, if you add magenta and yellow together (or more precisely subtract yellow from magenta), you
end up with a bright red colour. If you were to subtract yellow and cyan, you would end up with the colour
green.

Clearly, this works in an entirely different way to RGB as the colour combinations are essentially opposite.
Plus, CMYK works with four colours rather than three.

The reason the CMYK process works is that as you add colours together, light is absorbed or removed to
create various colours. For example, if you add cyan, magenta and yellow together, you end up with a dark
brown colour. It’s only when you add the ‘key’ colour (i.e. black) that the full amount of colour is completely
removed from the image.
The Common Mistake
We’ve printed thousands of projects for hundreds of clients during our time in the printing industry and one
of the most common mistakes we see is the lack of differentiation between RGB and CMYK.

Many clients will create their designs (intended for print) in an application such as Photoshop which by de-
fault, uses the RGB colour mode. This is because Photoshop is mainly used for website design, image editing
and various other forms of media that usually end up on a computer screen. Therefore, CMYK isn’t used (at
least not as default).

The problem here is that when an RGB design is printed using a CMYK printing process, the colours appear
differently (if not properly converted). This means that although a design might look absolutely perfect when
the client views it in Photoshop on their computer monitor, there will often be quite distinct differences in
colour between the on-screen version and the printed version.

If you take a look at the image above, you’ll start to see how RGB and CMYK can differ. One of the most no-
ticeable differences between the two colours modes is the way that they present the colour blue. You’ll notice
that on the image above, the main blue colour looks different on each image, this is due to the colour mode.

Typically, blue will look slightly more vibrant when presented in RGB compared with CMYK. This means that if
you create your design in RGB and print it in CMYK (remember, most professional printers use CMYK), you’ll
probably see a beautiful bright blue colour on the screen but on the printed version, it will appear like a pur-
ple-ish blue.

The same is true for greens, they tend to look a little flat when converted to CMYK from RGB. Bright greens
are the worst for this, duller/darker greens aren’t usually as bad.

Working with lines and curves

Draw straight line segments with the Pen tool

The simplest path you can draw with the Pen tool is a straight line, made by clicking the Pen tool to create two
anchor points. By continuing to click, you create a path made of straight line segments connected by corner
points.

1. Select the Pen tool ().

2. Position the Pen tool where you want the straight segment to begin, and click to define the first anchor
point (do not drag).

Notes: The first segment you draw will not be visible until you click a second anchor point.
If direction lines appear, you’ve accidentally dragged the Pen tool; choose Edit > Undo, and click again.

3. Click again where you want the segment to end (Shift-click to constrain the angle of the segment to a mul-
tiple of 45°).

4. Continue clicking to set anchor points for additional straight segments.

The last anchor point you add always appears as a solid square, indicating that it is selected. Previously de-
fined anchor points become hollow, and deselected, as you add more anchor points.

5. Complete the path by doing one of the following:

• To close the path, position the Pen tool over the first (hollow) anchor point. A small circle appears next
to the Pen tool pointer when it is positioned correctly. Click or drag to close the path.
• To leave the path open, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (macOS) anywhere away from all
objects.
• To leave the path open, you can also select a different tool, or choose Select > Deselect. You can also
simply press Enter or Return to leave the path open.

Draw curves with the Pen tool

You create a curve by adding an anchor point where a curve changes direction, and dragging the direction
lines that shape the curve. The length and slope of the direction lines determine the shape of the curve.

Curves are easier to edit and your system can display and print them faster if you draw them using as few an-
chor points as possible. Using too many points can also introduce unwanted bumps in a curve. Instead, draw
widely spaced anchor points, and practice shaping curves by adjusting the length and angles of the direction
lines.

1. Select the Pen tool. (Hold down the Shift key to constrain the tool to multiples of 45°)
2. Position the Pen tool where you want the curve to begin, and hold down the mouse button. The first an-
chor point appears, and the Pen tool pointer changes to an arrowhead.
3. Drag to set the slope of the curve segment you’re creating, and then release the mouse button.
4. In general, extend the direction line about one third of the distance to the next anchor point you plan to
draw. (You can adjust one or both sides of the direction line later.)
 Fig: Drawing the first point in a curve
A. Positioning Pen tool B. Starting to drag (mouse button pressed) C. Dragging to extend direction lines

5. Position the Pen tool where you want the curve segment to end, and do one of the following:
• To create a C‑shaped curve, drag in a direction opposite to the previous direction line. Then release the
mouse button.

Fig: Drawing the second point in a curve

• To create an S‑shaped curve, drag in the same direction as the previous direction line. Then release the
mouse button.

Fig: Drawing an S curve

Note: Press Command/ Ctrl while dragging the handles of a smooth point,
to make them inequal in length when you’re drawing a curve.
Trace artwork

If you want to base a new drawing on an existing piece of artwork, you can trace it. For example, you can cre-
ate a graphic based on a pencil sketch drawn on paper or on a raster image saved in another graphics program
by bringing the graphic into Illustrator and tracing over it.

The easiest way to trace artwork is to open or place a file into Illustrator and automatically trace the artwork
with the Live Trace command. You can control the level of detail and how the tracing is filled. When you are
satisfied with the tracing results, you can convert the tracing to vector paths or a Live Paint object.

Automatically trace artwork using Live Trace

1. Open or place a file to use as the source image for the tracing.

2. With the source image selected, do one of the

following:

• To trace the image using a tracing preset, click the

Tracing Presets and Options button in the Control
panel, and select a preset.

• To trace the image using the default tracing op-

tions, click Live Trace in the Control panel, or
choose Object > Live Trace > Make.

• To set tracing options before you trace the image,

click the Tracing Presets and Options button in
the Control panel, and choose Tracing Options.
Alternatively, choose Object > Live Trace > Tracing
Options. Set tracing options, and then click Trace.

3. (Optional) Adjust the results of the tracing.

4. (Optional) Convert the tracing to paths or to a Live Paint object.

Manually trace artwork using template layers

Template layers are locked, nonprinting layers that you can use to manually trace images. Template layers are
dimmed by 50% so you can easily see any paths you draw in front of the layer. You can create template layers
when you place an image or from existing layers.

1. Do one of the following:

• To place an image as a template layer for tracing, choose File > Place, select the EPS, PDF, or raster image
file you want to trace, select Template, and then click Place. A new template layer appears below the cur-
rent layer in the panel.

• To trace an existing image, make sure the image is in its own layer, double-click the layer in the Layers pan-
el, select Template, and click OK; alternatively, select the layer and choose Template from the panel menu.

The eye icon is replaced by the template icon , and the layer is locked.

2. Trace over the file using the Pen tool or the Pencil tool.

3. To hide the template layer, choose View > Hide Template. Choose View > Show Template to see it agai

4. To turn a template layer into a regular layer, double-click the template layer in the Layers panel, deselect
Template, and click OK.

Create Abstract Backgrounds

Gradient Meshes

This is the technique that I find to produce the quickest results but has great potential for exploration.

First, draw a rectangle with the Rectangle Tool (m). I start with a deep violet for the color, but use any color
you like. Next, go Object > Create Gradient Mesh to bring up the Gradient Mesh dialog. In the dialog, change
Rows to 10 and Columns to 1. Press Ok, and now the rectangle has ten rows separated by 11 Mesh Points on
the left and right side of the rectangle.
With the Direct Selection Tool (a) you can grab and drag these Mesh Points. Start with the second Mesh Point
from the top left. Hold shift, and drag the point up right below the first Mesh Point. When you moved the left
Mesh Point, the connected right Mesh Point did not move, creating a curve. Next, do the same for all the oth-
er Mesh Points on the left side except the bottom one. Now, You should have something similar the picture
below

With all these Mesh Points created, we can start added some different colors. With the Direct Selection
Tool (a) select the third Mesh Point from the bottom on the right side of the rectangle. With the Mesh Point
selected, change the color in the Color Panel. I like using a lighter version of the background color, but again,
use whatever color you want. Next, I skip the next Mesh Point above and select the following one. Change the
color, and repeat until you filled all the mesh points.
 This is the most basic example of using Gradient Meshes. If you want to add more Mesh Points, use the Gradi-
ent Mesh Tool (u). With this tool you can add Mesh Points anywhere on the artwork or on any non-compound
objects. In the example below, I used the Gradient Mesh Tool (u) and added points on the left side of the rect-
angle, changed the color, added a point in the middle of one of the lines, and changed that color.

Effects

Filter effects in Illustrator

About effects
Illustrator includes a variety of effects, which you can apply to an object, group, or layer to change its charac-
teristics.

Illustrator CS3 and earlier included effects and filters, but now Illustrator includes only effects (with the excep-
tion of SVG Filters). The primary difference between a filter and an effect is that a filter permanently modifies
an object or layer, but an effect and its properties can be changed or removed at any time.

Once you apply an effect to an object, the effect appears in the Appearance panel. From the Appearance pan-
el, you can edit the effect, move it, duplicate it, delete it, or save it as part of a graphic style. When you use an
effect, you must expand the object before you can access the new points.

note: Previous versions of Illustrator included filters and effects.

The effects in the top half of the Effects menu are vector effects. You can apply these effects only to vector ob-
jects or to the fill or stroke of a bitmap object in the Appearance panel. The following effects and effects cate-
gories from the top section are exceptions to this rule and can be applied to both vector and bitmap objects:
3D effects, SVG Filters, Warp effects, Transform effects, Drop Shadow, Feather, Inner Glow, and Outer Glow.
The effects in the bottom half of the Effects menu are raster effects. You can apply them to either vector or
bitmap objects.

Apply an effect

1. Select the object or group (or target a layer in the Layers panel).

If you want to apply an effect to a specific attribute of an object, such as its fill or stroke, select the object and
then select the attribute in the Appearance panel.

2. Do one of the following:

• Choose a command from the Effect menu.

• Click Add New Effect in the Appearance panel, and choose an effect.

3. If a dialog box appears, set options, and then click OK.

About raster effects

Raster effects are effects that generate pixels, rather than vector data. Raster effects include SVG Filters, all
of the effects at the bottom section of the Effect menu, and the Drop Shadow, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, and
Feather commands in the Effect > Stylize submenu.

The Resolution Independent Effects (RIE) capability in Illustrator CS5 makes it possible to do the following:

• When the resolution in Document Raster Effects Settings (DRES) changes, the parameters in the effect are
interpreted to a different value so that there is minimal or no change in the appearance of the effect. The
new modified parameter values are reflected in the Effect dialog box.

• For effects with more than one parameter, Illustrator reinterprets only those parameters that are related
to the document raster effects resolution setting.

For example, there are different parameters in the Halftone Pattern dialog box. However, only the Size value
changes when the DRES changes.
Applying effects to bitmap images

Effects let you apply a special look to bitmap images as well as vector objects. For example, you can apply an
impressionistic look, apply lighting changes, distort images, and produce many other interesting visual effects.

Consider the following information when applying effects specifically to bitmap objects:

• Effects do not work on linked bitmap objects. If you apply an effect to a linked bitmap, it is applied to an
embedded copy of the bitmap instead of to the original. To apply the effect to the original, you must em-
bed the original bitmap in the document.

• Adobe Illustrator supports plug-in effects from Adobe products such as Adobe Photoshop and from
non‑Adobe software developers. Once installed, most plug-in effects appear in the Effect menu and work
the same way as do built-in effects.

• Some effects can be memory-intensive, especially when applied to a high-resolution bitmap image.

Improving performance for effects

• Some effects are very memory-intensive. The following techniques can help improve performance when
applying these effects:

• Select the Preview option in effect dialog boxes to save time and prevent unintended results.

• Change the settings. Some commands, such as Glass, are extremely memory-intensive. Try different set-
tings to increase their speed.

• If you plan to print to a grayscale printer, convert a copy of the bitmap image to grayscale before applying
effects. Note, however, that in some cases, applying an effect to a color bitmap image and then converting
it to grayscale may not have the same result as applying the same effect directly to a grayscale version of
the image.

Modify or delete an effect

• You modify or delete an effect by using the Appearance panel.

1. Select the object or group (or target the layer in the Layers panel) that uses the effect.

2. Do one of the following:

To modify the effect, click its blue underlined name in the Appearance panel. In the effect’s dialog box, make
the desired alterations, and then click OK.

To delete the effect, select the effect listing in the Appearance panel, and click the Delete button.
 Create 3D objects
3D effects enable you to create three-dimensional (3D) objects from two-dimensional (2D) artwork. You can
control the appearance of 3D objects with lighting, shading, rotation, and other properties. You can also map
artwork onto each surface of a 3D object.

There are two ways to create a 3D object: by extruding or revolving. In addition, you can also rotate a 2D or
3D object in three dimensions. To apply or modify 3D effects for an existing 3D object, select the object and
then double-click the effect in the Appearance panel.

Note: 3D objects may display anti-aliasing artifacts on screen, but these artifacts won’t print or
appear in artwork optimized for the web.

Create a 3D object by extruding

Extruding extends a 2D object along the object’s z axis to add depth to the object. For example, if you extrude
a 2D ellipse, it becomes a cylinder.

1. Select the object.

2. Choose Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel.
3. Click More Options to view the complete list of options, or Fewer Options to hide the extra options.
4. Select Preview to preview the effect in the document window.
5. Specify options:
Positions Sets how the object is rotated and the perspective from which you view it.
Extrude & Bevel Determines the object’s depth and the extent of any bevel added to or cut from it.
Surface Creates a wide variety of surfaces, from dull and unshaded matte surfaces to glossy and high
lighted surfaces that look like plastic. (See Surface shading options.)
Lighting Adds one or more lights, varies the light intensity, changes the object’s shading color, and
moves lights around the object, for dramatic effects. (See Lighting options.)
Map Maps artwork onto the surfaces of a 3D object. (See Map artwork to a 3D object.)
6. Click OK.
Create a 3D object by revolving

Revolving sweeps a path or profile in a circular direction around the global y axis (revolve axis) to create a 3D
object. Because the revolve axis is vertically fixed, the open or closed path that you revolve typically needs to
depict half of the desired 3D object’s profile in a vertical and front-facing position; you can then rotate the 3D
object’s position in the effect’s dialog box.

1. Select the object.

Note:
Applying the 3D Revolve effect to one or more objects simultaneously revolves each object around its own axis. Each object resides
in its own 3D space and can’t intersect other 3D objects. Applying the Revolve effect to a targeted group or layer, on the other hand,
revolves the objects around a single axis.

Note:
Revolving a filled path with no stroke is much faster than revolving a stroked path.

2. Choose Effect > 3D > Revolve.

3. Select Preview to preview the effect in the document window.

4. Click More Options to view the complete list of options, or Fewer Options to hide the extra options.

Position Sets how the object is rotated and the perspective from which you view it.

Revolve Determines how to sweep the path around the object to turn it into three dimensions.

Surface Creates a wide variety of surfaces, from dull and unshaded matte surfaces to glossy and high

lighted surfaces that look like plastic.

Lighting Adds one or more lights, varies the light intensity, changes the object’s shading color, and

moves lights around the object, for dramatic effects.

Map Maps artwork onto the surfaces of a 3D object.

5. Click OK.
 Logo Sketching
Here’s What You’ll Need To Get The Job Done:
• Pencil (A basic mechanical pencil works well)
• Pen (I use a Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen)
• Normal paper
• Tracing paper
• Adobe Illustrator software

Alright, enough of the introductory shenanigans, let’s get down to business...

1. Discovery
Since you’re reading this article on hand illustrated logos, it is pretty safe to assume you already have
the hand-illustrated style in mind. Beyond the basic style, there are additional questions to consider as you
brainstorm the possibilities. If you have a client project, I recommend discussing with the client and really try-
ing to get to the core of their needs and intentions for the logo and their brand. This article mainly focuses on
the process to go from sketch to vector format, but below is a list of questions to get you started on establish-
ing a direction for the logo.

Questions to Consider
• Who is the audience? Example: Kids, parents, women, men, etc.
• What is the character? Example: Playful, serious, upscale, classic, etc.
• Are there any basic iconic objects or visuals that communicate the message of the logo? Example: Moun-
tains communicating outdoor adventure, etc.

Having some basics in mind when you start to tackle the project will help you set out on a direction when
your hand gets moving in the next step.

2. Brainstorming
One simple method to brainstorm a variety of concepts is to quickly sketch a slew of small thumbnail style
concepts. The purpose of this is to brainstorm different concepts, not refine the final version. Avoid getting
caught up on details or refining too much as this can slow the process and inhibit the flow of ideas. No idea is
a bad idea at this stage. Don’t judge yourself, just sketch.

Here are some brainstorming sketch pointers

• Experiment with all caps text, bold text, italic text, cursive text, etc.
• Try slanting the text, or drawing the text on a curved baseline.
• Experiment with different basic shapes.
• Experiment with where different elements are placed and how they are aligned.
• If you have any iconic shapes, what varieties of the shape can you sketch?
• Consider subtracting and overlapping shapes.
•
Final Sketch
Once you have decided on a thumbnail sketch to develop further, draw a larger version of your favorite logo
that allows space for finer details and more refinement (see above image). The goal here is to draw a more
refined logo that is suitable for tracing in the next step.
Trace
Pull out a sheet of your tracing paper and tape it over your final sketch. As you trace your illustration with
a pen on the tracing paper, keep in mind that we are going for the hand illustrated look. Imperfections are
welcome. I intentionally let my hand wander a bit as I trace over the sketch to exaggerate the hand crafted
look and feel. To quickly fill in the logo I also like to use a thicker black marker once my outside lines have been
traced.

Scan

In this step we will scan the penned logo tracing into the computer. If you don’t have a scanner, make a run to
the local Kinko’s or borrow a friend’s scanner for this step. A phone camera could work in a pinch, but I don’t
recommend it.
Scan Settings:
• Most scanners offer a slew of options. Each scanner will vary, but you basically want to use a scan preset
that allows you to scan in bitmap black and white for the easiest possible selection in the next step. For lo-
gos, I typically like to scan using the “Text” setting on my scanner. This setting may seem counter-intuitive,
but it makes the conversion to vector format even easier as it scans in only black and white, no shades of
gray.
• The general rule of thumb is the higher the resolution, the better. If you have a scanned logo somewhere
in the neighborhood of 3,000px - 5,000px wide or so, you should be in great shape for the following step.
A scan that is too low a resolution is too be avoided.
• File forma t: I recommend an uncompressed TIFF format. This delivers a high-quality file and avoids unde-
sired artifacts that result from a high compression and low-quality JPG, for example.
Scan the logo tracing. If you find the scanned logo has some issues you want to tweak, I recommend doing so
on the original tracing paper and repeating the scan process.
Convert to Vector

At this point in the process, we will convert the sketch from a bitmap image to the industry standard vector
file format (with paths).

Launch Adobe Illustrator and open the image file you just scanned. When the document opens, you’ll see
your scan (see above image). However, what you see at this point is only bitmap image sitting in an Illustrator
document, and won’t do as a final logo format. We need to convert this image to actual vector paths within
Illustrator.
Click directly on the logo to select the bitmap image and then select “Object > Image Trace > Make and Ex-
pand”. This will likely trigger an Illustrator warning popup saying that the process might proceed slowly. Click
the “OK” button to proceed. Once the process finishes you’ll have an actual vector logo!

Side-note: all of the small red dots in the above image are the points along the vector path, and only display
while editing the file in Illustrator.

Lastly, I recommend deleting any unnecessary paths using the Layers palette. To do this expand the layer in
the “Layers” palette, locate any unused layers, and delete them (see below image). This will keep your logo
file clean and eliminate any messy and unused artifacts.

...And, We’re Done!

So there you have it folks, a process to go from a pencil sketch to a profession-

al vector logo format — all while maintaining that coveted hand illustrated look.
You’re now ready to select your brand’s colors and apply any further tweaks as you
see fit in Illustrator. If this is your first time to do a process like this, it will probably
take a decent amount of time. Once you’ve have done it a time or two, you’ll knock
the whole process out quickly. Just like with most artistic processes, the more you
do it the more efficient you’ll get
 Exporting for printing
The first step to exporting for print ideally occurs before the work is created, when selecting the document
profile. In the “New Document” window, which populates when opening Illustrator or selecting “File”==>
“New”, open the “profile” drop-down menu and select “print”. You will notice this automatically changes mul-
tiple settings listed under “Advanced” including the Document Color Mode (CMYK)* and the PPI (300)**

*The color mode CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key (black). These are the four colors of ink
inside a printer. Because printers mix these four colors to create every color printed, coloring will be more
accurate if you give the printer a document generated from the same colors. (Computer screens, on the other
hand, create all color through the use of Red, Green and Blue. Therefore, RGB is best when exporting for
web.)
**300 PPI (pixels per inch) is an ideal resolution for print. If a document contains fewer than 300 pixels per
inch, the pixels themselves may be visible in the final print, meaning the print will be pixelated. (Web requires
significantly fewer PPI, only 72.)

How to Export for Print using Illustrator -Changing the Document Profile

If you have already created a document with the wrong profile and wish to change it, you must manually
change the color profile and the resolution. Select “Edit”==>”Document Color Mode”==>”CMYK” to change
the color profile. Select “Effect”==> “Document Raster Effect Settings…”, select 300ppi from the Resolution
drop-down menu in the window that populates.
How to Export for Print using Illustrator -Saving/File Format

An ideal file format for printing a document created in Illustrator is a PDF. PDFs will be larger than many other
options, but will also provide the printer with more information. This file will also not lose quality over time and
use.

To save a PDF, select “File”==> “Save as…”, this will open the Save As dialog box. Select “Adobe PDF” from the
“Format” drop-down menu. Don’t forget to navigate to an appropriate file location and name the file before se-
lecting “Save” in the bottom right-hand corner of the dialog box.

A “Save Adobe PDF” dialog box will now open. Don’t worry, you’re almost there! This dialog box contains many
options, the easiest of which being to select “Press Quality” from the “Adobe PDF Preset” drop-down menu. To
reduce the file size as much as possible, you can un-check “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities.” Select “Save
PDF” in the bottom right-hand corner of the dialog box.
 UI Designing
UI Design (User Interface Design) — is all about selecting the right interface elements, such as text
fields, buttons, check boxes and drop-down lists, to create the tangible interfaces that users can readily
understand and easily use. In small-sized companies, UI designers may conduct the entire process from user
flows to hi-fidelity mockups; In large-sized companies, they are likely to specialize more in defining the layout
of an app or website (that’s what we call “Sketch” or “Wireframing”).

Principles of User Interface Design

Clarity is job #1
Clarity is the first and most important job of any interface. To be effective using an interface you’ve designed,
people must be able to recognize what it is, care about why they would use it, understand what the interface
is helping them interact with, predict what will happen when they use it, and then successfully interact with
it. While there is room for mystery and delayed gratification in interfaces, there is no room for confusion. Clar-
ity inspires confidence and leads to further use. One hundred clear screens is preferable to a single cluttered
one.

Interfaces exist to enable interaction

Interfaces exist to enable interaction between humans and our world. They can help clarify, illuminate, en-
able, show relationships, bring us together, pull us apart, manage our expectations, and give us access to
services. The act of designing interfaces is not Art. Interfaces are not monuments unto themselves. Interfaces
do a job and their effectiveness can be measured. They are not just utilitarian, however. The best interfaces
can inspire, evoke, mystify, and intensify our relationship with the world.

Conserve attention at all costs

We live in a world of interruption. It’s hard to read in peace anymore without something trying to distract us
and direct our attention elsewhere. Attention is precious. Don’t litter the side of your applications with dis-
tractible material…remember why the screen exists in the first place. If someone is reading let them finish
reading before showing that advertisement (if you must). Honor attention and not only will your readers be
happier, your results will be better. When use is the primary goal, attention becomes the prerequisite. Con-
serve it at all costs.

Keep users in control

Humans are most comfortable when they feel in control of themselves and their environment. Thoughtless
software takes away that comfort by forcing people into unplanned interactions, confusing pathways, and
surprising outcomes. Keep users in control by regularly surfacing system status, by describing causation (if you
do this that will happen) and by giving insight into what to expect at every turn. Don’t worry about stating the
obvious…the obvious almost never is.

Direct manipulation is best

The best interface is none at all, when we are able to directly manipulate the physical objects in our world.
Since this is not always possible, and objects are increasingly informational, we create interfaces to help
us interact with them. It is easy to add more layers than necessary to an interface, creating overly-wrought
buttons, chrome, graphics, options, preferences, windows, attachments, and other cruft so that we end up
manipulating UI elements instead of what’s important. Instead, strive for that original goal of direct manipula-
tion…design an interface with as little a footprint as possible, recognizing as much as possible natural human
gestures. Ideally, the interface is so slight that the user has a feeling of direct manipulation with the object of
their focus.

One primary action per screen

Every screen we design should support a single action of real value to the person using it. This makes it easier
to learn, easier to use, and easier to add to or build on when necessary. Screens that support two or more pri-
mary actions become confusing quickly. Like a written article should have a single, strong thesis, every screen
we design should support a single, strong action that is its raison d’etre.

Keep secondary actions secondary

Screens with a single primary action can have multiple secondary actions but they need to be kept secondary!
The reason why your article exists isn’t so that people can share it on Twitter…it exists for people to read and
understand it. Keep secondary actions secondary by making them lighter weight visually or shown after the
primary action has been achieved.

Provide a natural next step

Very few interactions are meant to be the last, so thoughtfully design a next step for each interaction a person
has with your interface. Anticipate what the next interaction should be and design to support it. Just as we
like in human conversation, provide an opening for further interaction. Don’t leave a person hanging because
they’ve done what you want them to do…give them a natural next step that helps them further achieve their
goals.

Appearance follows behavior

Humans are most comfortable with things that behave the way we expect. Other people, animals, objects,
software. When someone or something behaves consistently with our expectations we feel like we have a
good relationship with it. To that end designed elements should look like how they behave. Form follows
function. In practice this means that someone should be able to predict how an interface element will behave
merely by looking at it. If it looks like a button it should act like a button. Don’t get cute with the basics of
interaction…keep your creativity for higher order concerns.

Consistency matters
Following on the previous principle, screen elements should not appear consistent with each other unless
they behave consistently with each other. Elements that behave the same should look the same. But it is just
as important for unlike elements to appear unlike (be inconsistent) as it is for like elements to appear con-
sistent. In an effort to be consistent novice designers often obscure important differences by using the same
visual treatment (often to re-use code) when different visual treatment is appropriate.

Strong visual hierarchies work best

A strong visual hierarchy is achieved when there is a clear viewing order to the visual elements on a screen.
That is, when users view the same items in the same order every time. Weak visual hierarchies give little clue
about where to rest one’s gaze and end up feeling cluttered and confusing. In environments of great change it
is hard to maintain a strong visual hierarchy because visual weight is relative: when everything is bold, noth-
ing is bold. Should a single visually heavy element be added to a screen, the designer may need to reset the
visual weight of all elements to once again achieve a strong hierarchy. Most people don’t notice visual hierar-
chy but it is one of the easiest ways to strengthen (or weaken) a design.

Smart organization reduces cognitive load

As John Maeda says in his book Simplicity, smart organization of screen elements can make the many appear
as the few. This helps people understand your interface easier and more quickly, as you’ve illustrated the
inherent relationships of content in your design. Group together like elements, show natural relationships
by placement and orientation. By smartly organizing your content you make it less of a cognitive load on the
user…who doesn’t have to think about how elements are related because you’ve done it for them. Don’t force
the user to figure things out…show them by designing those relationships into your screens.

Highlight, don’t determine, with color

The color of physical things changes as light changes. In the full light of day we see a very different tree than
one outlined against a sunset. As in the physical world, where color is a many-shaded thing, color should not
determine much in an interface. It can help, be used for highlighting, be used to guide attention, but should
not be the only differentiator of things. For long-reading or extended screen hours, use light or muted back-
ground colors, saving brighter hues for your accent colors. Of course there is a time for vibrant background
colors as well, just be sure that it is appropriate for your audience.

Progressive disclosure
Show only what is necessary on each screen. If people are making a choice, show enough information to
allow them the choice, then dive into details on a subsequent screen. Avoid the tendency to over-explain or
show everything all at once. When possible, defer decisions to subsequent screens by progressively disclosing
information as necessary. This will keep your interactions more clear.
Help people inline
In ideal interfaces, help is not necessary because the interface is learnable and usable. The step below this,
reality, is one in which help is inline and contextual, available only when and where it is needed, hidden from
view at all other times. Asking people to go to help and find an answer to their question puts the onus on
them to know what they need. Instead build in help where it is needed…just make sure that it is out of the
way of people who already know how to use your interface.

A crucial moment: the zero state

The first time experience with an interface is crucial, yet often overlooked by designers. In order to best help
our users get up to speed with our designs, it is best to design for the zero state, the state in which nothing
has yet occurred. This state shouldn’t be a blank canvas…it should provide direction and guidance for getting
up to speed. Much of the friction of interaction is in that initial context…once people understand the rules
they have a much higher likelihood of success.

Great design is invisible

A curious property of great design is that it usually goes unnoticed by the people who use it. One reason for
this is that if the design is successful the user can focus on their own goals and not the interface…when they
complete their goal they are satisfied and do not need to reflect on the situation. As a designer this can be
tough…as we receive less adulation when our designs are good. But great designers are content with a well-
used design…and know that happy users are often silent.

Build on other design disciplines

Visual and graphic design, typography, copywriting, information architecture and visualization…all of these
disciplines are part of interface design. They can be touched upon or specialized in. Do not get into turf wars
or look down on other disciplines: grab from them the aspects that help you do your work and push on. Pull
in insights from seemingly unrelated disciplines as well…what can we learn from publishing, writing code,
bookbinding, skateboarding, firefighting, karate?

Interfaces exist to be used

As in most design disciplines, interface design is successful when people are using what you’ve designed. Like
a beautiful chair that is uncomfortable to sit in, design has failed when people choose not to use it. There-
fore, interface design can be as much about creating an environment for use as it is creating an artifact worth
using. It is not enough for an interface to satisfy the ego of its designer: it must be used!