Tag: Adobe

Chapter 85. Text Threading 3:19

  • Threading text between separate containers
  • See the offset text plus sign: you can’t print the amount of text in there
  • Couple ways to handle this
    • Easiest click on the plus in the overflow flag and draw another text container into which overflow will occur
  • You can flow text through threading any way you want as you thread together text boxes. You easily layout text to different parts of the page say if you want to include an image on that location of the Artboard.
  • Can thread the text into any shape

Simplest Document Setup for a Logo

My goal is to create a logo. It doesn’t have to be a Paul Rand quality logo. Instead, I just gotta like it. Adobe Illustrator (AI) is a fine tool for the job.

AI is flexible. Working in it feels more to me like programming than illustration. Don’t get me wrong though, it is a tool for designers, and, I am not. Although every Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) application includes at least one built in JavaScript interpreter, I am not talking about programming here. Instead the similarities between programming and illustrating are that

  • You are working in your cognitive space with the computer as the meta-medium
  • Creativity ebbs and flows, it is critical
  • So too having a plan is critical

My plan follows.

Continue reading “Simplest Document Setup for a Logo”

Chapter 101. Managing Layer Panel Options 10:23

  • Isolation mode will be useful for working with individual keyboard-layers while still being able to see how things look overall
  • Double-click on an object to go into isolation mode automatically
    • Use that back arrow in the top-middle thing
    • Exit by double-clicking on the artboard
  • Select an object with the Direct Selection tool and search for it in a layer and it will list all instances it can find
  • Merge selection layers
  • Flatten every layer into a single layer
  • Select N things and collect in a new layer
  • Release to layers
    • Sequence: NA
    • Build: NA
  • Make the layer a template
  • Option-Show/Hide will hide/show everything but that layer
  • Out line others: WOW
    • Option-command click to do it too
    • Preview all layers to show them again
  • Lock Others
    • Option-Click
  • Paste Remembers Layers: Neat
  • There are general options for the layer panel itself
    • Show Layers Only
    • Make layers big
    • Do I need sub-layers shown?

Chapter 100. Layer Panel Options 4:26

  • Double-click layer name to change it
  • Each layer’s options are configured individually
  • Template Layer
    • Not designed to print
    • Designed to guide you
  • You can disable a layer from printing
    • Make it easy to read on a computer and also printed
    • Instructions on how to do something
  • Preview a whole layer
  • Dim images

Chapter 99. Generating Layers And Moving Objects 5:34

  • Two workflows in AI
    • Path of logic and order
      • Watch what you are doing
      • Organize the document up front
    • Having fun with the journey
      • Don’t watch what you are doing logically
      • End up with complicated document in one layer
  • Layers → Properties → Flatten Artwork
    • Flatten all layers
    • Cool!
  • In the Layer panel you can expand that layer to show all of the objects that live inside of it
    • Groups are containers so they are expandable
  • If you aggressively utilize Groups for all of you Objects then even if you did place everything in one layer you can easily pull out group(s) of objects into a new layer.
  • For each layer you choose a color of the bounding box for when you select something in that layer
    • This helps you make sense of making selections in a multi-layer document
  • When you make selections in one layer a little filled square appears on the right side of the layer. If you drag that box into a another layer that will move those objects into that layer.
  • Paste-in-place → many uses
  • Cannot wait to set up the keyboard using AI

Chapter 98. Layer Basics 4:31

  • Layers useful but more critical for raster programs
  • Layers are for control
  • Visibility shows and hides objects
  • Locks enable and disable ability to select objects in layer
  • Objects have stacking order
    • Object → Arrange → Send to Back
    • Control Z-Order in layer itself
  • Next order is panel itself: panel stacking order in layers Panel

Chapter 89. Adding Fonts With TypeKit 4:54

  • TypeKit Fonts
  • Fonts create the mood for the word
  • There are thousands of fonts and yet people are always looking for more
  • New feature of AI is to access the TypeKit Fonts (TKF)
  • Adobe Garamond is based on Garamond
    • Adobe Garamond Premier Pro is based on Robert Slimbach visited a museum, looked at Garamond’s metal punches and type designed, and based on that refined the existing Garamond. That is the difference.
  • TypeKit gives you access to all Adobe fonts. Wow.
  • Inexhaustible source of fonts for any medium