Adobe Illustrator Advanced (2023): Typography and Icons

Name: Adobe Illustrator Advanced (2023): Typography and Icons
Author: Stephen Steinbach

Learn to use the typography tools in Adobe Illustrator 2023

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Course: On-Demand

Hello, my name is Stephen Steinbach and these lessons I want to show you how to use some of the custom text tools and how to create custom icons. So to begin, let's look at the text tool. The text tool is directly under the pen tool. And if you left click on it and click one time, you'll get this font here. And by default, it's set to 12 points. We can increase the font size here by clicking the up arrow here. And we can decrease it here. With the text tool, if I want to add another row, I would just hit the return key and then I can add some more font here. And we can adjust the spacing between these by left clicking and clicking over a selection with the text tool. And then we can change the leading here. And you can see here that we can get this closer or further apart. I default it set to auto, but if you have a custom point here, we can increase this and you can see that they will overlap. If you want to scale this in proportion, you'd want to come back here to auto. The spacing between each letter is current and to adjust that, we can select here. And you can see here we can increase this or decrease. And that's in between two letters. If you want to change the tracking between multiple letters, we can do that here by selecting the font. And we can change the tracking here. With the text tool, I can make a selection here. And when I left click and release, it will actually fill up and try to make this as close as possible to this selection size. And this is really good for tables. So if I have a table here that I know I want font to be in this amount and maybe another one over here, you can see that this is a really good way to do that instead of trying to left click here and try to do this by space bar. I'm going to delete this with the black arrow tool. The next tool is the area type tool. So here I'll take the ellipse tool and let's go with a stroke and no fill. And when you use this tool, it will delete the shape when you do this. So, for example, here, if I have this as a yellow fill and let me increase the stroke size here. Now, if I use this tool, the type tool, whatever my last font size was, it will try to fill this shape up. It will also delete the shape. So if I click on here, you can see that this has been replaced. This can also be adjusted here. So if I click on the direct selection tool and make changes to this, it will update the shapes as well. The next one is a type on path tool. And this one actually works for several of these as well. So, for example, here, if I was to create this shape here and just switching it over and just hiding the fill. So with this tool, wherever I slipped on the path, it will start here. So if I click the alt key and do this, it will do an area fill. And if I hold the shift key, it will fill it down the stroke. So those two here would be the vertical type and the area type tool. And finally, the touch type tool. So with this tool, if I select a letter, for example, you'll see that it has several controls here. The first one here will make it higher or lower. This one will adjust in relationship here. So if I want to make this closer or taller, I can do that here. This one here will go horizontal. And this one will constrain to vertical and horizontal. And finally, the control up here will rotate. In the next lesson, I want to show you how to create a 3D font effect. Thanks for watching.

Advanced Provider : Stephen Steinbach 5 Lessons · 24m in English

Course Description

Knowing how to use the typography tools in Adobe Illustrator 2023 is an essential skill for graphic designers, and in this course, we’ll go over the variety of advanced typography tools this program has to offer. We’ll show you how to create complex illustrations for apps, as well as how to add your own signature style to a typeface to set it apart and make it uniquely yours. We’ll also show you how to create and export a Mobius illustration.

In these lessons, you’ll learn how to use a nondestructive workflow to manipulate the individual letters of a typeface into complex 3D shapes that will draw the reader’s attention and help to define your style. We’ll show you how to create icons for apps, how to organize your tools for a quicker workflow, and how to combine tools to create more complex illustrations. By the end of this course, you will be able to create typography effects, illustrate icon graphics, and export them to a variety of formats.

What You'll Learn

Create advanced typography effects using Adobe Illustrator 2023's typography tools
Manipulate individual letters of a typeface into complex 3D shapes using a nondestructive workflow
Design and illustrate icon graphics for apps
Create and export a Mobius illustration
Combine and organize tools to build more complex illustrations for a quicker workflow
Export graphics to a variety of formats

Key Takeaways

Adobe Illustrator 2023 offers a variety of advanced typography tools that are an essential skill for graphic designers.
A nondestructive workflow lets you manipulate individual letters of a typeface into complex 3D shapes.
Adding your own signature style to a typeface helps set it apart and define your style.
The course covers creating icons for apps and combining tools to create more complex illustrations.
By the end of the course you will be able to create typography effects, illustrate icon graphics, and export them to a variety of formats.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this course for?

It is aimed at graphic designers, since knowing how to use the typography tools in Adobe Illustrator 2023 is described as an essential skill for graphic designers.

What will I be able to do by the end of this course?

By the end of the course you will be able to create typography effects, illustrate icon graphics, and export them to a variety of formats.

What topics does this course cover?

It covers advanced typography, typography effects, illustration for apps, creating a Mobius illustration, and exporting graphics.

What software version does this course use?

The course uses Adobe Illustrator 2023 and its advanced typography tools.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will gain skills in advanced imaging technology, icon design, and visual effects, including creating 3D typography effects and icons for apps.