#ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TOOLS HOW TO#
#ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TOOLS SERIES#

#ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TOOLS SERIES#

The shape tools are a series of tools that include Rectangle, Ellipse (circle), Rounded Rectangle, Polygon, and Star tools. The Touch Type tool lets you move, scale, and rotate individual letters in a piece of type without having to convert to outlines! This can be extremely useful when exploring options before you settle on a specific typeface, because the text is still live text so you can change the font. The example on the right shows vertical as well as horizontally typed text. In the example above, the name on the left is typed along a curve. You can also kern and track type or change fonts when working with the Type tool. The Type tool allows you to do so with the Type on a Path or Vertical Type tools. Unlike typing a document, however, you might need your type to curve around a circle or go in a vertical direction. If you’re making a logo, you’ll likely be using type, either in the main logo or for supplemental assets. In the examples above, the Pen tool was used to draw the coffee beans on the logo on the left, and draw the lines for the waves for the logo on the right. It will take some practice to get comfortable with these techniques, but in time it can become second nature.

#ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR TOOLS HOW TO#

It’s also important to know how to manipulate curves with the anchor point handles.

With the Pen tool it’s important to know how to draw paths, add and remove anchor points, and create curves. Once you master this tool you can create any shape you want. It has a steeper learning curve than many of the other tools but it’s well worth the effort. The Pen tool is the heart of Illustrator because it allows you to draw with precision and create any shape imaginable.

In the example above the text was converted into outlines and the Direct Selection tool (A) was used to extend the right side of the ‘U’. The Selection tool allows you to select complete objects (and groups), while the Direct Selection tool allows you to select individual anchor points and line segments which gives you the power to customize and fine-tune shapes, images, and type. This distinction is very important, especially when creating logos. The Selection tool comes in several varieties, including the Direct Selection tool, the Lasso tool, the Group Selection tool, and the Magic Wand tool but you’ll mostly be using the main Selection tool (V) and the Direct Selection tool (A). It may see too obvious to mention, but everything begins with the Selection tools in Illustrator. The Direct Selection tool (‘A’ is the Keystroke for this tool)

The left example shows the type with a black fill, and the example on the right shows the same text viewed in outline mode. In the example above the word Freestyle was typed, then converted to outlines so it could be altered further. This is because it makes your design unable to be edited and it allows your design to be opened on computers that don’t have the same font(s) installed. It’s also a best practice to outline type before handing off your design to a client. Instead, it becomes a series of shapes that can be altered like any other shape in Illustrator. Once you’ve converted your type into an outline it’s no longer editable as typed text. Although this isn’t a tool, it is a feature that is extremely important in logo design. In the Type menu there’s a Create Outlines option Cmd–Shift–O (Mac) or Ctrl–Shift–O (Windows). When designing logos in Adobe Illustrator, here are 5 tools (and one menu option) you’ll find essential:

Adobe illustrator tools