How To Create Custom Type Designs in Adobe Illustrator

Today's video is all about custom typing in Adobe Illustrator. I have to admit, I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to hand lettering, but in this tutorial, I'm going to share some secrets on how to create cool-looking typography by customizing ready-made fonts.

Once I've brushed up on my hand lettering skills enough to draw out custom type from scratch, I'll make a video on scanning and vectorizing your artwork. But today, I'll show you how we, as mere mortals, can make use of the high-quality fonts with OpenType features crafted by typographic experts. The tutorial will then continue with some customization of the type to add shadows, offset accents, and highlights to create a bright and colorful typography design.

Begin by opening Adobe Illustrator and creating a new document. I'm using a generic A4 layout but with the document ruler set to pixels. I always like to go to View and Hide Artboards to give myself a large workspace to play with.

Finding Suitable Fonts

Since we're going to use ready-made fonts in this tutorial, we need to find a suitable typeface to work with. Chances are you're going to have to spend some money because the majority of free fonts available on the web just don't come packed with the OpenType features we're looking for. If you've ever bought any of the bundles I’ve recommended in my newsletters, chances are you'll have the font I'm using—plus many others in your collection already. Otherwise, you can pick up "Bon Bon," which is the script font I'm using in this video from the link in the description.

What these premium fonts have over the typical free fonts is a range of OpenType features. These are alternative characters for each letter that often include variations with ligatures or swashes. They allow you to put together more unique typographic designs that disguise the fact that it’s made using a font rather than being a handmade piece.

Customizing the Type

So type out your chosen wording and set the font with the Type Tool and scale it to a suitable size. Open up the OpenType panel to find the settings for these special features and play around with them to see the various styles available. When working on logos or typographic designs, it's sometimes worth duplicating your text and applying different settings to each one so you can easily compare the letters.

One can be plain with no OpenType effects, another can have contextual alternates, another full of swashes, and so on. Create another copy of the text that you’ll use as your final design and pick and choose your favorite letter styles. Here, I'm using the stylistic alternate for the letter "H," contextual letters "S" and "T" so they flow nicely, and the titling alternate for the letter "L" which adds a nice swoosh that sweeps back and crosses the "T."

Once you’ve found a cool-looking type layout, move your design into some empty space on the artboard. Then right-click and select Create Outlines to convert it into solid shapes. Each letter will be an individual shape, so click the Merge option from the Pathfinder panel to blend them into one continuous outline.

Next, go to Object > Path > Offset Path and enter 10 pixels. This will auto-group with the original, so right-click and select Ungroup. Note: ungrouping will accidentally separate any unconnected letters, so be sure to hold Shift and select all the portions of the word.

Give the originals a white fill to make them visible again against the black offset, then hit the merge button from the Pathfinder panel to combine them again. Select all the pieces of the black offset version and merge them back together too.

Adding Shadows, Highlights, and Accents

With the offset version still selected, go to Edit > Copy followed by Edit > Paste in Back. Hold the shift key and nudge the duplicate down and to the right. Shift and select both offset shapes, then go to Object > Blend > Make. Go straight back to Object > Blend > Blend Options, change the settings to Specified Steps, and increase the value for a smooth transition.

Permanently apply this blend effect by going to Object > Expand, which will produce many individual shapes. Merge these shapes with the Pathfinder’s merge button to simplify them into one outline.

Select the inner white text outline, go to Edit > Copy followed by Edit > Paste in Back. Nudge this shape about 5 pixels down and to the right, then give it a bright color fill, like vibrant pinky-red (#FF2468). Click the original white text again to select it and add a black stroke in the bottom of the toolbar. In the Stroke panel, change the alignment to Outside, add the Round Cap option, and increase the stroke weight to around 8 points.

Final Touches

We can further customize the type by adding handmade shapes to accentuate some of the curves and strokes. Zoom in and select the Pen Tool, set up the appearance with just a black fill and no stroke. Draw a path that extends from the black outline into the shape, following the direction of the outline to create a tapered point. Complete the path back at the start to make an enclosed shape. Continue adding shapes elsewhere in the design where a brushstroke would naturally overlap if the type were drawn by hand.

For highlights, select the Ellipse Tool and hold Shift while drawing a small circle. Give this circle a vibrant fill of cyan (#86F8FF). Use the Direct Selection Tool to stretch the side points outwards while holding Shift to form a tapered brush stroke. With the shape selected, click the New Brush icon in the Brushes panel and select New Art Brush. You can hit OK on the default settings, but it's useful to change the colorization method to Tint so you can change the color later.

Switch the fill and stroke around then use the Pen Tool to draw a path following the outline of the letters where you want highlights. Click the newly created brush from the Brushes panel to see the effect. Adjust the scaling with the stroke weight as needed.

Once done, select the inner shapes and combine them with the Pathfinder’s Merge button. Draw a rectangle around the entire design and send it backward (Arrange > Send to Back) to create a nice background color.

I hope these tips help you create some cool typography of your own. It shows you don’t need to be a hand-lettering master to create nice typographic designs if you have the right tools. If you are good at illustrating your own text, the same techniques can be applied to traced artwork to give it more impact.

Keywords

Adobe Illustrator
Custom Typography
Hand Lettering
OpenType Features
Fonts
Type Tool
Create Outlines
Offset Path
Pathfinder Panel
Highlights
Shadows

FAQ

Q: Do I need to pay for fonts to follow this tutorial?
A: Yes, the majority of free fonts available on the web don’t come packed with the OpenType features we’re looking for. Premium fonts are necessary for this kind of work.

Q: What are OpenType features?
A: These are alternative characters for each letter, often including variations with ligatures or swashes, allowing for more unique typographic designs that can look handmade.

Q: Why convert text to outlines in Illustrator?
A: Converting text to outlines turns the text into solid shapes, allowing for further customization with tools like the Pathfinder panel and offset paths.

Q: How can I make my text look more hand-drawn?
A: Adding handmade shapes to accentuate curves and strokes, and creating highlights and shadows can give text a more hand-drawn appearance.

Q: Can these techniques be applied to hand-drawn text?
A: Absolutely! The same customization techniques for shadows, highlights, and accents can be applied to your own traced artwork to give it even more impact.

Q: How do I create highlights on my text?
A: Using the Ellipse Tool to draw a small circle, then converting it to a brush shape and applying it along the outlines of your letters with the Pen Tool.

Q: Do I need to use the A4 layout?
A: No, the document size can vary depending on your project needs. A4 is just a generic layout for the tutorial purpose.