Fun with words in Illustrator part 3
Using the Make with Warp options in Illustrator to shape your text into graphics for your elearning is great, but doesn’t always work in every case. For instance, suppose you’d like to make a graphic like this:
This contains regular text, Envelope Warp (Arc Upper), and Text on a Path. The last one is important if you want to have your words follow lines – especially complex shapes. This is where Text on a Path comes in.
This was made by drawing a looped line with the pen tool, and then using the Text on a Path option in the Text menu. Once you have selected this tool, and then clicked on a path you want your text to take, your typing will follow the path.
As with all of these text options, your text remains editable.
To create the circular parts of the text in the seal, I created a circle with the Ellipse tool, and cut it in half. That way the text on the bottom half could be aligned correctly. Then I used Type on a Path to add text to each half-circle, and pasted the text in. To make sure the text on the bottom half is facing the right way, make sure that the Flip option is checked in the Type on a Path Options menu. When your path and type is selected, you can open the Type on a Path Options from the Type menu in the top bar.
Also, in order for the text to be spaced correctly without changing the sizes of the top and bottom paths, the Align to Path option is set to Center. That way the letters are centered on the path line.
There are also other options on how you want your letters to appear on a path – open the pull down menu next to Effect for more dimensional looks!
Now that you’ve seen some of what Illustrator can do, feel free to experiement with these features to make amazing graphics and infographics that will bring your elearning to life!
