Fun with words in Illustrator part 2
If you’ve read Fun with words in Illustrator Part 1, you now have some text for your elearning graphics. Here’s where Illustrator can do some really interesting things with your text!
Make with Warp
Once you’re happy with how your text is arranged in its box, you can warp it into shapes with the Make With Warp option from the drop down menu on the Type toolbar. If you want to do something more freeform, you could choose the Make with Mesh option which allows you to set the number of points in your text box that can be manipulated.
Once you have the Warp Options window, there are some preset shapes you can warp your text into available from the Style drop down menu. Be sure to have the Preview box checked so you can see how your text box looks as you change the options! Move the sliders to distort your text more or less, and don’t forget to get feedback on whether your new design is still legible for your learners!
The best part about creating text graphics for your elearning this way is that the text remains editable – you can change the words at any time! Just select your text box, and hovering over it will show you how the original text looks as an overlay on the warped text. Double clicking in the box will allow you to type new text.
Keep in mind that the formats of the text box discussed in the previous blog still apply – if your text box is in Point Type format, any new text will not wrap in the box. However, resizing the text box in Area Type format will now deform your words, same as Point Type.
Come back next week, when we’ll discuss arranging text to follow paths to create banners and badges for your elearning!
