Adobe Illustrator [Book]

Touch Type Tool

The Touch Type tool is used to individually adjust the scale, baseline position, and rotation of individual characters in active text, not text that has been outlined. To edit using the Touch Type tool, create text using any of the type tools. Select the Touch Type tool and click on any letter in the set text and a bounding box will appear. Using one of the five handles on the selected type, you can rotate the letter, scale it vertically or horizontally, or move the letter—all while keeping the type active. Once you are done, you can adjust the point size of the text and it will keep the proportions and spacing set by the ...

Type Tool in Adobe Illustrator

Type Tool in Adobe Illustrator

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Type Tool in Illustrator is an essential tool while designing a logo, poster, or brochure. This tool helps in adding text to your design/artwork.

In the previous, tutorial you have learned to draw using different tools but in today’s tutorial, you will learn to type or add text to the artwork.

Typing a text

To type a text in the Illustrator we will use the Type Tool which is in the Tool Panel . Click on Type Tool and the cursor will change to a text box. T is the shortcut key for Type Tool .

Select the Type Tool and double-click on the artboard. The typing box will be activated. Now you can type your text in the text box. You can even change the color, font, and size of your text.

After selecting Type Tool , click on the artboard and along with left click-drag the cursor to form a rectangle. Release and a paragraph text box will be created. This is used in writing text in paragraph form.

Typing inside a shape

In Typography , with the help of Type Tool and other sub tools, you can create an amazing artwork of text. There is a tool in Type Tool called Area Type Tool . This tool is used when you want to fill a shape with text.

Draw a shape of your choice, select the shape, and right-click on Type Tool . From there select Area Type Tool and click on the path of the shape. The shape will be filled with text. You can change the font and size of the text to fit it properly inside the shape.

You can even fill text of your own choice inside the shape. For that, before selecting the Area Type Tool , copy the text and then select the tool and click on the path of the shape.

Typing on a path

You can fill a shape with text with Area Type Tool and with the help of another tool, you can give the shape a text outline.

Draw a shape and select it. Now right click on Type Tool and select Type on a Path Tool . Click on the path of the shape and the typing cursor will appear above the path. Now type your text and give it style by changing the font style, font type, font size, and color.

Vertical Typing

By default, we have horizontal typing in the illustrator but it can be changed to vertical typing with the help of the Vertical Type Tool .

It works the same as Type Tool but the difference is that in Type Tool you have horizontal typing and with this tool, you can do vertical typing. (See the below image)

Vertical Typing on a path

To type vertically on a path we use Vertical Type on a Path Tool . This tool works the same as Type on a Path Tool . The difference is of the axis. In Type on a Path Tool typed text is horizontal whereas in this tool the text typed is vertical.

Vertical Typing Inside a Shape

Vertical Area Type Tool helps in typing text within a shape vertically. The process of using this tool is the same as Area Type Tool but there is a difference in the result of these tools. Compare the below image with the image given in Area Type Tool and you will understand the difference.

Touch Type Tool

This tool is very useful is you want to make changes in a particular letter while designing the logo or creating the artwork.

Select Touch Type Tool by right click on the Type Tool and then click on the letter/character whose attributes you want to modify. By clicking on the letter it will get selected and now you can modify its size, color, and style.

In the below image you can see how the letter I have been changed with the help of the Touch Type Tool .

Practice the above tools and create an artwork of text.

6 overlooked typography tools in Adobe Illustrator

When it comes to typography, are you really making the most out of the features Adobe Illustrator has to offer? With an abundance of powerful tools at your fingertips, exploring unknown ones can feel a bit intimidating — especially once you’ve already got a workflow and process down pat.

Today, we’re shedding light on a few type tools in Adobe Illustrator that you may have overlooked if you’re self-taught in the software or just getting started with it. These features go beyond the basic Type Tool and will help streamline your workflow or equip you with some snazzy new tricks of the trade. Let’s jump in!

1. Text Box

The Text Box feature is especially handy when working through text-heavy graphic designs. You can actually create boundaries for where your text will sit within a specific area of your Artboard. Select the Type Tool icon then drag your cursor across any section of your Artboard to create a box. This box will act as a parameter for any text you include in this area. Simple and very useful!

Pro Tip: You can adjust the size of your Text Box at any time using the Selection Tool and dragging its edges.

2. Optical Kerning

Kerning refers to the process of manually spacing out letters in a font to achieve a more visually appealing result. While high-quality typefaces often have great built-in kerning, other typeface’s default spacing may not look as polished with certain letter combinations.

You can always manually adjust the kerning between your letters (using Alt + left/right arrow keys), but Adobe Illustrator also offers a built-in kerning option called Optical Kerning. It’s essentially an algorithm that calculates the adequate spacing between letters based on their shape. Find it in your Character panel and try it out — but don’t be afraid to manually adjust if something looks off! Use your best judgment.

3. Envelope Distort

Envelope Distort is a nifty feature that enables you to squeeze and fit type into any shape or form. Create any shape on your Artboard, then select both the shape and your text (just make sure the shape is arranged in front of the text in the Layers panel). Once both objects are selected, click on Objects in your menu bar, find Envelope Distort and toggle Make with Top Object. Boom — your text is automatically squeezed into your desired shape!

4. Special Characters & Glyphs

Did you know that many typefaces offer alternate characters to choose from? While you can access these letter variations in your Glyphs panel (find it under the Type menu bar), there’s also a simpler way: Use the Type Tool to select a single letter in your text and you should immediately see any and all different alternate characters that are at your disposal to choose from.

5. Type On a Path Tool

Use the Type On a Path Tool to insert text on any open or closed path. Simply create a path (or shape) using the pen tool or shape builder tool, then hold down the Type Tool icon to toggle Type On a Path Tool. Click anywhere on that path to activate the tool and start typing!

6. Warp

Use the Warp effect to distort your type into all kinds of different shapes — from an arc, to a bulge, or even a wave shape. The best part about this feature is that with each Warp effect, your type is completely maintained and still fully editable. Find the Warp effects by selecting your type, click Effect in the main menu bar, then find Warp.

Pro Tip: To undo any Warp effect, find your *Appearance panel, select the Warp effect, and hit the small trash can icon at the bottom right corner of the window.*

While we’ve only scratched the surface of the powerful tools Adobe Illustrator CC has to offer graphic designers, we hope you’ve learned some new tricks to implement into your vector art workflow. Keep exploring this roundup of great tips and features further, and show us what you come up with! We’d love to see what you’re working on.

For more typography resources, check out 5 sneaky typography errors to avoid and 5 online typography exercises to improve your skills.

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