Objective

To learn the art of illustration with type. To learn Illustrator and Photoshop's type manipulation tools by recreating this editorial cover art:

Discussion

Commercial editoral covers need to be strong and bold in order to draw attention to itself in a competitive arena. In this case, bright colors against a black background help evoke the neon effect which also conceptually ties in to eating out at night. The perspective helps make the neon art look 3-dimensional which also helps to the cover art grab your attention.

Procedure

prepping for the exercise

1. download starter files
2. turn on Helvetica Rounded using Font Agent Pro
3. open 'buzz logo.ai" in Illustrator
4. practice Adobe navigation keyboard shortcuts: space=hand; space+cmd=zoom in; space+cmd+opt=zoom out; cmd+zero=fit in window
5. copy logo art to clipboard (cmd+C)
6. file > new (profile=print; artboard = 11.5 x 12.25 inches)
7. save as "buzz_template.ai"
8. paste logo art (cmd+V)
9. rename "layer 1" as "nameplate", lock (tip: unlock only 1 layer at a time)
10. new layers "trim", "template", "type", "art", "guides", lock all
11. re-stack "nameplate" to top
12. "guides" layer: draw box 10.25 x 11.5 inches (this is the live area)
13. center box on artboard (window > align: align to artboard)
14. view > guides > make guides
15. "trim" layer: draw box 11.5 x 12.25 inches; fill=white, stroke=black (align: inside); align to artboard

recreating the nameplate in Illustrator

1. "template" layer
2. file > place "dining.jpg" (as template)
3. reposition art (unlock layer temporarily)
4. "nameplate" layer: copy and paste text from "dining.txt"
5. recreate the small type (10/12pt ITC Franklin Gothic Book/Demi);
   tip: use periods for vertical dotted rules and rotate
6. spec "special issue" (14pt ITC Franklin Gothic Demi); tracking=?
7. save, save as "buzz_dining.ai"

creating the cover art in Illustrator

1. move "spring dining guide" to "type" layer
2. spec: Helvetica Rounded Bold, adjust size, leading, tracking
3. duplicate "type" layer, rename "outlines"; hide previous layer
4. type > create outlines
5. fill=none, stroke=black, weight=4, corner=round
6. copy art to clipboard (cmd+C)
7. save

creating the neon art in Photoshop

1. launch Photoshop
2. file > new "dining.psd" (10.25 x 9.5 inches, 300PPI, RGB)
3. paste (as smart object), RETURN
4. rename layer "master"
5. default colors: fill "background" layer with black (opt+DELETE)
6. add layer styles to "master":
   • color overlay
   • outer glow
   • drop shadow
7. filter > blur > gaussian blur: 3
8. duplicate layer 3x, rename "green", "yellow", "purple"
9. go to "purple" layer, hide other colors
10. marquee "guide"
11. layer > layer mask > reveal selection
12. layer > rasterize layer style
13. layer > new adjustment layer > hue/saturation: alter hue
14. layer > create clipping mask (opt+click between two layers)
15. repeat with other layers
16. new layer "composite"
17. opt + layers > merge visible
18. duplicate "composite" layer (for safety); hide
19. edit > transform > perspective
20. edit > transform > distort
21. save
22. save as "dining-CMYK.psd"
23. layer > flatten image
24. image > mode > CMYK
25. file > save as "dining-CMYK.jpg" (preset: JPEG high)

finishing the page in Illustrator

1. open "buzz_dining.ai"
2. "art" layer: file > place "dining-CMYK.jpg"
3. draw clipping frame: select all, object > clipping path make
4. double click clipping frame (you are now in isolation mode); adjust cropping; return to normal mode (click left arrow 2x

grading

1. add your name and the exercise number to the page (10pt Helvetica)
2. file > save for web: preset=JPEG high, image size=1000px wide
3. save, save as "buzz_dining_small.pdf" ("smallest file size" for web publishing)
4. save as "buzz_dining_large.pdf" ("high quality" for printing)
5. print a color proof on "oversize tabloid" (12x18) paper for grading (manual feed)
6. file your graded proof in your Process Book for individual review