Abstract Typography Posters from shapes

1. Intro: I got. My name is Tom. I'm a graphic designer. And in this tutorial video, we're gonna show you House made these two exact posters just from scratch, so the videos could be somewhat improvised. Just started with an idea. Decide with one simple Shea. And the video is just gonna be Michaud in my process of how we got to this end point and all different techniques along the way and so decisions that to get to these two final posters. So if you're interested, let's get started. 2. Colour: Okay, so just to get started, just want to be in Illustrator. I only get started. Just drawn out a circle. Just hold shift and just draw a circle So you want a color? Just the cook doesn't matter too much, but just measures. Something that looks good is going to give it blew. So this is a technical and from the bargains tutorial, Um, which I'll Link did not say that it's really good really worth checking out. So you agree circle so you would use the mesh tour. So with the mesh tool, every time you click on anywhere in the shape, it creates a point. Now, around this point, we can color, and this gives it a gives nest feathered color, which are showing a second. So it's been a couple of pines. Okay, so with this one's use direct selection tool and just click a point and then choose a color , so I've chosen is pink. As you can say, this is the point that have colored, and it's not reaching the next point. So to quit this one concolor this. Obviously it's just region. It is doing it, but it's just because it's on the edge of a circle, so you just want to go ahead and besides, couple core your circle, just fill it with different colors. So I'm just gonna keep cool. And that may be some, uh, some yellow may have a so this is why the background could doesn't matter too much. But if you wanted to leave some of the original background color ran, then maybe it's worth, but you can go back. You can use you association told us the black our click on the whole thing and change the color. But you do. You will start again. But so it's going to keep going. Maybe some red. That's good. And let's leave a gap around the edge for this sort of poster. I did. This gap on the edge does self help. It keeps the soul of the field, this spherical. It gives it more of a three D effect later on after taking two first shot. So is worth leaving that I mean, you can try just go to the age. We can see what happens when it touches the edge as well. So it's just up to just try and what you think it looks the best. Okay, so I'm just gonna leave it like this now and then What isn't for shop 3. Warping shapes: so once happy with how you circles looking you want to bring in for a shot from illustrator You want to make sure that you rest Arise it so we can add it. A more fitting is a couple different ways. I'm gonna show you how toe morphin it and see what we can do Whether it's this make a couple different copies so it can try difference of effects without losing the original. So the first thing gonna show you is the walk Ah, effects filter Whatever, Andi Juice Just command t which just So that is the free Trump's phone so that she wants to resize it. We want to use this up here as though Sambo's largest to walk there. So it gives you a different grid. It gives you a bit of nine squares, and with this you can literally just drag. I mean, this is great that so many different things. You can do this, you contend inside out, which is always cool. This solves the star shape. You can sort of make it looks or pay pre. These handles work the same way that handles work on the pento so you can get really crazy with this and really just have a lot of fun it so it gives it a three d effect. The problem is, you can see where it starts to blur. That can be an issue, but it can solve. It could be fixed as well, so don't know that worry. So I started making the service. I go along. I have sown the finished product that start video, but I haven't made it yet, So this is totally just improvised. So yes, So that's one sort of way that you can edit the shows. I made some really cool stuff. Okay, so nothing you can do to sort of modify your circle is a tool called the Puppet Wall Justin edit and then puppet warp. It's just above the free transform. So what this does is it turns your image into so a great of triangles. So how it works is basically you create a pens, but clicking in one of the points if you create another pin when you click and drag, it basically moves around the other point without any sense, you can change thes of the density of the grid. Just basing this appear, the fewer Andi more so. This is just going to stop. Depend how details you want. The Euro, Mr Bay. I was going to stick with normal for now. It just creates a couple more points and just sue. So what you can do that the more you warp it, the more areas quality you will lose. It is worth bearing that in mind. Be condition really cool things of this and it is worth just playing with guess I'm just totally this service for now. So this is a really low resolution image, which is why this looks so disgusting. But if you're the high resolution images definitely worth playing with, I guess that the final where I'm gonna show you to sort of modify and liquid eyes your circle is a filter called the way filter. You see, my previous to Tora, you will be familiar with the way filter. It's just under filter distort on them. Wave. So you just prints in this box. The number of generators is how many. It's hard to explain its how detailed the waves gonna bay and it starts to break up After a while. I like to keep it between one and five. Really? I'm gonna go for three. This image, the other thing, the other options just play with them is my heart. So I know exactly what they dio. One thing I like to use is the randomize. And for something like this, it's really good just to play and see what, exactly what comes up that you may know of court with just by playing with this for this liquidy effect, I'm just gonna keep the, uh, type on sign. Okay, so I'm happy with this. So if America Texas further, I could duplicate this layer and hide it had the previous one, so I could modify this, and there's a couple of different things I could do with it. I could use the pearl according this filter. When did this start in polar coordinates. I used a regular two rectangular. Sorry to Pola or the Pro tour. Its angular options to see what I could do with that is not to key on either of this. Another thing I could do is go back into the wave and see what happens if I work through again. Mary Tens number generators down. Yeah. This and stunts were quite cool I want a sort of more of a full page design from this wave you removed from the generator. Just keep going through the random. Just keep playing, skipper. Experiment. And, you know, you could just do this for ages and just keep experiment and just sort of get the hang of their I'm just gonna try and decide on something quickly. This is obviously the issue with not having total control Is that you can take a while to sort of congressman. You like nothing. This looks pretty nice. So I'm just gonna keep this. So I've got this version of the image, this first of the image. I just got this, um And so the next step is, step isn't illustrator and start composing them. 4. Creating a gradient background: Okay, so I've exported each of those shapes is background this P and G's. So they just took, like, this is files. Obviously these sort of if you got a shape where the waves could it off along the edge of the outboard in virtual, we can solve work with that. It's not gonna be a problem. So you just want to go into your illustrates that and just drag whatever you go, it just drag something, man have started that some just making steps to go along. Just see that love live what we can come up with. So, I mean, that was pretty good. Just a start says, obviously there's no background on this so we can start to add a background color or grade in awesome like them. So I'm gonna make a few new outboards just with the outboard tool. Just the same size bodyguard. I'm just gonna put each different shape on different outboard can never gonna sing it so far. These look pretty good. They look like it could be a decent Siris of three. Maybe these two do look a bit stronger, just as is often individual shape. So now also say about how we can put these so three different elements Or maybe just choose a little bit little bits of the islands and just put minto one finished product. So a real like others V's looking It looks like a sailor spit typographic thing. So I'm gonna start my person with just this fears the starting point. So I'm gonna put on out Bob at South. First thing we do is I'm just gonna sort of bring it down, make it purposely like the center of the poster again. I know I keep saying it, but arms up making this up, So just try at in the background code. Start with just try one solid color says, try, maybe try using the coach capital and just do some colors from the shape. Maybe they're not working. Teoh. You know what? Just do it like that for now so that someone days I want to take this. I want to stop putting together this background, so I'm just gonna put it full screen. I'm gonna put it behind. So that soon does. I'm going to work into this background. Look with them. I'm going to return to the mesh tour. So the exactly the same way that we made the circle. Just creating points. I won't let may make point because this PNG file, although is back groundless. It's still got all the size from when exploited. So I spoke about the way for now. So go back to the mesh tour. Okay, so we'll change this girl. I'm gonna change it to the blue from the they So I'm just gonna work into this little bit. You can also click with white slides into it. You can click and drag so I could quick and drag of quite a few points. And where is solid blue? That's where the co's gonna change. So if there was a larger area, you knew you wanted one court that just being more efficient wave of doing that, you know? So that's very pretty nice. And move this back. Say that feels so. This is argument, like an embossed feel which I'm not too keen on, but enough now it will be okay. So So welcomes this better and live with Marin illustrate. It is a couple of things you can do. You can used this toe if you hold click. There's a whole range of different things. You can try so you can change too. So with breast size and then just but painting, you can see what it's doing to the different paths. So this is the 12 and this money worth having a look at it creates some sort, some cool effects. There's different ones is the bloat. And they all work in the same way. But they're all different ways sort of blowing the cause together. I could kind of record something scallop. You know, I'm not to kill any of those right now, but could be with no later on. So I'm gonna make a copy of this. I'm gonna hold all and drag it out. I'm gonna write. Say it completely. I'm gonna re center it back of, ah, so itself I want to do from here is just sex room with transparency and the blending words so often just bottle overlaying different cars. Router. You could make some really nice effects, and they're always worth trying out. You know what kind of like this? So this is the original. You can see how it sort of is work the two in together. So I feel like we're getting somewhere with this. So so Nothing you can do if you create degrading background, could copy what you've made. No straight, sir. You know, I take that back into first shot back into the same documents All the same size paste, the end, you know, arrest. Arise it, and then just work into it the same way that you worked into the share could color coordinates it. You know, this feels pretty nice. So because this isn't background this, I can literally just drag it straight. And I don't need to save it as a PNG. So it's for the sake of this. I can just drag it in. I was gonna make a new are barred. I'm going to see how I should It feels with this. Okay, so it's always great to just use different out bars and just see how different things work with each other. So maybe now you want to try overlaying that best. Now, that is really different. So this on these subtle difference, but I really like this sort of this darker turn heads from just gonna line elite. Mitchell, these lined up to the harbor. Okay, They are not, but land want to each other. And then just to make you want to make an object an outboard simply just going out about tour, just click and that occur and outboard around your shape. 5. Wire frame: kidding. So from hair of goats, office and backgrounds, I like I got a couple of shapes to play with. So much going tries in different compositions with what we've got so far for stuff that's making a new a four outboard new striking that out. So these sort of shapes the social of complex in the way that colored. They're not very oversee, Not very simple. So maybe on a background like this, then not showing off well, like as well as they could bay. So we'll try. Just turn it down, I guess. Another little cool trick on the show that you could include in a post like this if you go into shape selection tool. And I'm going to use a circle if you hold down the key to the left of Zed and to the right of the shift. Okay, whilst making a circle was gonna call this and you'll see exactly what I mean. So click when encircled, then hold down the K And as you drag, it creates a turn of different versions of this shape growing in size. So when I fall, obviously the fact this But if you just tend stroke on creates a really qualified by this. And it's really worth I haven't played this cause this could be really cool. So obviously the size could get a little bit out of hand. But you can always scale it down, but really cool the way it's off wraps inside itself. So, Tony, just have a play with this. I see a couple of things you can do with that. So if I don't this shape going back. A similar idea from previous tutorial is the line. So if I was one group, this make sure its toe in grooves, and then maybe I'll scare it down. But first, I could then alliance outboard and then distribute create some really cool shaves. You know, just cool stuff like this. So I was I realize how this looked. I really like this, but I don't particularly like this some because stolen groups, I can use my black selection tool. Just drag over the bits of that one delay their guy, So that was pretty nice. So I'm going to keep this. I'm gonna grew this. You could put in the middle, so I'm going making you out. But I want to see what else I could do with this technique. We're getting events, the circle try again. And I say that is pretty cool. I might even just keep this is it s it's going to group. I was put in center, you know, So that was really nice. But of course, you could just do a simple things like a non grew less. Then I could try the airline again. Our could try distributing the maybe not worked so well, no. Maybe try just into the selection and seeing what that will do that I just changed a little bit. Maybe just enough. Maybe. Maybe not gonna fall, maybe makes it a little bit entire day. So just do that the line. And that's the outboard, you know, And that was pretty cool to me. So I realized that so from these techniques have made these three shapes these backgrounds so that these from before to play with I got some really cool of resource is to play with. And in the next part, I'm going to show you how you can tell he's one step further, and then we're going to composition of the poster 6. Thinking about composition: okay Said start with composition. I was going to start by making another outboard just same size strength out. So I really like how thes look and like this shape, you know, maybe these wouldn't work so well for this person. But I want to work with this background start with. So I want to make a clipping mask with these two images. So the first thing you want to dio is flooding the transparency of the mesh layer. So do they just go object and flying transparency could just choose your resolution. Just press OK, guy. So no, these two together. So it's one of the circle. I want to put this background inside a circle. I'm gonna put that in center of my outboard. Put these there as well. Okay, So I used to do to get the background inside the circle is make sure your circles on top hold shift and slit your background and their command. Seven. And that goes inside like that. So this is pretty nice, just like this. So one thing I do want to try putting this shape inside this circle. No, because it's a clipping mask already. I can't clip something else into it. I'm just gonna make another circles three exact same. So another once be for 10 by 4 10 So I'm going to click their lives, Just click. And just by clicking, it allows me to manually put in the size of the circle space. This should be exactly the same. So if I put this, it's the center. It should learn it perfectly. So just drag this out. I'm gonna resize the shape of a once it inside the circle. The one thing you can do is you could turn the oppressed you down so you could see inside a sacral What? You're going to see what's going to show through, and once you happy, you just command seven same as before, and it's inside. You know, that gives it a different feel. So to incorporate some of these checks into hits to complete to expose the liquidy sort feel we've got going on to see how we could incorporate that so it never keep these. I'm gonna get rid of this. Just go back to what we had here. Just gonna pace these in pasting before I just turned straight white. So this already looks pretty cool. I'm gonna lock everything else because these shapes their role in groups. I'm just try arranging these on a line in them, Mr Mayor, so we'll just say so now that I've got so that this liquidy fell. How can moving incorporate some of these shapes? Some of the wife Remy shades. I was going to take this, just paste it straight and straight over this. I just had a group for now, you know? So maybe it was Maybe it doesn't in this particular design, we're just trusting this wife now. It's gonna own Group that and then just select some bits fit into Syria affecting Yes. Maybe that was pretty cool. Very quick. Like how that feels so Could stretch out to sort of fit with liquid effects. Jack, I like that. Lots. That looks like smoke. You know, circuit the movies that make copy and then try You know how to know. Maybe is not gonna work the best, but you get sort of the idea 7. Shape manipulation: Okay, so another thing you can do with these off cool line shapes is obviously fill them. So take a copy of this. So on this, I've got just blue stroke. But if I put a fell, it gives it a whole different feel. You know, it's still really blue outline, but it's failed. Suck up integration on this, so because it's cool. So three D effects and I could maybe make the stroke. Why, yes, that is pretty nice. So tried putting some color in this crazy in. No, that was nice minutes. Maybe the black. Still, it's nice to just trying it out. Yeah, I said, This thing is cool thing to play with. Try. There's no strike all so I like just a white. It's drove. Just separated shapes, especially just on a white background, groans about more effects there, you know? Maybe just try a blend of mode on the strokes. A lot of things you can do with this clear expressed if you call the stroke unites us as a really nice. So nothing today is then similarly to the previous video using the white sex until you can take a drag out a certain part of this and just move it around and see what you can do. You know that This looks really cool. This area here star is a lot of information they use recently. So this part here the nice the blue It was really nice. Maybe I don't like this big face here, so I could believe this Good obviously affects the rest of it. You know, the systems that call so could then take a slice of this because it even groups that you could then alone this as well. So you could just to be this the page. We get some really cool shades just from playing around with this, you know, really cool. Maybe just to the selection. I guess more that don't do too much. Turns deleting the Bentzi. What? But she left with, you know, it's coming through the middle of always going nice. So I was gonna need that. Like that's that's looking pretty cool. So the final thing, usually what you can do with your wife friends so far as to copy this, I could take it into first show back, interested to the same document. Just make sure you working all the same size. I'm gonna pace this. And I knew, lad, just pixels. Okay, So what should quickly shaping first shot? One thing you can do is just get back into the way of the same way you altered. Everything else was used the wave tool and just try the square was not something after news , but with this square be really effective. It was to brace it down into different squares. They problem is using the wave filter. On the shape of this is it's hard to see in this tiny little pretty that you get. And unfortunately, there isn't anything you can do about it. Just make sure that your shape your it isn't white, you know, just color for the sake of this preview. So I'm just gonna mess from with this for a second. What's the most? Glass was sworn to myself for a minute. Okay, Somehow for this. So this is kind of cool, but this wouldn't really go with the liquidy type, obviously that we're working with so could then take this back in to the distant way and then sign this nice. That's times looked really cool. So good work into it Further, I could duplicate best. I've got a copy. Then it could use the transform. And I could use the walk to and I could do it manually, you know? So I'm gonna keep this for now, and I'm just gonna put us back into a straighter 8. Adding type: Okay, So it's something wrapping up. I've added in my template. Just so make this stuff feel like post. Just so, you know, are working with this is the strongest They have. Great. Yet from everything. The wife friend didn't work. The clipping idea is so if you know something, you could play with their I really just like this circle works. Okay, so I've got another copy of this, and I want to try out in the other shape. We made that use this year. So it's me that feels really cool to go. Three layers go down now. East. I mean, these two, both of sort of three D field just above each other. It gives it really cool fight. So they want some type? Maybe just going through the middle between these two layers. I'm just gonna Right, maybe the word to toggle. Maybe he's putting less future error, but some expanded. Turning on white. Maybe just safe. Now she stands feel pretty good. So I'm gonna put up behind. Let's look us because so see, - Does that stand feel really cool? Maybe loose this background circle. It's a mother. Feels good. I really like it like this. Maybe I want to make this smallest. So no, maybe offset a bit. So Mary sort of start to happen that maybe you could bounce out, but moving this type But then I could put that behind, then a and give it a source later. Fast. You know, maybe that's starting to feel quietness. So it's just a little bit more type, Just anything just to give it so some sort of purpose. I'm just going right. Skill Sha Now for this fed I'm just gonna expand the text. So this disease letter and individual objects a phone group this now I can other can't change fun I can so resize It is a fact, sir, but his more can do with it now So I want to make it bigger But I want to try a line in the type to the poster. So in a similar way that we lined this just totally random it could see what happens with text So it's just try align It's the outboard sooner So that feels really cool. And so he goes with the vehicle of the idea of the grade in the background. I do feel like I'm going to go back to that were just to show what else we could. So there. Yeah, that's so so quick. Cool. What killed this sort of sticking out there, but kill shit Kill shaft. You know what else? Quickly. I really like how it's stunts. Look, so maybe I'll do the same with to toil. I mean, it's big attacks, make it substantially bigger, maybe try 80. And I wouldn't do to say I'm going to expand this as well. I'm going hungry that I'm just gonna try align in that it run them. You know, that gives it a different effect. Not totally sure I'm not totally sold, you know? You know that. Stand to look. Oh, so I tried doing it this way. So this is kind of cool, just like this. No, Look, the Zonen's now it's gonna select all of these. All the less is just try. There's two of these at random against in similar way. You know, I say it looks just like nice, but I think I liked it more just like this to try arranging on this and then maybe retaining this, bringing in a bit, I be So you got signed to feel better. You can read it says obviously. But I like how it feels just gonna bring the sand and then just try. It's for more signs saying how what I can do with this. So Okay, so I like the feel of this, you know, kind of like on its side, too. So now I might just try experiment with scale. It's just some of the characters just using some of these characters as shapes. No, the old could be good because it was such links so well with circle. Hide it behind the other. Such feel quite nice. A such fantastic character for any sort of design justice, especially in future. No. Maybe I want to bring this round which they Martavis round, and that feels pretty nice. So something started to happen here, and in the next part, I'll just say we can finish it off. 9. Finalising: so I'm pretty happy without this looks, but I'm just going try last couple of things, and then I'll leave it for us over there, you know, sort of like that Titian tough. So just looking back, just what we made out there just safe. So I think the only thing this person would need now just finish it off just be some extra detail to bounce out type that isn't type that makes sense. So so exist in little details to do that, I think I'm just gonna look back, just sort of what we had before with one of these background cars. No, no one would do is I'm gonna make a copy of this, and I'm gonna image trace it in the same way we did in the previous tutorials Is gonna high fidelity image trace the third. So, you know, and this makes the whole image vector. So when I expand, it makes it's time Little part, its very own vector. So what happens with this is that if I make a copy of this folks, could that bring it over here and paste? It could do a different a couple different things for that. While it's still cruise layover I've already got I could put it behind. You know, in certain bits, start to come through it, and I could then apply a blending murdered, and you get some cool sof feeling that best, you know, that's starting to feel pretty nice. That's a nice pink to it. I mean, if you put it all the way on top, so it feels like this, but I can keep pressing commanding brackets for owns behind it. So that sort feels quite nice to May. But when we get there, that is gonna put it on normal. And I'm gonna cool, right? I'm not gonna core a grade in and I want why it's a light gray. So this is feeling pretty cool. So marriage can try the blends again just before drinks knows. I mean, that was amazing, you know? Okay, to just have to just know, have complete control. You can come up with some amazing, different things. So I want to keep this going to make a copy of this. It was constructed in just unlock everything as I drag it out. It's important to make a copy of everything, especially a fuse off want to be able to show how you got there for a portfolio off. You know, like a class. No, Just make a copy, and then you don't have to sort of show evidence. So just continue to try with this player, this background, I just love it. So I'm going to change. Some of the text co announced go with this. Made me a text. A pink. We're black, maybe. No, no. Black. Think it needs to be light pink. Now, what happens if I change the course? Smoothies. Just feeling really cool. Now you could change the blend on the type is wells for look, this, you know, some getting different sort of effects through. I could change detective type car and then change the blend, Chris and different again. No, but I think I just like to try everything black that feels nice. Just put down to normal. So these were a person so far in the final Thanks. Once try, just unlock and bring this out. This is I was saying the detail to bounce out of shape before I got into this whole background. So I'm gonna dio isn't going to take this and I'm gonna make it smaller. Just gonna hold on drinking. And so those And this. So I'm gonna own group at and then align its board and then distribute again to make sure it's all on group. There's lots of different groups in it, so it might take a couple of degrees and second distributed to the outboard. You know, maybe it was. Maybe it doesn't think, just won the bits really small when I space them out. Yes, that's what I was after. Something that looks like that. Just a fine, A little bit of detail in the background. There we go. So now just one final, different version. I'm just gonna make myself I mean, even that was cool and why? But for this one's gonna go back to the original white text and then I'll leave it because , look, all the features on text for a second. The issue with distributed like this is that you can't then because it's all in groups, it becomes a nightmare to try and group all back again. So for the sake of this and I want to just do individually, all right. And there we go. Four final persons from these three shapes 10. Outro: Kenny. Guys, thanks so much for watching this. I really hope it was useful. And it was a little bit all over the place just cause I was so figure now as I went along and I was just forwards off my idea of why I thought it could look like but what you're able to follow. And I hope you learn a couple of things. Definitely sure. Some of your work down below is using some of the techniques in this video we'll chat about and I just love to see some of it. So definitely post Saddam blow. And thanks so much fortune again. Have you enjoyed it?