Quick Tip: How to Use Effects to Create a Cool Design

One cool trend in logo design is the use of repeating shapes, associated with gradients and transparency. While this style of logo tends to be a bit overused, and may not be suitable for all projects, imitating it is a great way to learn about one of Illustrator's most powerful and time-saving features, which is effects.

Effects are similar to filters, but the key difference is that they are non-destructive, meaning you can remove or modify them later on (through the appearance palette). Lets review a few quick Illustrator tips.

Author: Sacha Greif

Sacha Greif is a french web designer who finds it awkward to write about himself in the third person.

Final Image Preview

Below is the final design we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join VECTORTUTS PLUS for just $9/month.

Step 1

Start out with a blank canvas, and create a black circle.

Step 2

With your circle selected, apply the transform effect (Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform...).

Step 3

Use the following values. Don't forget to check the Preview box to see the changes in real time. You might have to adjust the Horizontal value according to the original size of your circle.

Step 4

Make sure the first circle is selected (the other circles are just copies, so you cannot select or modify them) and display the appearance palette, then select the element's fill.

One word of warning: the appearance palette will always display the appearance of the last element selected, even when that element is not selected anymore. This means that whenever you're using the appearance palette you need to make sure the element you want to modify is selected, otherwise you might just be changing empty settings.

Step 5

With the fill selected, apply a linear gradient.

Step 6

With your circle selected, move the transform effect's layer to the top. Moving layers around changes the order in which effects are applied, and which particular elements (the fill, the stroke, both, etc.) they are applied to. In this case, we want our gradient fill to be applied after the transformation, so we put the transform layer first.

Step 7

This is what you should get.

Step 8

Now apply a second transform effect. Illustrator might ask you if you want to apply a second effect or edit the first one. We want another one, so choose that option. This time, we will not touch the scale or move sliders, but instead we will add a 30° rotation, with 11 copies (enough to make a full circle, since 12*30=360 (the original plus 11 copies). Be sure to specify the center of the rotation as the left middle point.

Step 9

Time for another effect. This time let's add a 75% Fisheye Warp (Effect > Warp > Fisheye).

Step 10

Once again the default layer order is not appropriate. We want the warp to effect the object as a whole, not each individual circles. So let's move the Warp layer all the way down.

Step 11

You should get something like this

Step 12

This tutorial makes me so happy I could just dance ! Let's do the twist: Effect > Warp > Twist.

Step 13

Now we add another Twist, as we did in the previous Step. This is the moment where you can experiment with different effects until you get what you want.

Step 14

Here's the finished product. Now I know what you're thinking. Nothing special, right? Let me show you something.

Step 15

Since we used effects for everything, we can use our nice spiral thingy to make a style. Just drag the whole thing to the Graphic Styles palette. Now create a black rectangle elsewhere on your canvas, and apply the style to it (to do this, just select the rectangle and click on the style in the graphic styles palette). What do you get?

Step 16

And that's just the beginning. Once you're happy with the shape, you can expand the object's appearance (Object > Expand Appearance). Next, add other effects, like 3D rotation, and tweak the colors.

Conclusion

This tutorial is a little different than most, because the important part is not the finished product, but how we got there. Using the appearance palette to combine effects is a powerful way to come up with surprising results, and the best part is that everything remains editable all throughout the process. Want more copies? A different warp effect? New shapes altogether? No problem! I hope you'll have fun experimenting with this great tool and enjoyed these quick tips!

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User Comments

( ADD YOURS )

Christian November 28th

Very useful, thank you!
( Reply )
steve November 28th

simple, quick – and awesome!
( Reply )
Eduardo November 28th

Nice tips.
( Reply )
Leventhan November 28th

Pretty well done, though rather short.
( Reply )
Omer November 28th

very good quick tip!
( Reply )
Rui November 28th

Nice! I’m not good at Ai, so this is really useful to me. Thanks!
( Reply )
pica-ae November 28th

holla, that is something!
cooool…
( Reply )
RubineBoy November 28th

Indeed, a very nice tutorial. You showed me something new and interesting. Thx
( Reply )
OllieJ November 28th

I had no idea that layer order in the appearance palette could have such interesting effects. I’m definitely going to play around with that a bit more
( Reply )
Dan November 28th

More quick tips. I like them.
This is a simple quick effect, but one that lends itself to many things.
( Reply )
Mike November 28th

Nice quick tip.
( Reply )
Moksha November 28th

cool trick, thanks make it
( Reply )
b00m November 28th

Looks fun…I’ll try this one.
Tnx for posting the tips.
( Reply )
forman November 28th

I should probably start using illustrator instead of my “other” vector program
( Reply )
reezluv November 28th

this is the tutorial that I have waited for so long..thanks for the tut.
( Reply )
ViniMan November 29th

Brilliant. : )
( Reply )
Ale November 29th

i don’t know how, but my twist step isn’t same than yours. Appears another shape.
( Reply )
Josh Drake November 29th

Hmm…simple but useful. Looks pretty nice!
( Reply )
Kasper Skov November 29th

When i try using the 3D effect (Effect -> Extrude & Bevel) my shapes get all pixlated and with some gray areas. Du you know why, and how to avoid this.
( Reply )
Jeffster83 November 29th

The previous commenters said everything I wanted to say: useful, informative and interesting! Thanks !
( Reply )
Sacha November 30th

Thanks for all the positive comments ! After learning so much from this site I’m happy to finally contribute something to it.
@Ale:
If you somehow find that you don’t get the same results as the tutorial, make sure the layer order is the same. Changing the layer stacking order will change the order in which the effects are applied, and give you different results.
@Kasper:
3D effects don’t work well with pre-existing gradients. You have to choose one or the other, or else expand your shapes and work from there.
( Reply )
Kasper December 1st

@Sacha:
Thanks, now I’m able to get some kind of 3D effect, but still not the same as yours. But well, maybe another tutorial would help me out.
Thanks for your help, and by the way great tut!
( Reply )
Melody December 1st

Fabulous tutorial. I’ve never really known what to do with the effects menu, this opens up a lot of ideas that would have been much too painstaking to be realistic, before.
( Reply )
margs December 2nd

my twist is also different… it looks like ripples… each circles is twisting not overall.
( Reply )
margs December 2nd

@ Ale & me: I solved it now. From the appearance menu move the twist above the wrap: fish eye.
nice tut!
( Reply )
Quest December 7th

Very nice tutorial! Thank you a lot!!! My only question is (as I am very new in Illustrator) how to apply that final effect where you changed the paths of the colors? In the final graphic the colors are mixed and not in gradient style. How did you do that? Please someone help because I like that effect a lot! Thank you in advance!
( Reply )
nerd-o December 8th

wow, really nice effect, I must start practising my AI skillz again…
( Reply )
rajaotai December 9th

nice one dude!
( Reply )
metalpig December 12th

cool & very useful tips! thanx!
( Reply )
Aditya December 13th

Thanks dude.
( Reply )
Mike December 16th

A lot of these techniques are used for my menu design and other print materials. Simple and easy. Thanks!
( Reply )
Milon December 18th

Nice works. Thanks man
( Reply )
alex obrien December 20th

fantastic tutorial!
( Reply )
Greta Gavatar January 10th

I like this tutorial. Inspiring.
( Reply )
toioski January 18th

in twist effect i don’t have the same result. I’ve layer in the correct order so i don’t know what’s the problem….
( Reply )
claire January 27th

thats great but i got stuck when i had to draw the rectangle and then add a graphic it wouldnt work it kept coming out as a blured flower shape. help, im sure ive done everything right
( Reply )
Jacob February 15th

Hi there !
I’ve got a problem with 3D effects, when I’m applying any of the 3d effects program is not responding… after few minutes it starting to work normally and after that effect is applied.
What is wrong ? I’m sure is not anything with my hardware, coz my PC is quite fast…
Any thoughts ?
( Reply )
wishva February 27th

thanks it’s very nice
( Reply )
murasaki rain March 19th

urs is awesome
( Reply )
sis204 April 2nd

didn’t get step 15….
( Reply )
Bob the Builder April 7th

this is an amazing thing
( Reply )
Toniccio May 16th

It’s very useful, thank you for posting!
( Reply )
Web design cheltenham May 18th

Great tut, is it as good a the spirograph tut hmmm! not sure, both great tuts though
( Reply )
nick June 23rd

nice
( Reply )
Roy June 27th

Thanks…
( Reply )
LukeSF July 15th

Hmm… When I add it to the Graphic Style and then apply to a rectangle, it’s more of palm leaves instead of that neat and cool look from the tut… I wonder what I’m making wrong…
( Reply )
Christine January 9th

Thanks – I am a total new person to this!
Christine
( Reply )