Quick Tip: How to Use Effects to Create a Cool Design
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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.
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 $19/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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By Sacha Greif
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Very useful, thank you! :)
simple, quick – and awesome!
Nice tips.
Pretty well done, though rather short.
very good quick tip!
Nice! I’m not good at Ai, so this is really useful to me. Thanks!
holla, that is something!
cooool…
Indeed, a very nice tutorial. You showed me something new and interesting. Thx
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
More quick tips. I like them.
This is a simple quick effect, but one that lends itself to many things.
Nice quick tip.
cool trick, thanks make it
Looks fun…I’ll try this one.
Tnx for posting the tips. :)
I should probably start using illustrator instead of my “other” vector program
this is the tutorial that I have waited for so long..thanks for the tut.
Brilliant. : )
i don’t know how, but my twist step isn’t same than yours. Appears another shape.
Hmm…simple but useful. Looks pretty nice!
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.
The previous commenters said everything I wanted to say: useful, informative and interesting! Thanks !
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.
@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!
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.
my twist is also different… it looks like ripples… each circles is twisting not overall.
@ Ale & me: I solved it now. From the appearance menu move the twist above the wrap: fish eye.
nice tut!
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!
wow, really nice effect, I must start practising my AI skillz again…
nice one dude!
cool & very useful tips! thanx!
Thanks dude.
A lot of these techniques are used for my menu design and other print materials. Simple and easy. Thanks!
Nice works. Thanks man
fantastic tutorial!
I like this tutorial. Inspiring.
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….
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 :(
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 ?
thanks it’s very nice
urs is awesome :)
didn’t get step 15….
this is an amazing thing
It’s very useful, thank you for posting!
Great tut, is it as good a the spirograph tut hmmm! not sure, both great tuts though
nice
Thanks…
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…
Thanks – I am a total new person to this!
Christine
Thanks for your very helpful tutorial.
Fantastic! I wish there were more tutorials like this one.
This really opened my eyes to the appearance palette. Thanks!