CORE2291 Design Lab 1: Illustrator Techniques

CORE2291 Design Lab 1: Project 2 Illustrator Techniques

This project focused on developing Illustrator techniques. First I completed a Coca-Cola Script redraw. In doing this exercise, I was able to practice with tools I already had experience with as well as develop new skills within those tools. Examples of those tools and skills are shown below under Illustrator Techniques.

The second part of this project prompted me to design patterns with a theme associated with Coca-Cola. I decided to choose a Coca-Cola Valentine's Day theme! I gathered inspiration for my patterns and sketched out ideas for motifs, this can be found below under Visual Exploration: Pattern Design. I designed three motifs: a bottle cap bent in the shape of a heart, a bow with elements of the Coca-Cola script type, and a glass coke bottle with flowers in it. The process of making these motifs can be found under Creating Motifs in Illustrator. I combined these motifs into two patterns. The final patterns and artwork can be found under Final Products.

Illustrator Techniques

Creating global swatches and resizing a reference image to scale.

Pen tool: placing points and working with handles.

Typing on a path.

Using the outline view to see the final outline of the script type.

Using the Shape Builder tool to combine shapes and punch holes.

Drawing the circle background using the ellipse tool and filling it with a gradient comprised of global swatches with the gradient tool.

Using layers to create multiple versions of the final artwork in the Illustrator file.

Visual Exploration: Pattern Design

I decided upon the theme of a Coca-Cola Valentine's day! Since it is right around the corner (well, at the time of me creating this anyway), it seemed fitting!

Here are patterns that helped inspire me to create my own motifs and patterns that would convey the Valentine's day theme.

I sketched motif ideas for the Coca-Cola Valentine's Day patterns. I sketched a bent bottle cap in the shape of a heart, a bow, a couple bottles, flowers, hearts, straws, bubbles, and combinations of those things. Ultimately I decided that the bent bottle cap, the bottle with the flowers in it, and the bow were the most successful of my motifs, and I digitized those sketches.

Creating Motifs in Illustrator

While in the outline view, I used the pen tool to trace my sketches to begin the process of creating the motifs for my patterns. At this stage, I decided that the ends of the ribbon on the bow should emulate the Coca-Cola script type.

I filled the motifs with preselected global swatches, including the official Coca-Cola red. In order to convey the Valentine's Day theme, I kept to a minimal color scheme, with Coca-Cola red, a dark pink, a light pink, and black.