Sticker design

Examples of work

Back to 9DTECH

Introduction to this unit

Designing vinyl stickers

Work your way through the following skills to learn how to use Illustrator for creating vinyl stickers, By the end of these skills you should be able to:

Describe the difference between vector and raster graphics
Use a range of tools in Illustrator including
- Text
- Trace
- Edit paths
- Drawing tools
Apply a vinyl sticker

Thanks to Computaleta Petone for supplying all the Vinyl!

Vector vs. raster

Image formats: Vector vs Raster

Summary: Vector - is all about outlines, Raster - is all about pixels

Getting started - Shapes and the pathfinder

Learn:

The Shapes tool

The Pathfinder

Do:

Create a compound shape made of at least two different shapes stuck together with the pathfinder

Turn it in and get the sticker cut!

Extend:

Use shapes and the pathfinder to create an animal sticker

Learn to use the Shapes tool.

Your challenge today is to only use the Shapes tools and the Pathfinder.

Draw an animal, see what else you can create.

Then get your sticker cut.

Untitled presentation

Applying the sticker!

Learn:

How to properly apply a sticker

Do:

Weed your sticker

Use application tape

Stick your sticker!

Extend:

Be careful, avoid bubbles.

How to apply the sticker:

Peel off the background vinyl
Weed out any other bits of vinyl you don't want
Cover with application tape
- It is now safe to take home
Get and the object you are going to stick it to (make sure it's clean)
Peel the application tape and sticker off the backing
Line up the sticker on the object
Press it down flat, use a fingernail or card
Carefully remove the application tape leaving the sticker behind!

Getting started - Text

Learn:

How to turn text into a sticker

Do:

Create a name (or similar) sticker.

Get it cut

Extend:

Experiment with fonts.

What fonts work well as stickers?

Creating a text path for cutting.

Create the text with the Text tool
Style the text properties
Select it with the Selection tool
Expand the text into a path
- Object menu > Expand
Now you can edit it with the Direct Selection tool
Save as an Adobe Illustrator file.

Practice - Split text

Learn:

How to create a negative image of text

Do:

Create a name (or similar) split text sticker.

Get it cut

Extend:

Experiment. Can you do the same with a diagonal line?

What about a 'hole' in the middle of your text?

Create the text with the Text tool
Expand the text into a path
Create the negative
- Draw a rectangle under the text
- "Minus front" to create the negative
Create the positive
- Draw a rectangle over the top
- "Exclude" to create the positive

Creating split text

Tracing a silhouette

Learn:

How to turn a simple black and white image into a sticker

Do:

Create a sticker from a silhouette.

Get it cut

Extend:

Try different images.

What works, what doesn't?

Turning a silhouette image into a path for cutting

Screenshot the silhouette (Windows-Shift-s)
Paste
Open the Image trace window
- Window > Image trace
Turn on Ignore White (under advanced options)
Trace
Expand the tracing into a path
- Object > Expand
Check the path with the Direct Selection tool
Save as an Adobe Illustrator file.

Tracing a photo - Basics

Learn:

More about the trace tool.

How to turn a simple photo into a sticker

Do:

Create a sticker from a photo.

Get it cut

Extend:

Try different images.

What works, what doesn't?

Turning an easy photo into a path for cutting

Screenshot the image (Windows-Shift-s)
Paste
Open the Image trace window
- Window > Image trace
Turn on Ignore White (under advanced options)+.,
Turn on Preview
Adjust the Threshold until it looks OK
Turn off Preview
Trace
Expand the tracing into a path
- Object > Expand
Edit the path with the Direct Selection tool
Save as an Adobe Illustrator file.

Tracing a photo - More difficult

Learn:

Even more about the trace tool.

How to turn a complex photo into a sticker

Do:

Create a sticker from a photo.

Get it cut

Extend:

It's all about the image you start with. Try several to get a feel.

Turning a photo into a path for cutting.

Not all photos can make a good sticker. Try several, it may take a lot of searching to find a photo that works.

Screenshot the image (Windows-Shift-s)
Paste
Open the Image trace window
- Window > Image trace
Turn on Ignore White (under advanced options)
Turn on Preview
Adjust the Threshold until it looks OK
Turn off Preview
Trace
Expand the tracing into a path
- Object > Expand
Edit the image:
- Eraser tool to get rid of black
- Blob Brush to colour bits in
- Direct selection tool to adjust paths
- Undo is your friend Ctrl - z
Save as an Adobe Illustrator file.

Getting the size right

Learn:

How to set up the size of your sticker

Do:

Create a sticker to fit a specific object.

phone
laptop
water bottle
etc

Get it cut

Extend:

You can use this to work with other elements (camera, logo, etc) on your phone: eg

You can bring a picture of your phone into Illustrator to help you work out spacing.

To get the size right you need to set Illustrator to use the right Units.

File > Document Setup > Units

Choose cm or mm.

Select your sticker, look in the properties tab for the Width and Height. You can type in the size you want. Remember to link the dimensions so you don't squish the image

Page updated

Report abuse