Typography
Creating your own Font in Illustrator
Step 1
On a piece of paper, create your own font. Choose upper or lower case and design all your letters A to Z.
Things to keep in mind. All of your letters should have a common design idea. For example, if you A is geometric and Serif, all your other letters should be the same. If you A is organic and curvy, the rest of your letters should look similar.
Leave space between letters and write your laters aways from the edges of your paper as shown.
This example is free hand, but if also helps if you create parallel lines so that all your letters are the same height.
Step 2
Save time by using some of your letters to derive other similar letters.
For example, O and Q are basically the same. Other letters that are similar include:
C, D and G
P, R, B and K
M, V and W
E and F
X and Y
Look at how I use the design of one letter to create the design of a similar letter
Step 3
Take a picture of your letters using your phone or Photo Booth in the computer.
If you take a picture with your phone, make sure your picture is a JPG when you transfer it to your computer.
Step 4
Create an Illustrator page that is 18x24 inches and a single artboard.
Drag your picture into Illustrator. If your picture is an .HEIC file from your iphone, you have to convert it to a .jpg using Preview or Photoshop.
Resize your picture so that it fits within the artboard, but make sure you press shift and drag the corner when you resize your image so that you do not distor the image.
Step 5
Make sure that your "Properties" window is open. If it is not, got to Window > Properties
Use the Selection Tool (Black Arrow) to select your image and click on the "Image Trace" Button in the properties window. Select "Sillhouettes"
Step 6
Make sure that your "Properties" window is open. If it is not, got to Window > Properties
Use the Selection Tool (Black Arrow) to select your image and click on the "Image Trace" Button in the properties window. Select "Sillhouettes"
Step 7
Your image will likely turn black, so you have to open the Image Trace options. You dod that by clicking on the options button next to the Image Trace Preset. Once you open the options gradually change the "Threshold" option until your text becomes clear.
Step 8
Once you are happy with your text, Click on the Expand button.
Then ungroup the image by going to Object > Ungroup. Do this a couple of times until it doesn't let you ungroup anymore.
Step 9
You will now be able to move the text around individually. First make sure you click out of the image and then click and delete the parts of the image trace that you no longer need. Leave only you custom font in the Canvas as shown.
Step 10
Finally, use you new custom font to create this template including the labels.
On the top create the name of your original font with the letters of your font.
Then display your font A-Z in 2-3 lines
Then, write the following sentence: "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog." This is called a Panagram and it's a sentences that uses every letter of the alphabet.
In the bottom of your page add your name as the author.
