Computer Graphic Design

Illustrator Type Week: Expressive Text

Objective:

I can use the Appearance and Graphic Styles panels in Illustrator to produce expressive text.

Web Links:

Adobe Illustrator CC: Graphic Styles
Adobe Illustrator CC: Appearance Attributes
Adobe Fonts: https://fonts.adobe.com/
DaFont.com – Download Free Fonts: https://www.dafont.com/

Topics Discussed:

Typography
Appearance Panel
Graphic Styles Panel
Expressive Text

Assignment:

Visit the Adobe tutorial links. Follow the instructions to learn how to use the Appearance Panel, and how to save object appearances as Graphic Styles.

Back in the early Twentieth century, there was a group of designers called The Modernists, and they developed a movement called Modernism. The Modernists believed that text should not be expressive, and meaning should only be derived from the word itself (i.e. the word “dog” should not look like a “dog”).

However, young designers who grew up during the time of Modernism asked the question: Why can’t the word “dog” look like a dog?

wwdog

Text that visually looks like the thing it is describing is called Expressive Text, and Illustrator has special tools that make the production of Expressive Text extremely easy and effective. Today we are going to explore the use of these tools to produce some expressive text of our own.

  1. Check out the Adobe Fonts and DaFont.com links. We will discuss in class how these sites make it easy to download and install new and useful typefaces for use in your designs.
  2. Watch the in-class demonstration, or visit the links above to learn how to use the Appearance Panel, how to save object appearances as Graphic Styles, and how to access the pre-set Graphic Styles libraries.
  3. Open your Text Week document in Illustrator and go to the fourth (lower right) artboard.
  4. Use the pre-set Graphic Styles libraries and the Type Tool to create five words that look like what is being described. For example:

Try to use different words and graphic styles than the ones in the example. When you have all five words and all of the previous assignments, save your document.

Make sure that you have all four Artboards completed, and turn it in to today’s Assignment Post in our Google Classroom to complete the Typography Week activities.

Assigned: February 18th, 2026
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 19th, 2026

Computer Graphic Design

Adobe Illustrator Typography – Spring 2026: Type Tools

Welcome to our Typography unit!

Starting today, we are going to explore Typography and the use of type in Illustrator. We will discuss what Typography is and why it is so important to graphic design. We will explore the different ways that type can be created and modified within Illustrator, and we will use our knowledge of color and shape to explore new ways to communicate with letters and words.

Objective:

Students will be able to identify, explain and create Point Type, Area Type and Type on a Path in Illustrator.

Student Friendly Objective:

I can use the text tools in Illustrator to create Point Type, Area Type and Type on a Path.

Video Links:

Creating Text: https://www.adobe.com/learn/illustrator/web/font-style-format-paragraphs

Creating Type on a Path: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/creating-type-path.html

Topics Discussed:

  • Type Tool
  • Point Type
  • Area Type
  • Overset Type
  • Type on a Path
  • Vertical Type
  • Vertical Area Type
  • Vertical Type on a Path

Instructions:

Create a new Illustrator Web document with four default-sized artboards. Save this document as “YOUR NAME – Type Week”. We will use this document throughout the week to practice with the Type tools in Illustrator.

Read the “Creating Text” tutorial video in the link provided above. Follow the tutorial to learn how to create point type and area type using the Type Tool.

  1. After you have watched the tutorial, go to the first (upper left) artboard in your new document.
  2. If you followed along with the tutorial, you should already have Point Type and Path Type created. If not, create an example of each now using the Type Tool.
  3. Read the “Creating Type on a Path” document at the link provided above. Follow the steps to learn how to create text that attaches to lines and shapes using the Type on a Path Tool.
  4. Hold the mouse button down on the Type Tool to reveal the other Type tools: the Area Type Tool, the Type on a Path Tool, the Vertical Type Tool, theVertical Area Type Tool and the Vertical Type on a Path Tool.
  5. Try each of these tools, and show an example of each on your artboard. Make sure all your examples fit on one artboard.
  6. Your artboard should include an example of each of the following:
    • Point Type
    • Area Type
    • Type on a Path
    • Area Type inside a Shape (use the Shape Tool to draw your shape, and click on the path with the regular Type Tool)
    • Overset Type (type that flows from one Type Area to another)
    • Vertical Point Type
    • Vertical Area Type
    • Vertical Type on a Path
  7. Save your document. We will continue to work with this document throughout the week.

Assigned: February 17th, 2026
Teacher Pacing Due Date: February 18th, 2026

It’s super effective!