Tag Archives: Expressive Type

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

Illustrator Type Week: “Eye-Ku” Visual Poetry

Objective:

Students will be able to produce an “Eye-Ku” visual poem by using the Type Tools, Effects Menu, Appearance panel and Graphic Styles panel in Illustrator to create expressive text and images based on the Principles of Design.

Web Links:

Adobe Illustrator CC: Graphic Styles
Adobe Illustrator CC: Appearance Attributes

Topics Discussed:

  • Typography
  • Appearance Panel
  • Graphic Styles Panel
  • Effect Menu
  • Warp Dialog
  • Post-Modernism
  • Expressive Text

Assignment:

Review the tutorials at the Adobe Illustrator CC: Graphic Styles and
Adobe Illustrator CC: Appearance Attributes links provided to refresh your memory on how to use the Appearance Panel, and how to save object appearances as Graphic Styles.

We used Illustrator’s unique tools to produce Expressive Text last week. Today we are going to put what we have learned to good use by using Expressive Text to produce a visual poem: a poem that is enhanced by the graphics accompanying the words.

Visual Poetry and Concrete Poetry

  1. Concrete poetry is a type of poetry where the way the words look, and the arrangement of the words on the page is more important in expressing the meaning of the poem than the words themselves. 
  2.  Visual poetry builds on this concept, adding background visuals and colors into the mix, producing an even more unique style.
  3. Open your Text Week document in Illustrator and go to the fourth (lower right) artboard.
  4. Take a look at the following examples explaining Visual and Concrete Poetry:
  5. Think about the visual poetry examples:
    • What features do visual poems have in common?
    • What makes visual poetry different than regular poetry?
    • Which of the examples do you like the best? Why?
    • What makes a visual poem good?
  6. Use the pre-set Graphic Styles libraries, the Warp tools and the Type Tool to produce your concrete poem on the fourth artboard in Illustrator.
  7. You may use any style of poetry (free verse, haiku, music lyrics, Shakespearean sonnet, etc.).
    • It is recommended that you use a short poem like a haiku, so the visuals are not overpowered by the words.
  8. You may create an original poem, or use your favorite poem or song lyric by another artist, but if you use another artist’s work, you must include the name of the author in your design.
  9. Use a background image or color pattern that helps emphasize the theme of the poem. The poem does not necessarily have to describe the image, but they should share a common theme. You may borrow an image from the internet, so long as you credit the source, or you may create an original image (drawing or photograph).
  10. Your poem should visually represent, both in the arrangement of the words and in the visual style of the words, the theme of the poem.
  11. The theme of the poem should be obvious, based on the arrangement of the words and the Appearance or Graphic Style of the words. (Even someone who doesn’t speak English should be able to recognize what the poem is about.)
  12. There is no minimum or maximum length of the poem, but the poem must express a recognizable idea, and must effectively present the idea through the arrangement and graphic style of the words.
  13. Remember the Principles of Design as you lay out your page: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity – use them, as well as what we have learned about Color Theory and Symbolism to maximize the visual appeal and meaning of your poem!
  14. The completed Visual Poem is due on Thursday, March 9th. We will work on the poem and look at other examples of Visual Poetry in the days between now and then. You will turn in the completed visual poem along with the rest of your Type Week activities in this Illustrator document to the most recent post on our Google Classroom page.
  15. The completed Concrete Poems will be printed and displayed in the room for all to enjoy, so do your best to make this something unique and visually appealing!

Assigned: March 6th, 2023
Teacher Pacing Due Date: March 9th, 2023