RESOURCES
Note: Project files included with this tutorial are for practice purposes only.
Kenneth Vanoverbeke is a visual artist and type designer from Belgium. The typography he designs is inspired by imagery he sees every day.
Use Adobe Illustrator to fill Vanoverbeke’s custom graphics with artistic images, and title the composition with his collection of custom-designed words.
Need help getting started? Check out these tips on how to blend typography and art in the templates Vanoverbeke provided.
Add an image.
Experiment with imagery, such as this painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, to see how different art styles look in the custom shape. Place an image in one of the templates Vanoverbeke provided (the image references Template 1) and position it behind the shape layer (Object > Arrange > Send to Back). Then select the image and shape, right-click, and choose Make a Clipping Mask.
Pick a title.
Vanoverbeke’s type design is inspired by different art forms. He provided a selection of custom-designed words so you can choose a title that reflects your imagery. Click the eye icon in the Layers panel to show and hide each word to see which one you think is best in the composition.
Accent with color.
In each template, Vanoverbeke added shapes as embellishment around the main artwork. To give it color, select a shape and then use the Eyedropper tool to sample a color from the background image.
Give details.
Use the Type tool to try different fonts to add details below the image. Adobe Garamond Pro is a serif typeface that complements Vanoverbeke’s custom typography.
