Alberto Santillán, Art Director at The Branding People
STEP 1/4
Design a type-based graphic.
Select the text within the letter-shaped graphic (letterform) with the Selection tool. Then choose Type > Create Outlines to turn the text into an editable shape. Shift-click to select both the letterform and outline type.
Pro tip: Save a copy of the text. Once you outline it, the text is no longer editable.
STEP 2/4
Cut letter shapes.
Choose Window > Pathfinder and select Exclude to cut out the shape of the letters. Now the colorful painting is visible through the letterform.
Pro tip: Pathfinder allows you to select multiple objects and combine them into shapes using a variety of methods with the click of a button.
STEP 3/4
Draw with shapes.
Press and hold the Shape tool to see the available shapes. Drag to draw with the Rectangle tool. Or select the Polygon, click on the artboard, and enter the number of sides. Use the Selection tool to resize or rotate. Double-click a corner widget inside a shape and drag to round individual corners.
Arrange the shapes, and then select them with the Selection tool. Choose the Shape Builder tool and drag through all of the shapes to combine them into a new graphic.
Pro tip: Pathfinder and Shape Builder achieve similar results, but Shape Builder gives you more precise control by allowing you to combine shapes incrementally.
STEP 4/4
Create a shape-based pattern.
Select the custom shape with the Selection tool. Then choose Object > Repeat > Grid. Drag the handles to add more rows or columns. Drag the sliders or use the settings in the Options bar at the top to change the spacing between the repeated shapes. Choose Object > Repeat > Options to experiment with different grid styles to see which layout you like best.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Founded by Ricardo Viramontes, The Branding People is a design studio based in Mexico City that specializes in brand building, rebranding, and creating visual systems. They partner with companies worldwide to craft functional, robust, and aesthetically stunning design solutions.
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