Showcase of foil stamping

We can get so used to the notion that foil is just to pick out a few highlights that we can forget it can be the hero as well, as displayed in a really nice selection of foil stamping in use over at Spoon Graphics here

Text columns (and rows) in Illustrator

Illustrator is traditionally seen as a drawing package and its easy to overlook some of its text capabilities. For instance did you know that you can break a text frame into columns in Illustrator?

Go to Type > Area Type Options and you'll get the following dialogue box where you can define the number of columns, gutter width and an overall text inset for the text frame. In addition there's a checkbox titled "fixed". If you resize the frame with this unchecked Illustrator will increase or decrease the width of the columns so there is always just the number you specified. If you check "fixed" Illustrator will keep the columns the correct width and simply add extra ones.

Plus,  everything you can do with columns you can also do with rows, making tables much easier to create in Illustrator.

The art of symmetry in Sherlock

I love it when this sort of image composition is done well :-)

Keep it in the text chain

If you're working on a long document then whenever possible, even if it's a little extra work to do in the initial set up stage, try to keep things anchored in the text chain. If you just leave things loose in place and then some new paragraphs are inserted in the front, ALL those loose elements will have to be repositioned manually. Not only is this very inefficient time wise, but its also very frustrating for the person making the amends and having to reposition everything when they know if YOU'D just set it up right it would all have happened automatically.

There are multiple ways to do this of course, depending on what you're trying to achieve. You can anchor pictures and items like lines or graphics in the text, you can use tables creatively (even just a single cell if necessary), you can paste text boxes into the text chain and you can even anchor objects OUTSIDE the text chain in the margins within the text.

For example in the layout below the page on the left has both the photo and the sideways heading in the margin anchored within the text chain (hence the small anchor icons) and the heading with the pink background is done with a paragraph rule. As a result everything will move with the text. Whereas the page on the right has the photos and sideways headings placed manually whilst the pink heading is achieved with a pink line placed behind the text box.

Now see what happens when we insert even just a line of text in the opening paragraph…

On the left page all the elements have just moved with the text. Whereas on the right all the manually placed items will now have to be repositioned, and the same goes for every subsequent page.

So keep it in the chain wherever possible and save yourself and everyone else a lot of heartache later.

Less is more

Nine times out of ten someone else is going to have to use your artwork - whether to make amends, or create a new piece of artwork - so when you create your artwork try to keep it simple, especially if you are a freelancer.

There's nothing worse than opening up someone else's artwork to discover that, although it looks okay in preview mode and even prints fine, its a dogs dinner, e.g. there's a boxed out panel made from a transparent text box, laid over a different sized, coloured picture box all grouped together with two lines for borders and just left loose in its position on the page.

All of which could have been done as a table which, as part of the text chain, will flow with any text amends. The table cell will automatically expand if more text is inserted into it (as would an automatically sizing text frame).

If you can do something with just one element why would you use five, just because that's how you muddled your way through the first time you sat in front of InDesign? If you can create a new piece in such a way that no extra work is involved to change it then do it THAT WAY.

Alternatives to Gotham

I love Gotham, its just a beautifully designed typeface. But, like most people who encounter it, I'm tempted to overuse it. Back in my college days I noticed how overused Optima was across Dublin and once I started seeing it EVERYWHERE I took a personal dislike to it. No fault of Optima's I hasten to add. Its a perfectly serviceable face. But I don't want the same to happen with Gotham, so its lucky Creativebloq have given us a list of some practical alternatives here…

So next time I reach for the Gotham I'll take a look at these first!

Online barcode generator

If you've been supplied a barcode number for a packaging job by a client rather than the barcode itself you can easily generate one online where you will find numerous site to do this for free. The one I use is from Terry Burton and can be found here…

It's a very no frills page but it gets the job done and delivers the results as EPS, PNG or JPEG. NB you really need to know what type of barcode you want (EAN-13, UPC-A, ISBN, QR Code etc.) before you proceed.

Simulate a master page in Illustrator

Say you have a lot of files to produce that are basically the same. Lets say it's a series of blister packs that are all pretty much the same - the logo, the product name, background image, price, some small print, manufacturer details, barcode etc. and most of these will stay the same across the whole range with just things like the product name, price and barcode changing from pack to pack.

A perfect candidate for InDesign and a master page yes? But unfortunately you have to do this in Illustrator, either because the client insists, because you're not comfortable in InDesign or perhaps you have inherited old artwork in Illustrator format that just needs updating.

Well here's the trick. Did you know that you can place an Illustrator file into an Illustrator file? So what you do is set up your file to the correct dimensions but with only the elements that are common to every pack - the MASTER elements, i.e. The background, the logo, background image, small print etc. and save it as a plain Illustrator file. Lets call this the master illustrator file.

Next you set up your Artwork file to the same dimensions and PLACE the master illustrator file into it, on its own layer. Now you can add the variable elements like the product name and price on a layer above till everything looks just right. Now you have one pack all set up you just need to create additional artboards for all the other packs in the range and copy and PASTE IN PLACE the elements you have created onto each artboard and rename each product, price etc. across the range.

Here's the beauty of this though. If subsequently the manufacturers address, the small print or anything else on the master layer needs to change, you just open your original master illustrator file, make the changes and hit save. Then back in your artwork you simply update the links and voila. those changes have been made to every pack.