Whether you’re a junior designer or creative director, passion projects provide an important outlet for self-expression, personal growth, and the exploration of new ideas.

Our creative director Emily, decided to get stuck into some type experiments using Adobe Illustrators blend tool. Let’s go through her process…

Firstly letterforms were hand-drawn with the pencil tool on a tablet, a script type was chosen for their interesting flowing curves. To create the blend, she used the shape tool to make two circles with her chosen colour gradients separating them 1cm apart. With both circle shapes selected, go to Object > Blend > Make to create a blend between the two shapes.

To create a smooth transition, double-click on the Blend Tool icon or go to Object > Blend > Blend Options. Experiment with different settings such as the number of steps, orientation, and spacing. By adjusting these settings, you can create different transitions and intriguing patterns within the type composition. Emily used, Blend > Specified Steps and use the lowest pixel number to create a smooth shape.

Lastly, with both the shape and the line type selected, head over to Object > Blend > Replace Spine. And there you have it! Incorporating a film grain background mimics the grainy appearance of traditional analog photography and adds a nostalgic and organic feel to the artwork. We love the outcome of this project!

Adobe Illustrator provides an endless playground for type experiments. Through blending typography and adding film grain textures, designers can achieve visually captivating and unique type compositions that breathe life and character into their artwork. So go ahead, give it a go yourself and dive into the exciting world of passion projects and type experiments!