How to Make Vintage Text in Adobe Illustrator

by karimangen in Craft > Digital Graphics

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How to Make Vintage Text in Adobe Illustrator

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Did someone say throwback?! Just because we are in a different century, doesn't mean we can't bring the 70's to life in our art. Creating vintage text can bring a fun and trendy style to your design. It may seem difficult, but with a little tutorial, you will be on your way to bringing the 70's to 2022.

Supplies

Adobe Illustrator

Laptop / Computer / iPad

Create a New File

Step 1.jpg

Open Adobe Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. For my project, I created a 1000px x 1000px dartboard. The other settings can stay at the defaults.

Type Your Message

Step 2.png

Select the Type Tool (T) to type your text.

(I enjoy using Bratsy Script Demo because I think it feels ‘vintagey’)

Add New Stroke

Step 3.png

Select your text and go to Window > Appearance. Click on the top right hand menu in the Appearance window and click 'Add New Stroke".

Change the Layer Order

Step 4.png

In the Appearance window, drag the Fill layer above the Stoke layer. This is an important step because you want the "shadowed" colors behind the original text.

Select the Fill Color

Step 5.png

In the Appearance window, select the Fill layer and change the fill to the color you are wanting for your design.

Set the Stroke Color and Weight

Step 6.png

In the Appearance window, select the Stroke layer. Change the stroke color and increase the stroke weight.

I increased the stroke weight to 15 pt to make the effect more obvious.

Add Stroke Effect

Step 7.png

In the Appearance window, select the Stroke layer. Click on the top right hand menu, select "Add New Effect" (fx) icon at the bottom and go to Distort & Transform > Transform. 

Transform Stroke

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In the Transform effect menu, move the Horizontal and Vertical sliders to 1px and change the copies to 15. You should see the stroke behind your text move lower and to the right.

Add More Stroke Layers

Step 9.png

In the Appearance Panel, select the Stroke layer. Click on the top right hand menu, select "Duplicate Selected Item". This will add another stroke behind your original text.

Make It Yours

Step 10.png

Repeat step 7 and 8 to add as many stroke layers as you wish.

Each new stroke layer needs to have more copies than the stroke layer before it. If you do not increase copies, the new stroke will be hidden behind the layers in front of it.


Finalize Strokes and Colors

Step 11.png

Change the copy amounts and colors to meet your specific appearance wants. 

Enjoy bringing the 70's to life in your designs!