Layout 17 - Spiral Lettering
General Document Setup
11in. x 8.5in. Portrait Format
3 pages, with “facing pages” checked
Start # = 2
Columns 1, column gutter 0.25in.
Margins = 0.625 in. all sides
Bleed = 0.125in.
This is a very important step if you want ANY full bleed images!
Note that you’ll also have to drag out any images that you want full bleed out to the bleed mark
This layout is definitely a bit of a harder one so buckle up and follow along with the video!
1 .Setting Up InDesign File:
Open Adobe InDesign and create a new document with specific dimensions in inches.
Use the provided settings mentioned in the tutorial or adapt based on your preferences.
It’s important to create the InDesign file first since we will need to paste into it later on.
2. Creating Spiral in Illustrator:
Open Adobe Illustrator and select the Line Tool, then right-click and choose the Polar Grid Tool.
Click anywhere on the page to bring up the polar grid tool options.
Set 35 concentric dividers and ensure zero radio dividers.
Create the shape and split it in half using the Direct Selection Tool (A).
3. Adjusting Spiral Shape:
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the top half of the spiral.
Here are selecting only the top half of the spiral with the direct selection tool. Feel free to draw yourself a guide like I did in the video to make it easier.
Cut (Ctrl + X) and paste in place (Ctrl + Shift + V) it to create a single spiral shape.
Shift the half we just pasted to the left or right while holding Shift (to keep everything orthogonal) until it makes a spiral shape.
Join all elements together using Object > Object Path > Join.
Reflect the shape vertically using Object > Transform > Reflect
Note: This step is only necessary if the tail end is on the wrong side. For example, if you want the words to go to the right page, make sure the tail is circling to the right; Vice versa.
4. Importing Spiral into InDesign:
Copy the finalized spiral shape in Illustrator (Ctrl + C).
Switch back to InDesign and paste the shape (Ctrl + V).
Resize the shape to fit the page and adjust points using the Direct Selection Tool (A).
Adjust the spiral so that it looks like it might continue onto the next page by adjust the points and anchors of the curve.
Use the Pen Tool (P) to continue the curve onto the following page. Mouse over the endpoint of the spiral path and you should see a little “/” looking symbol beside your cursor. (See image below)
This allows you to continue the curve.
Once you have this, continue the curve onto the next page while dragging out control points.
Remember the more control points you have, the messier the curve will look. I achieve my curve in the video with only 2 additional control points.
If you have trouble adjusting the curvature using points and anchors, feel free to use the Smooth Tool, which can be access by right clicking the pencil tool.
5. Adding Text to Spiral:
Right-click on the type tool (T) and choose the “type on a path tool”.
Add text along the spiral path, using placeholder or actual text.
Customize the text, consider making it uppercase for a cleaner look.
In this tutorial I am using upper case letters and a San-Serif font. I found that this worked the best for me after many many iterations of the design.
6. Modifying the Design:
Remove unwanted lines by turning off stroke in the spiral shape.
If desired, create a cutout in the middle for an image by adjusting the text frame controls.
When in the “type on a path” tool, you can select your text and 3 control points will pop up. Make sure to grab the control on the inside of the text spiral. You’ll know that you can adjust the control when there is a small arrow that appears below your cursor.
Create a Ellipse Frame tool by right click on where the Rectangular Frame Tool is.
Add an image within the text frame, fitting it proportionally.
Make sure this small arrow appears when you are trying to push the text along the curved path.
7. Enhancing Design Elements:
Apply effects, such as an inner shadow, to give the image a cutout appearance.
If you don’t have the effects tab on the right side toolbar, go into Windows > Effects.
Add a background by creating a rectangular frame and applying a texture or solid color.
Make sure that this layer is on the bottom. You can do this by Right Clicking > Arrange > Send to Back.
On the bottom of this page, we’ll balance out the elements with a quote and a line with a color sampled from the image.
Create a text box using the Type Tool (T) and input a quote you like.
Create a line by using the Line Tool (\), change the color to one already in the image by sampling it with the Eyedropper tool (I) and change the thickness (stroke) as you see fit.
8. Colorizing Text on the Right Page:
Anchor another image to the right side, aligning it with the text.
I do this by simply copying the circular image on the first page and scaling it to be bigger. I also refit the image.
I also use text as a balancing element on this page. Here I create a Title, Subheading, and Body Text using the Type Tool (T).
Title: Futura Bold 48pt
Subheading: Futura Demi 24pt
Body: Futura Book 12pt (50% Opacity)
Going back onto the spiral. We are giving increased size to the ones that drift off the page on the right.
To do this we simply increase the font size of the words as the appear from left to right.
E.g. Start with 12pt, the next word 14pt, then 18pt, then 24pt, etc.
We can also adjust and give highlights colors to the words. To do this I sampled a color from the image using the Eyedropper Tool (I), copied the HEX code from the fill, and pasted the HEX code into the fill of the text.
Make sure you have the text selected when transferring the HEX.
9. Final Touches:
Review the entire layout for coherence and visual appeal.
Make any additional adjustments, such as resizing elements or tweaking colors.
Save and export the design based on your intended use or distribution.
Again, make sure that you drag all elements out to the bleed box if you are printing this full bleed.
That’s it! Hopefully that was not TOO much information but this was definitely one of the harder ones.
