Day 5 — Illustrator
Expressive Text: Final Production & Export
Finish all four idiom posters, run preflight checks, export PDF/PNG, and submit with a short reflection.
Adobe Illustrator, Deliverables: 4× PDF + 4× PNG + 1× Thumbnails PDF, Live Type Backup Layer, A4 Artboards · 10 mm margins
Start
- Open Lastname_ExpressiveText_v04.ai (or Save As to create it now).
- Check artboards named
Idiom-01…04, grid & 10 mm margins locked, Backup layer (live type) locked. - Choose final directions for any posters still at 80–90% and list your last fixes (kerning pairs, alignment, contrast).
Production
Finish Posters 1–4 to final:
- Refine hierarchy (clear focal word), spacing (tracking/leading), and contrast (scale/weight).
- Commit outlines only where the concept needs cuts: Expand Appearance → Outline Stroke (if needed) → Create Outlines (on the working copy, never your backup).
- Use Pathfinder/Shape Builder for clean joins; remove stray points; keep counters (inside spaces) intact.
- Check optical alignment and letter pairs (AV, To, Ty, Wa); adjust overshoot for round letters.
- Maintain Global Colors and consistent margins across the set.
Preflight
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Mini-Crit
Pair up, zoom out to fit artboard, and answer:
- Where does the eye land first? Is that intentional?
- One micro-type fix (kerning/tracking) and one surface fix (alignment/contrast)?
- Does this poster feel like part of the same set?
Export & Submit
Export:
- PDF (print): File → Save As → PDF → “High Quality Print”; (embed fonts or outline where needed). One PDF per artboard.
- PNG (screen): File → Export → Export As → PNG → 144–300 ppi, Use Artboards (1–4).
- Thumbnails/process: Export a single PDF of your thumbnail studies (can be a contact sheet placed on an extra artboard).
Naming: FirstnameLastname_ExpressiveText_Idiom-01.pdf/png … Idiom-04.pdf/png + FirstnameLastname_ExpressiveText_Thumbnails.pdf
Submit to Schoology: 4× PDFs + 4× PNGs + thumbnails PDF + your AI file v04.ai (with Backup layer).
Reflection (write 2–3 sentences):
- Which poster communicates the idiom best and why?
- What single typographic decision (scale/spacing/alignment) made the biggest difference?
Shortcuts & Panels:
- V Selection · A Direct Selection · T Type · Shift+M Shape Builder
- Pathfinder (Unite / Minus Front / Divide) · Object → Expand Appearance · Object → Path → Outline Stroke
- Window → Type → Character, Paragraph, Paragraph Styles, Character Styles · Window → Align · View → Smart Guides