Designing Gradient Dot Patterns with Illustrator

Learn to create custom gradient dot patterns with Illustrator.

Join Deke McClelland, as he shows you how to make a custom gradient dot pattern with Adobe Illustrator. He begins by showing you how to load, apply, and scale the preset patterns that ship with Illustrator, and then demonstrates how to make your own gradient patterns with round and square dots. Last, he shows how to infuse your designs with energy using dynamic rotations that make your own specialized pattern wave.

Introduction

• Welcome

1. Using Illustrator's Preset Patterns

• Setting up your base document
• Loading, applying, and scaling a dot pattern
• Working with gradient dot patterns

2. Creating a Custom Round-Dot Pattern

• Creating a pattern of custom halftone dots
• Increasing the raster resolution of your document
• Converting jagged raster dots to smooth vectors
• Pasting a dot pattern into editable text
• Precisely aligning dots to letterforms

3. Creating a Custom Square-Dot Pattern

• Creating the base shapes for your square dots
• Expanding and ungrouping dynamic effects
• Blending a square gradient dot pattern
• A stylistic alternative to dot-pattern text

4. Infusing Energy into Your Custom Pattern

• Adding dynamic rotations for a symmetrical wave
• Patterned text and the sharp drop shadow
• Making the most of a happy accident