MKT 202 Applications in Visual Design | Session 1 | Illustrator

Midnight Munchies

Illustrator foundations: build four late-night snack icons together

Today the whole class builds the same four snack icons in Adobe Illustrator, one step at a time. You will learn how vector shapes work, how to pick exactly the piece you want to edit, and how to keep a file organized. Every icon is built from basic shapes, and every color comes from one shared palette of seven colors. No drawing skill needed.

Shortcuts are written Windows / Mac. Example: Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. On a Mac, Option is the key some Windows lists call Alt.

We build together. Follow along step by step. When you finish a step early, wait at the check line or try the optional steps at the bottom.

What you turn in

Rule of the Day
Select first, then change. Illustrator only changes what is selected. If you pick a color and nothing happens, check what is selected.

What we build today

Your artboard has six boxes. Pizza, Boba, and Donut go in the top row. Cereal goes in the bottom left. The last two boxes are for the optional icons.

Pizza slice icon

Pizza slice

Step 2
1 triangle, 1 rectangle, 3 circles
Boba cup icon

Boba cup

Step 3
3 rectangles, 5 circles
Donut icon

Donut

Step 5
3 circles, 5 short lines
Cereal box icon

Cereal box

Step 6
3 rectangles, 1 circle, 1 star

The cards above show each icon with every optional extra (tile, shadow, face, sparkles). Your core icons are the plain version, like the examples below.

What your files should look like

Midpoint example

Midpoint example

After Step 4
Final example

Final example (core only)

After Step 8

The class palette

Every color in this project comes from these seven. Using a small shared palette is what makes a set of icons look like one family. In Step 1 you build a row of color chips with these colors. After that you color every shape by clicking a chip with the Eyedropper tool.

SwatchNameHexUsed on
Navy#1B1B2FEvery outline, boba pearls, eyes
White#FFFFFFBoba lid, donut hole, sprinkles
Sunny Yellow#FFC93CPizza cheese, cereal badge, sprinkles
Warm Tan#E0A458Pizza crust, boba cup, donut dough
Hot Red#EF476FPepperoni, donut icing, cereal stripe and star
Sky Blue#4CC9F0Cereal box, sprinkles
Mint#06D6A0Boba straw, cereal stripe, sprinkles

Quick refresher: Photoshop to Illustrator

You know Photoshop. Here is how the ideas map over.

PhotoshopIllustrator
Pixels. Zoom in far enough and you see squares.Paths. Shapes are math, so edges stay sharp at any zoom.
A layer holds pixels.Every shape is its own object with a fill and a stroke. The Layers panel holds groups and objects.
Move toolSelection tool V (black arrow). Moves whole objects.
Path Selection or point editingDirect Selection tool A (white arrow). Moves one point or one edge.
Layer styles: Stroke, Color OverlayFill and Stroke are built into every object.
CanvasArtboard

Class plan

StartMinutesWhatHow
0:002Opening: vector vs rasterDemo
0:0211Step 1: Set up your file and color chipsDo along
0:139Step 2: Pizza sliceDo along
0:227Step 3: Boba cupDo along, faster
0:293Step 4: Midpoint turn-inGate
0:3210Step 5: DonutDo along
0:428Step 6: Cereal boxDo along
0:504Step 7: Align and distributeDemo, then you
0:544Step 8: Save and exportDo along
0:58Core ends. Optional steps and extra icons.

Steps

Step 1

Set up your file and color chips

about 11 min
  1. Open Illustrator and choose File > New.
  2. Set Width to 1800 px and Height to 1200 px. The unit must say px. Leave Artboards at 1. Set Color Mode to RGB.
  3. Click Create. Save right away with File > Save As and name the file LastName_MidnightMunchies.ai.
  4. Turn on the rulers with Ctrl+R / Cmd+R.
  5. Turn on Smart Guides with Ctrl+U / Cmd+U. A check mark appears next to View > Smart Guides.
  6. Click inside the left ruler and drag a guide onto the artboard. With the guide still selected, type 600 in the X box in the Properties panel and press Enter. Repeat to make a second guide at 1200.
  7. Drag a guide down from the top ruler. Type 600 in the Y box.
  8. Lock them with View > Guides > Lock Guides.
  9. Build your color chips. Press M. Click once on the gray area above the artboard, enter 80 px by 80 px, and click OK. You will click these chips later to copy colors.
  10. Color the first chip by typing hex codes. Double-click the Fill square near the bottom of the Toolbar. In the Color Picker, type the six digits into the # box and click OK. Fill is Navy (#1B1B2F). Double-click the Stroke square and enter Navy (#1B1B2F). Set the stroke weight to 8 pt in the Properties panel. Open Window > Stroke and click Round Cap and Round Join.
  11. Press V. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and Shift, and drag the chip to the right to copy it. Make seven chips in a row above the artboard.
  12. Give each copy a new fill. Click one chip, double-click the Fill square, type the hex code, and click OK. Leave every stroke Navy 8 pt. In order after the first chip: White (#FFFFFF), Sunny Yellow (#FFC93C), Warm Tan (#E0A458), Hot Red (#EF476F), Sky Blue (#4CC9F0), Mint (#06D6A0).
  13. Make one more chip for dots. Copy the Navy chip, click the Stroke square, and choose None. This chip is for boba pearls and eyes.
  14. From now on, to color a shape: select it, press I for the Eyedropper tool, and click the matching chip. The shape takes the chip's fill and stroke. Chips sit above the artboard, so they do not appear in your export.
Check your work: Three guides cut the artboard into six equal boxes, 3 across and 2 down. A row of eight color chips sits above the artboard: Navy, White, Sunny Yellow, Warm Tan, Hot Red, Sky Blue, Mint, and a Navy dot chip with no stroke.
What you should see: A white artboard with two vertical guides and one horizontal guide, and a row of eight small squares above it.
If not: If the X or Y box is missing, the guide is not selected. Unlock guides, click the guide once with the Selection tool V, and try again. If the numbers will not work, use the starter grid file from the class files.
Step 2

Pizza slice

about 9 min
  1. Find the Polygon tool. It hides under the Rectangle tool in the Tools panel. Click and hold the Rectangle tool, then pick Polygon.
  2. Click once on the artboard. Do not drag. In the box, set Radius to 150 px and Sides to 3. Click OK.
  3. With the triangle selected, choose Object > Transform > Rotate, type 180, and click OK. The point now faces down.
  4. Press V for the Selection tool (black arrow), then drag the triangle into the top left box. Smart Guides will help you center it.
  5. With the triangle still selected, press I for the Eyedropper tool and click the Sunny Yellow chip. The triangle takes the chip's fill and its Navy 8 pt stroke.
  6. Press M for the Rectangle tool. Click once, enter 300 px by 40 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Warm Tan chip. Press V, then drag it across the top edge of the triangle for the crust.
  7. Press L for the Ellipse tool. Click once, enter 40 px by 40 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Hot Red chip. Press V, then drag it onto the cheese.
  8. Press V. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and drag the circle to make a copy. Make three pepperoni in all.
  9. Click an empty spot on the artboard to deselect everything. Press A for the Direct Selection tool (white arrow). Click one corner point of the triangle only, then drag it. Watch the shape change. Press Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to undo. Press V to go back to the Selection tool.
  10. Click the crust. Choose Object > Arrange > Send Backward and watch it slide behind the cheese. Undo it.
  11. Press V. Drag a box around all five pizza shapes, then group them with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G.
Check your work: One pizza slice. Every shape has the same navy outline. One click with V selects the whole slice.
What you should see: A yellow slice with a tan crust and three red circles, all with the same navy outline.
If not: If a shape has a different outline, select it, press I, and click a chip again. If the outline corners look sharp, select the shape and click Round Join in Window > Stroke.
Step 3

Boba cup

about 7 min
  1. Press M. Click once, enter 180 px by 225 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Warm Tan chip. Press V, then drag it into the top middle box.
  2. Click an empty spot to deselect. Press A. Click only the bottom left point of the rectangle and drag it about 20 px to the right. Hold Shift to keep it level. Click empty space, then do the same with only the bottom right point, dragging left. This makes the cup narrower at the bottom.
  3. Rectangle for the lid: 210 px by 30 px. Press I and click the White chip. Press V and place it across the top of the cup.
  4. Rectangle for the straw: 24 px by 125 px. Press I and click the Mint chip. Choose Object > Transform > Rotate and type -12 so the top leans right. Press V and move it so it sticks out of the lid, then choose Object > Arrange > Send to Back.
  5. Ellipse for a pearl: 34 px by 34 px. Press I and click the Navy dot chip. The pearl has no outline.
  6. Press V. Hold Option or Alt and drag to copy the pearl. Make five. Stack three along the bottom of the cup and two above them.
  7. Press V, drag a box around all the boba shapes, and group with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G.
  8. Open Window > Layers. Click the arrow next to Layer 1. Double-click the name of each group and rename them Pizza and Boba.
  9. Double-click the Boba group on the artboard. Everything else dims. You are in isolation mode. Click one pearl and move it. Double-click an empty spot to leave.
Check your work: The Layers panel shows two groups named Pizza and Boba.
What you should see: A tan cup that is slightly narrower at the bottom than the top, a mint straw leaning right behind the lid, and navy pearls with no outline.
If not: If the straw covers the lid, send it to back. If the whole cup moved instead of one point, check which arrow is active. Press A, click empty space, and select only the one point.
Step 4

Midpoint turn-in

about 3 minturn-in
  1. Press V. Drag Pizza into the top left box and Boba into the top middle box. Center them by eye.
  2. Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S.
  3. Choose File > Export > Export As. Name the file LastName_FirstTwo.jpg. Set the format to JPEG and check Use Artboards. Click Export.
  4. In the JPEG Options box, set Quality near the high end, Color Model to RGB, and Resolution to Screen (72 ppi). The slider scale differs between dialogs, so go by what your slider shows. Click OK.
  5. Upload LastName_FirstTwo.jpg to Canvas as your midpoint.
Check your work: Your JPEG shows two icons on a white background. The file name starts with your last name.
What you should see: A white image with a pizza slice and a boba cup. Four of the six boxes are empty on purpose, so expect white space.
If not: If the image looks cropped or the wrong size, check that Use Artboards was checked in the export dialog, then export again.
Step 5

Donut

about 10 min
  1. Press L. Click once, enter 340 px by 340 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Warm Tan chip. Press V, then drag the circle into the top right box.
  2. Ellipse 296 px by 296 px. Press I and click the Hot Red chip. Press V, then drag it onto the first circle. Smart Guides will snap it to the center.
  3. Ellipse 110 px by 110 px. Press I and click the White chip. Center it. This is the hole.
  4. Press \ for the Line tool. Drag a short line about 28 px long on the red ring. Sprinkles are the exception: the color goes on the stroke. Double-click the Stroke square and type the Sky Blue (#4CC9F0) hex code. Set the weight to 10 pt and Round Cap in the Stroke panel.
  5. Press V. Hold Option or Alt and drag to copy the line. Make five sprinkles. Rotate a few with the Selection tool and change their strokes to Sunny Yellow (#FFC93C), Mint (#06D6A0), and White (#FFFFFF).
  6. Press V. Select only the donut shapes: drag a box around them, or click one and Shift-click the rest. Group with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G and rename the group Donut.
Check your work: A third group named Donut in the Layers panel. The three circles have an 8 pt Navy outline. The sprinkles have 10 pt colored strokes.
What you should see: A tan ring, a red icing circle, a white hole, and five short colored sprinkles.
If not: Checks: is the hole centered, and is its fill White? If a circle will not move, you may be inside a group or the shape may be locked. Double-click an empty spot to leave a group.
Step 6

Cereal box

about 8 min
  1. Press M. Click once, enter 240 px by 320 px, and click OK. Press I and click the Sky Blue chip. The Line tool left a colored 10 pt stroke, so this click matters. Press V, then drag the box into the bottom left box.
  2. Rectangle 240 px by 34 px, near the top of the box: Eyedropper, Hot Red chip. Rectangle 240 px by 56 px, near the bottom: Eyedropper, Mint chip.
  3. Ellipse 144 px by 144 px, centered in the blue area: Eyedropper, Sunny Yellow chip.
  4. Star tool: it hides under the Polygon tool. Click once. Set Radius 1 to 52 px, Radius 2 to 23 px, and Points to 5. Click OK. Eyedropper, Hot Red chip. Center it on the circle.
  5. Press V. Select only the cereal shapes, group with Ctrl+G / Cmd+G, and rename the group Cereal.
Check your work: Four groups named Pizza, Boba, Donut, and Cereal in the Layers panel.
What you should see: A blue box with a red stripe at the top, a green stripe at the bottom, and a yellow badge with a red star.
If not: If the stripes hang outside the box, nudge them with Smart Guides, or use the Align panel in the next step.
Step 7

Align and distribute

about 4 min
  1. Press V. Drag each icon so it sits roughly in the middle of its box. Pizza, Boba, and Donut go in the top row. Cereal goes in the bottom left.
  2. Open Window > Align if the Align panel is not showing. Set Align To to Align to Selection.
  3. Press V. Click the Pizza group, then hold Shift and click the Boba group and the Donut group. All three should be selected. Click Vertical Align Center, then Horizontal Distribute Center.
  4. Cereal sits alone in the bottom row. Center it in its box by eye with Smart Guides.
Check your work: The three top icons share a horizontal center line and have evenly spaced centers.
What you should see: Three icons in one row with evenly spaced centers. Gaps can differ if the icons have different widths.
If not: If everything stacks on one spot, check two things: did you click Horizontal Align Center instead of Horizontal Distribute Center, and what is Align To set to? Undo and try again.
Step 8

Save and export

about 4 min
  1. Save with Ctrl+S / Cmd+S. Your file is LastName_MidnightMunchies.ai.
  2. Choose File > Export > Export As. Name it LastName_MidnightMunchies, choose JPEG, and check Use Artboards. Click Export.
  3. In the JPEG Options box, set Quality near the high end, Color Model to RGB, and Resolution to Screen (72 ppi). Click OK.
  4. Check the size. On Windows, right-click the JPEG and choose Properties, Details. On Mac, select it and press Ctrl+I / Cmd+I, then look under More Info. It should be 1800 by 1200 pixels.
  5. Upload LastName_MidnightMunchies.jpg to Canvas. Do not upload the .ai file. If you did any optional steps after the midpoint, save and export again first.
Check your work: Your .jpg is uploaded to Canvas, named with your last name, and is 1800 by 1200 pixels. Your .ai is saved for yourself.
What you should see: A white image with your four icons in a clean grid.
If not: If the picture is cropped or the wrong size, check that Use Artboards was checked, then export again.

Final checklist

Optional steps

Finished early? Do these in any order.

Optional A

Ramen bowl

about 7 min
  1. Ellipse 320 px by 320 px, fill Sky Blue (#4CC9F0). Drag it into the bottom middle box.
  2. Click an empty spot to deselect. Press A. Click only the top point of the circle and press Delete. The top half disappears. The bottom half is your bowl.
  3. Ellipse 320 px by 60 px, fill Sunny Yellow (#FFC93C). Center it on the open top edge. This is the rim.
  4. Ellipse 48 px by 48 px, fill White (#FFFFFF), on the rim for an egg. Ellipse 18 px by 18 px, fill Sunny Yellow (#FFC93C), on top of it, stroke None.
  5. Line tool: draw two chopsticks, stroke Hot Red (#EF476F), 8 pt, tilted, sticking out of the bowl.
  6. Press V. Select only the ramen shapes, group them, and rename the group Ramen.
Check your work: A fifth group named Ramen. If the whole circle vanished when you pressed Delete, undo, press A, and click only the top point.
Optional B

Hard shadow and color tile

about 4 min
  1. Press V and select one icon group. Press Ctrl+C / Cmd+C, then Ctrl+B / Cmd+B to paste a copy behind it.
  2. With the copy selected, press I and click the Navy chip. Both fill and stroke become Navy.
  3. Choose Object > Transform > Move. Set Horizontal to 14 px and Vertical to 14 px. Click OK. If the shadow moves up instead of down, undo and use -14 for Vertical.
  4. Ellipse 510 px by 510 px. Press I and click a chip that is not the main color of the icon, such as Sky Blue behind the pizza. Center it on the icon and choose Object > Arrange > Send to Back. If the icon is the donut, its white hole is a white circle, not a see-through hole, so set that circle's fill to the tile color.
  5. When you are done, select only the tile, shadow, and icon, and group them. Save and export again.
Check your work: The icon has a navy offset shadow and sits on a colored circle.
Optional C

Add a face

about 4 min
  1. Two eyes: ellipses 20 px by 20 px. Press I and click the Navy dot chip.
  2. Smile: draw an ellipse 28 px by 20 px. Click empty space to deselect, press A, click only the top point, and press Delete. Set the fill to None and the stroke to 5 pt Navy.
  3. Press V. Select only the face pieces and their icon, and group them.
Check your work: Your icon has two eyes and a smile.
Optional D

Extras: Taco, rounded corners, sparkles

  1. Taco: make five circles 60 px by 60 px, fill Mint (#06D6A0), in a row for lettuce, and two circles 32 px by 32 px, fill Hot Red (#EF476F), for tomato. Ellipse 340 px by 250 px, fill Warm Tan (#E0A458). Click empty space, press A, click only the top point, and press Delete. Press Ctrl+J / Cmd+J to close the open edge. Bring the shell to front, group, rotate the group 14, rename it Taco, and put it in the bottom right box.
  2. Round the corners: select a rectangle and drag the small dot near one corner. You can also set Corner Radius in the Properties panel.
  3. Sparkles: Star tool, click once. Radius 1 28 px, Radius 2 10 px, Points 4. Fill Sunny Yellow (#FFC93C), stroke Navy, 5 pt (the Sunny Yellow chip, then set the weight to 5 pt). Copy it and scatter a few around an icon.
Check your work: A sixth icon in the last box, at least one rounded rectangle, and two sparkles.
Ramen bowl icon

Ramen bowl

Optional A
3 circles, 1 ellipse, 2 lines
Taco icon

Taco

Optional D
7 circles, 1 ellipse

The reference sheet shows the finished look with shadows, tiles, faces, rounded corners, and sparkles.

Finished sample sheet

Troubleshooting

ProblemFix
I pick a color and nothing changes.Check what is selected. Click the shape first.
I cannot select a shape.Possible checks: it may be inside a group (double-click to go in), or locked. Look in the Layers panel.
One corner moved by accident.Undo with Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z. Check which arrow is active. Press V for the black arrow to move a whole shape.
My outlines are different sizes.Select only the shapes whose outlines look different. Skip boba pearls, eyes, and sprinkles, which are different on purpose. Check Stroke Navy and 8 pt in the Properties panel.
A shape is hidden behind another shape.Select it and use Object > Arrange to bring it forward or send it back.
I cannot find a tool.Tools hide in groups. Click and hold a tool that has a small triangle in its corner.
The Eyedropper did not copy the stroke or the right color.Check that your shape was selected before you clicked the chip. If it still looks wrong, double-click the Fill or Stroke square and type the hex code from the palette table.
My color looks a little different from my neighbor's.Check the hex code. One wrong digit gives a different color. Compare with the palette table.
My panels vanished.Choose Window > Workspace > Essentials, or Window > Workspace > Reset Essentials.
My guides keep moving.They are unlocked. Choose View > Guides > Lock Guides.
Align stacks everything in one spot.Check two things: did you click Horizontal Align Center instead of Horizontal Distribute Center, and is Align To set to Align to Selection?

What this project was actually about

Photoshop works with pixels. Illustrator works with objects. Today you made shapes, controlled their fill and stroke, picked exactly the piece you wanted, stacked, grouped, and named them, lined them up with numbers, and exported a flat file while keeping an editable one. You also saw how a small shared palette makes four different icons feel like one set. Those habits are the base for every Illustrator project from here. In Session 7 you will use them to build a full drink can label.

Tools used