In this tutorial you learn how to crank out a really cool looking vintage screen poster effect with most any 1-color logo in your collection using only Illustrators Appearance Palette. This effect could be adapted for use on many different logo projects, poster layout, or even web graphics.
Step 1
Start with a good sized blank Illustrator document with RGB selected for the document color base. Something around letter size (11″ wide x 8.5″ high) should work just fine.
Also, to really give it that vintage look, center a document sized rectangle with a vintage yellow color like the image below (R 237, G 234, B 188).
Step 2
Drop in some text or a vector object sized to approximately 4.5″ wide x 4″ high and change the fill color to White. You can later adjust the size to fit your specific needs but for now keep your art size similar to the listed dimensions.
Step 3
Now let’s make our way over to the Appearance Palette (Window > Appearance). With your vector object selected, click the second button from the left at the bottom of the Appearance Palette to “Add New Fill” and set the color to Cyan (R 0, G 174, B 239).
Step 4
Let’s nudge this new fill around a little bit and give it some shape. With your new fill highlighted in the Appearance Palette go up to the top Illustrator menu and follow Effect > Convert to Shape > Rounded Rectangle. In the dialog box that pops up, click the Relative radio button and set both the Extra Width and Extra Height to 0.3 in, now change the Corner Radius to 0.5 in and click OK. This will be the base shape of our effect.
Step 5
We still need a little adjusting to get the correct shape, so with the same Cyan fill still selected in the Appearance Palette go back up to the top menu and follow Effect > Warp > Bulge and enter 5 in for the percentage of bend.
Now, we’ve got the correct shape…
Just click and drag the Cyan fill below the White fill in the Appearance Palette.
Step 6
Time for another fill and this one’s going to be Yellow (R 255, G 242, B 0). With the Cyan fill still selected click the same “Add New Fill” button on the Appearance Palette, this way your new fill will go right above the one we just created and don’t worry if you didn’t see anything happen, it’s just hiding behind the White fill.
Step 7
Let’s move the new Yellow fill by using the Transform effect under Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform.
See I told you it was hiding behind there! Anyway, this will give us the “out of registration” effect when completed.
Step 8
Within the Appearance Palette, click and drag the Cyan fill on top of the small page icon on the bottom of the palette to duplicate it.
Change the color of the new fill to Magenta (R 236, G 0, B 140) and drag it directly above the Yellow fill. Your Appearance Palette should look exactly like the one in the picture below, with everything in the same order.
Step 9
With the new Magenta fill selected, hop over to the Transparency palette (Window > Transparency) and change the blending mode to Multiply.
Step 10
Select to White fill at the top of the palette and change its blending mode to Exclusion within the Transparency Palette as well.
Step 11
We need to enhance the “out of registration” effect a little more so select the Cyan fill and move it left -0.1 in and down 0.05 in by using the same Transform effect from step 7.
Step 12
Something’s missing? Texture… that’s it. With the Cyan fill still selected, we’ll add some texture with the Grain effect found under Effect > Texture > Grain. Let’s go Intensity at 5, Contrast at 67, and Grain Type set to Horizontal.
Step 13
Well that’s a little better but we need more! Select the Magenta fill and head up to Effect > Texture > Texturizer. Choose Canvas for the Texture, set the Scaling to 100%, the Relief to 2, and bring the Light in from the Top.
Final Result…
Drop in a texture on the background. Use the vector splatter download from my freebies and you have the completed effect.
Just In Case…
Here’s a screencast video of each step!
