Illustrator Quick Banners
Step 1: Create a new Illustrator document 460 px wide by 230 px high.
Step 1
Step 2: Create a new rectangle by selecting the Rectangle Tool (M) and clicking anywhere on the artboard. Set the width to 350 px and the height to 50 px in the Rectangle Tool dialog box.
Step 2
Step 3: Set the fill color of your new rectangle to white and add a 2 pt black stroke with rounded corners. I’ll refer to this first large rectangle as the “body”.
Step 3
New Rectangle
Step 4: Cut off the Scale Strokes & Effects setting in the Transform Palette.
Step 4
Step 5: Select your new rectangle and copy it. Edit > Copy (Command + C). Paste two new rectangles in front of the first one. Edit > Paste in Front (Command + F) for the first (middle) copy. Edit > Paste in Front (Command + F) for the second (top) copy.
Step 6: Pull up the Transform Palette and set the transfer reference point to middle-left. Then remove the constrain width and height proportions link.
Step 6 - Set Transform Reference Point
Step 6 - Constrain Width and Height Proportions Link
Step 7: Select the top rectangle and set its width to 80 px with the Transform Palette. I’ll refer to this rectangle as “left tail”.
Step 7
Step 8: Select the middle rectangle, set the transform reference point to middle-right and set the width 80 px. I’ll refer to this rectangle as “right tail”.
Step 8
Step 9: Select the left tail and move it 40 px to the left. Object > Transform > Move (Shift + Command + M).
Step 9
Step 10: Select the right tail and move it 40 px to the right. Object > Transform > Move (Shift + Command + M).
Step 10
Both Tails Moved
Step 11: Select both tails by clicking the left tail, then holding down the shift key and clicking the right tail.
Step 12: Add extra points to both selected tails to create the end cuts of the banner. Object > Path > Add Anchor Points.
Step 12
Step 13: With the Direct Selection Tool (A), the white arrow in the toolbox, select the left-middle anchor point on the left tail.
Step 14: Move the selected anchor point 25 px to the right. Object > Transform > Move (Shift + Command + M).
Step 14
Step 15: Now select the right-middle anchor point on the right tail and move it 25 px to the left.
Step 15
Fixed Ends
Step 16: Select the left tail and move it up 10 px.
Step 16
Step 17: Select the right tail and move it down 10 px.
Step 17
Offset Tails
Step 18: Select both tails and send them behind the body of the banner. Object > Arrange > Send to Back.
Step 18
Step 19: Zoom in really close on the left tail and with the Pen Tool (P) and draw the fold (triangle) that connects the body to the left tail. To make sure you hit each anchor point exactly, switch the view mode to Outline. View > Outline (Command + Y)
Step 19 - Outline Mode
Step 19 - Click #1
Step 19 - Click #2
Step 19 - Click #3
Step 19 - Click #4
Step 19 - Preview Mode
Step 20: Now do the exact same thing on the right tail.
Step 20 - Outline Mode
Step 20 - Preview Mode
Step 21: Switch back to Preview mode. View > Preview (Command + Y). Zoom back out so you can see the entire banner.
Step 21
Step 22: Select every piece of the banner and load up the Envelope Distort Tool. Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Warp. For this tutorial I used the default setting with the Flag style.
Step 22
Done… Download sample file(s).
Final Result
Illustrator Quick Banners
Extra: Be sure to try some of the other envelope distort warp styles to achieve different looks. Also, make sure to add any text you may want in the banner before you apply the envelope distort.
Alternative Looks
Nice tut! Thx!
As embarrassing as this may be I just have to say I have been using Adobe Illustrator since 1988 and still don’t use or even know about all of the features in the program. Thanks for posting this tutorial.
Thanks alot. This has been really helpful.
Excellent.
the way you explained the work with lines,arcs and anchor points has surpassed a million tutorialists..
wow! thanks…. very helpful especially the way you use the move tool..
THANK YOU for posting this tut! I am very new to graphic design but have a specific task involving creating a curved banner on my hands. You’ve made it a possibility for me to actually handle this project!
–Joy
Thanks for this. I usually lose my way half way through most tutorials due to poor descriptions/instructions, but you did a great job of explaining things in a clear and easy to follow manner!
super nice for banners victors
Nice!
I tried your steps in CorelDRAW instead, it’s even easier there. But CorelDRAW is faster than Illustrator for almost everything, and by now most people know that.
Smart way to use ‘Wrap’
just wanted to add a nice tip, save these banners as symbols (and then as a symbols library) for easy access in any document. You can then expand the symbol in another document to change colors and otherwise customize.
Just another shortcut when designing.
Good tip! That would probably help everyone (especially me) stay a little more organized.
Thank you very much! Very helpful!
Hello there. Thanks for the fabulous directions. I am working on an exhibit and need to create the title for it. The part that you didn’t go into is the part I need. How to make large 3-4 inch letters so that the guests can read the title of the exhibit.
If you have a minute, I would appreciated knowing how to make this title.
Thank you.
Margie, I’m not sure I understand you exactly but here is my answer to what I think you need.
Step 1: After you finish the tutorial and have your completed banner, simply measure your physical exhibit board/table/etc. to determine what size you need the banner to be. For illustrative purposes, let’s say it needs to be 16″ wide.
Step 2: Inside of Illustrator select the entire banner you created along with all text (Command + A).
Step 3: Bring up the Transform Palette and enter “16 in” in the width (W) measurement value box. Make sure the constrain width and height proportions link is selected so your banner and text will scale proportionally.
Step 4: Finally, adjust your document size and print your banner.
I may be way off base with my answer, so let me know if this helped or not. GOOD LUCK!
I’m having trouble with creating the folds of the banner. When I complete the triangles, they don’t quite match up properly. The tips of the triangles extend further than the top of the bottom rectangle. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
I’m guessing that you forgot to round the corners on the strokes for your triangles. Make sure that your Stroke Palette settings for each triangle look exactly like mine in Step 3. If you select the two middle stroke corner buttons (Round Cap, Round Join) everything should line up. The default stroke settings for Illustrator are Butt Cap and Miter Join which makes for pointy corners on extreme angles. Let me know if this doesn’t work.
- Josh
Thanks – this is so cool!
hello super
Excelent!!! your explanation was great!!
Design for dummies… :>)
Easiest and most detailed instructions! Thank you!
Excellent tutorial!
How would I go about having the text line up with the banner? I tried to match the text by having the same properties using the envelope flag warp, but have had little success.
Any help would be appreciated.
Nevermind! Figured it out:
To anyone else who ran into this issue, just select the text with everything else and then use the envelope warp.
Glad you figured it out… but for future use, always try to design all elements that need to be distorted/warped fully and complete, and then apply the transformation to all object as a whole. It’s usually hard to get things to line up exactly if they are distorted individually. Thanks for visiting! – Josh
I googled for this because I needed to make a banner on a menu and I was tired of using crappy online copies. Now I might go banner crazy for a while. A really REALLY well crafted tutorial.
Thanks for the positive comment… I’m glad you enjoyed the tutorial!
Great tutorial! I’m still trying to learn all of the Illustrator tools, and this one is very practical. One question though…when I do the flag warp, my triangles aren’t lined up anymore, they seem to have moved slightly up or down on each side. Not sure what I’ve done wrong, as they were created on the anchor points as stated. Hmm…
I’m not quite sure either… The “Alternative Looks” pic at the bottom of the tutorials has a flag wrap picture (bottom-right), and I just tried my best to mess up the triangles in Illustrator with no luck. No matter what distort values I used everything seemed to stay lined up perfectly. Maybe try to expand or flatten the transparency (Object menu) of your banner, make sure nothing is locked (Object > Unlock All) and then try it again. Let me know if this helps… Thanks!
thank u so much for this.
I am learning all new stuff and coming up with some great ideas with banners and ribbons. 
I am so glad you posted this. Thanks
Hi, brilliant tutorial! Just wondering if you know a way for me to add a clipping mask to the banner as well as add the wrap. Ilustrator doesn’t seem to like it when I try to do both! Many thanks
Sure, you could always expand or flatten the transparency (Illustrator Object menu) of the banner and then unite the path (Pathfinder Palette) to create one solid shape that will work perfect for a clipping mask. If you need more detailed instructions just let me know. Good Luck!
Great tutorial – it helped tremendously!
How did you get the strokes to be transparent so that the background texture shows through? is there another tutorial that does the rest?
Well actually I just “Placed” the final .AI file into Photoshop as a smart object over top of the paper texture and changed the layers blending mode to “Multiply”. Another quick option is to select you finished banner in Illustrator, go to Object > Rasterize and make sure “Background” is set to Transparent. When your logo is rasterized you can then open the Transparency palette and change the Blending Mode to Multiply within Illustrator. Finally, if you want to keep everything vector and within Illustrator, you can Expand the banner, Divide it within the Pathfinder palette, and then delete the White areas but that’s a little beyond the scope of this reply. Please let me know if this helps at all…
- Josh
thank you so much this helped alot
NICE TUTORIAL.
I cant get it to work, when i get to step 4 nothing works, my left and right rectangles dont go into the right place, any idea why that is?…thanks
Jonas,
I’m not sure I understand… In step 4 all your are doing is cutting off a palette option within Illustrator’s transform palette. It keeps your strokes from scaling down in size when you adjust the width of the first rectangle you created in step 2. Step 5 just copies the first rectangle so that you can then transform it to make the banner edges. Make sure to match all the measurements exactly and try it again. Let me know if you still don’t get it and we’ll try another approach. Thanks!