Customized Typography

When customizing the typography for this assignment, I began with the font “Filmotype LaCrosse.” I like script fonts, and chose one that I thought looked best with the word I was typing, in this case my name. 

For this text, I added a ribbon-like “tail” to the ends of connected letters, changed the color, and adjusted the alignment and kerning of the letters. I wanted my name to be spaced more evenly than the original font allowed for, so I moved the center letters around until the kerning of each letter appeared more evenly spaced. I then used the eraser tool to cut triangles out of the existing tail on the “k,” then used the pencil tool to add more tails to the “b” and “e” before erasing them accordingly. This created the ribbon tail for each letter. I used the pencil and smooth tools to make the letters less “bumpy” where they joined themselves, then used the pathfinder tool to combine the existing paths on each letter. The original joined letters looked uneven, so using these tools made them appear more cohesive and have a more fluid feel. After this, I used the offset path tool to add a blue border around each letter, choosing a blue that complemented the purple of the original letters. I stretched the letters all together to be more flat after finishing the border, emphasizing the italicized look of the typography.