MKT 202 Applications in Visual Design | Session 7 | Illustrator

Crack Open a Brand

Capstone: invent a drink brand, design the can label, wrap it on a 3D can, and export your mockups

This is the capstone. You invent a drink brand with a flavor name and an original mascot, design a flat can label, and wrap it onto a 3D can. Nothing new is taught today. You use shapes and the Pen (Sessions 1 to 3), swatches (Session 4), a stacked type treatment (Session 5), and 3D mapping (Session 6). Then you add a third artboard and export a square social crop. Original brand and character only. No real company names or logos.

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

Today is studio time. Follow the order of the steps and the clock, and work at your own pace inside each step. Ask for help at any checkpoint.

What you turn in

Midpoint (Step 5): LastName_FlatLabel.jpg: a JPEG of your flat label art.
Final (Steps 7 and 8): LastName_CanMockup.jpg (the can mockup, uploaded in Step 7) and LastName_Social.jpg (the square social crop, uploaded in Step 8), both JPEGs. Keep your LastName_CrackOpen.ai file for yourself. Do not upload it.

Downloads

CrackOpen_StudentFiles.zip: the one file for today. Unzip it before Step 1.
CrackOpen_Can_Starter.ai: inside the zip. The 3D can, already built, with two artboards: Can and Label.
CrackOpen_Can_Flat.svg: inside the zip. A flat can, only if 3D fails on your computer.
CrackOpen_Swatches.ase: inside the zip, in the Palette folder. Six colors to choose from.

Rule of the Day

Design flat, then wrap. The label is a flat picture on its own artboard. You finish it first, turn it into one graphic, and click it onto the can. Reserve the last third of class for the wrap.

What we build today

One document, three artboards: Can, Label, and Social. You design on Label, wrap onto Can, and build Social last.

The flat label

Steps 2 to 5

900 by 360 pixels: a mascot, a wordmark, a flavor line, a background

The can mockup

Steps 6 and 7

Your label wrapped on the 3D can, rendered with Ray Tracing

The social crop

Step 8

A 1080 by 1080 artboard with the can scaled up

What your files should look like

The invented brand here is Ghoul Fizz. The can and crop are real exports. Yours will have your own brand, colors, and mascot.

Flat label example

Midpoint, Step 5 (art drawn by a script)

Can mockup example

Step 7 (real Illustrator export)

Social crop example

Step 8 (real Illustrator export)

The class palette

Pick three colors for your brand from these six (a fourth is fine for a highlight). Load them as swatches in Step 1. Color from the Swatches panel, not by typing hex codes on each object.

Name	Hex	Used on
Fizz Orange	`#E8731C`	A warm brand color
Kelly Green	`#2F9E44`	A fresh brand color
Deep Navy	`#1B365D`	Outlines and shadows
Warm White	`#F6F4EF`	A light ground or highlights
Copper	`#C86A42`	A second warm color
Grape	`#7A3FB0`	A bold accent

Quick refresher: Photoshop to Illustrator

Everything today is a skill you have already used. Here is where each one came from.

Photoshop	Illustrator
Shapes and Pathfinder (mascot)	Ellipse (`L`), Rectangle (`M`), Pen (`P`), and Pathfinder Unite. Sessions 1 to 3.
Global swatches (palette)	Swatches panel, Swatch Libraries menu at the bottom left, Other Library. Sessions 2 to 4.
Stacked type treatment (wordmark)	Appearance panel: Fill, Stroke, and an offset Fill. Session 5.
3D wrap (mockup)	3D and Materials: Graphics, Add as Single Graphic, click it onto the can, shrink with the circle widget. Session 6.
Export As JPEG with a Range (turn-ins)	File > Export > Export As, Use Artboards, Range. Sessions 1 to 6, plus Range today.
Photoshop: several artboards in one file	Illustrator keeps all three artboards in one file. Each one exports on its own.

Class plan

Start	Minutes	What	How
0:00	4	Opening: pick your brand, colors, and mascot	Demo and sketch
0:04	5	Step 1: Open the can file and load colors	Do along
0:09	12	Step 2: Build your mascot	Studio
0:21	10	Step 3: Build the wordmark	Studio
0:31	5	Step 4: Lay out the label	Studio
0:36	3	Step 5: Midpoint turn-in	Gate
0:39	9	Step 6: Wrap the label on the can	Do along
0:48	4	Step 7: Render and export the can	Turn-in
0:52	6	Step 8: Social crop and final export	Turn-in
0:58	Core ends. Midpoint and final turned in.
0:58	8	Step 9: Bonus, color the can to match your brand	Bonus, ahead students only
1:06	Bonus ends. Optional steps.

Steps

Step 1

Open the can file and load colors

about 5 min

Unzip CrackOpen_StudentFiles.zip. Choose File > Open and open CrackOpen_Can_Starter.ai. You see a 3D can on an artboard named Can and an empty artboard named Label to its right.
Choose File > Save As. Set the format to Adobe Illustrator (ai). Name the file LastName_CrackOpen.ai, click Save, and click OK in the options box. Do this first so you never change the starter.
Open the Swatches panel with Window > Swatches. Click the Swatch Libraries menu at the bottom left of the panel, choose Other Library at the bottom of the list, pick CrackOpen_Swatches.ase from the Palette folder, click Open, then click the small Add to Swatches button at the bottom of the new panel. Close the library panel.
Open Window > 3D and Materials and Window > Appearance. Close any floating Color or Color Guide panels with their X.
Look at the bottom left of the window. The small box that shows an artboard number lets you jump between artboards. Choose artboard 2 (Label) so the window zooms to the Label artboard. Press Tab to hide all panels for a clear view and Tab again to bring them back.

Check your work: Your file is saved as LastName_CrackOpen.ai, the six swatches are in your Swatches panel, and the window shows the empty Label artboard.

What you should see: An empty white rectangle (the Label artboard, 900 by 360) with a Swatches panel holding six named colors.
If not: If you see the can instead, choose artboard 2 at the bottom left. If the swatch library will not open, ask for the file again or type the hex codes from the palette table.

Save As first. The starter stays clean for the next student.
Close extra panels. They hide your work.

Step 2

Build your mascot

about 12 min

Decide your mascot on paper first: a creature or object that fits your flavor (a ghost, a pumpkin, a bat, a candy corn, a can with a face). It must be your own design, not a character from a show, a game, or a real brand.
On the Label artboard, build the body from simple shapes: the Ellipse tool (L), the Rectangle tool (M), and the Pen tool (P). Hold Shift to keep a shape even. Keep the whole mascot on the left third of the artboard, about 300 pixels wide.
Select the shapes that make up the body and click Unite in the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder) so they become one shape.
Add a face and one detail: two ellipses for eyes, a short stroke for a mouth (Pen tool, or a curve), and one extra, such as cheeks or a spike. Keep it to six shapes or fewer.
Color it with your swatches. Give the body a stroke of Deep Navy at about 8 pt with Round Join (Window > Stroke). Use your other brand colors for the details.
Select the whole mascot, press Ctrl+G / Cmd+G to group it, and move it to the left third of the label.

Check your work: One grouped mascot, built from a few shapes with a navy outline, sitting on the left third of the Label artboard, entirely inside it.

What you should see: A simple, bold character with a navy outline and two or three bright colors.
If not: If shapes fall apart when you move them, they are not grouped. Select them all and press Ctrl+G / Cmd+G. If the mascot spills over the artboard edge, move it back inside. If the outline looks spiky, set the stroke corner to Round Join.

Keep the mascot simple. A bold shape reads better on a can than detail.
Keep everything inside the artboard.

Step 3

Build the wordmark

about 10 min

Press T for the Type tool. Click once on the right two thirds of the Label artboard (click, do not drag). Type your brand name in capital letters. To leave the text box, click the black arrow in the toolbar (the Selection tool). Do not press Esc and then type: the letters fire tool shortcuts.
With the text selected, open Window > Type > Character and choose a heavy display font (the Discover More tab in the font menu, or Arial Black if nothing loads). Set the size so the name fills the right two thirds of the label, about 100 to 140 pt.
Open the Appearance panel. Click Add New Fill and set it to a bright brand swatch (the top row). Click an empty spot in the panel to close the swatch pop-up. If a Stroke row is already in the list, click it; if not, click Add New Stroke. Set it to Deep Navy, 14 pt, and Round Join (Window > Stroke). Click Add New Fill again and set it to Deep Navy. Drag the rows so the order from top to bottom is: Fill (bright), Stroke (navy), Fill (navy), Characters. Grab a row by the empty space on its right, not by its name, and drop it above the first row. Repeat until the order is right.
Click the bottom navy Fill row. Click fx, choose Distort & Transform > Transform, and set Move Horizontal 8 px and Vertical 8 px. Click OK. This is your offset shadow.
Add a short flavor line under the name with the Type tool, for example CHERRY BOO, in a smaller size (about 48 pt). Give it the Warm White or a brand color fill. Leave the text with the black arrow.

Check your work: Your brand name shows a bright fill, a navy outline, and an offset navy shadow, with a smaller flavor line under it, on the right of the label.

What you should see: Bold letters with a thick navy outline and a hard shadow, and a smaller line below.
If not: If the letters look navy, the navy Fill is above the bright one: drag the bright Fill to the top. If the outline eats the letters, drag the Stroke below the top Fill. If the shadow did not move, the Transform effect landed on the wrong row: undo, click the bottom Fill row, add it again.

Click, do not drag, with the Type tool.
Click a row in the Appearance panel before you change its color.

Step 4

Lay out the label

about 5 min

Press M for the Rectangle tool. Click once on the Label artboard and type 900 for Width and 360 for Height. Click OK. In Properties set X to 450 and Y to 180 so it sits exactly on the artboard.
Set the rectangle's fill to one of your brand colors and its stroke to None. Press Ctrl+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+[ to send it to the back.
Arrange the mascot on the left and the wordmark and flavor line on the right so nothing touches the edge. Leave a small margin all around.
Check the whole label. If anything hangs over the edge of the artboard, move it back in. Press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A so nothing is selected.

Check your work: The label is one finished picture: a colored background, the mascot on the left, the wordmark and flavor line on the right, everything inside the artboard.

What you should see: A bright, readable label with a strong ground color and a clear left to right order: mascot, then name, then flavor.
If not: If the background covers the mascot, it is not at the back: select it and press Ctrl+Shift+[ / Cmd+Shift+[. If part of the art hangs over the artboard edge, move it inside. Art that overlaps the edge also shows up in the exports of the neighboring artboard.

Everything must stay inside the Label artboard.
Use your brand colors and Deep Navy for contrast.

Step 5

Midpoint turn-in

about 3 minturn-in

Choose File > Export > Export As. Set the format to JPEG. Name the file LastName_FlatLabel.jpg. Check Use Artboards, click Range, and type 2 in the Range box. Check the folder at the top of the dialog. Click Export.
In the JPEG Options box, set Quality to High and Color Model to RGB. Click OK.
Upload LastName_FlatLabel.jpg to Canvas under the midpoint assignment.

Check your work: LastName_FlatLabel.jpg is 900 by 360 pixels and shows only your finished label.

What you should see: A JPEG of your label with no can and no white border.
If not: If the file shows the can instead, the Range was 1. If it has extra art in it, something hangs over the Label artboard edge. If the file is somewhere you did not expect, the dialog opens in the last folder you used.

Range 2 is the Label artboard.
The dialog remembers its last folder and Range. Set them every time.

Step 6

Wrap the label on the can

about 9 min

Make sure the window shows the Label artboard. Drag a selection box around all your label art, starting in the gray area outside the artboard. Nothing from the Can artboard should be selected. Press Ctrl+G / Cmd+G to group it.
In the 3D and Materials panel, click the Materials tab, then the Graphics sub-tab. Click the plus button and choose Add as Single Graphic. A thumbnail of your label appears next to the placeholder.
Press Alt+Ctrl+0 / Alt+Cmd+0 to fit all artboards in the window. Click the body of the can (the round part, not the lid area) with the black arrow.
In the Graphics area, click your new thumbnail (not the placeholder). Your label wraps onto the can, much too large.
A blue circle appears on the can with four small white squares on it. Drag one of those squares toward the center to shrink the label until it fits across the front of the can. Drag the label itself to move it up or down.

Check your work: Your label appears on the can, readable and centered on the front.

What you should see: A can with your label wrapped on it. A white band above and below is the can's own label band and is fine.
If not: If nothing changes when you click the thumbnail, the can is not selected: click the body of the can first. If the label is huge, drag a widget handle toward the center. If you resized the can instead of the label, undo, then drag a white square on the blue circle, not a corner handle of the selection box.

Select the can body before clicking the thumbnail.
Drag a widget handle toward the center. Dragging outward makes it bigger.
The graphic is a snapshot. If you change the label, add it again.

Step 7

Render and export the can

about 4 minturn-in

Select the can with the black arrow. In the 3D and Materials panel, click the Ray Tracing switch (the icon at the top right of the panel). Wait a few seconds until the image stops changing.
Choose File > Export > Export As. Set the format to JPEG. Name the file LastName_CanMockup.jpg. Check Use Artboards, click Range, and type 1. Check the folder. Click Export, then OK in the JPEG Options box (High, RGB).
Upload LastName_CanMockup.jpg to Canvas.

Check your work: LastName_CanMockup.jpg shows your can with the label wrapped on it.

What you should see: A white JPEG of the can with your label on the front.
If not: If the export is grainy, wait for Ray Tracing to finish, then export again. If the file shows your label art, the Range was 2. If the render is slow on your machine, skip Ray Tracing and export the real-time preview.

Range 1 is the Can artboard.
Wait for Ray Tracing to finish.

Step 8

Social crop and final export

about 6 minturn-in

Press Ctrl+Shift+A / Cmd+Shift+A so nothing is selected. Press Shift+O for the Artboard tool. In Properties, click the New Artboard button (the plus next to the Name box).
Set X to 2300 first. Then set W to 1080 and press Tab and set H to 1080. Name it Social and click Exit at the top of Properties.
Press V. Click the can on the Can artboard, then press Ctrl+C / Cmd+C and Ctrl+V / Cmd+V. A copy appears in the middle of the window. In Properties set W 250 and H 980.
Press Tab to hide the panels and Alt+Ctrl+0 / Alt+Cmd+0 to see all artboards. Drag the can copy onto the center of the Social artboard. If the bottom hangs over the edge, press Shift+Up until it fits.
Press Tab to bring the panels back. Click the can copy and hover over the Ray Tracing icon at the top right of the 3D and Materials panel. If the tip reads Switch to Real-time preview, Ray Tracing is already on: leave it. Otherwise click the icon.
Choose File > Export > Export As. Format JPEG, name LastName_Social.jpg, Use Artboards, Range 3. Check the folder. Click Export and OK. Upload LastName_Social.jpg to Canvas (the can JPEG went up in Step 7). Keep LastName_CrackOpen.ai.

Check your work: LastName_Social.jpg is a 1080 by 1080 JPEG with a tall can on a white square.

What you should see: A square image with the can scaled up in the middle and your label on it.
If not: If the artboard landed on top of the Label artboard, you set the size before X: undo, and set X first. If art from another artboard appears in the square, it hangs over the Social edge: move it back. If the label looks tiny, that is normal on the tall crop.

Nothing selected before you create the artboard. A selected object can move when an artboard changes.
Set X first, then the size.

Step 9

Bonus: color the can to match your brand

about 8 minbonus

Click the can body on the Can artboard with the black arrow.
Double-click the Fill box at the bottom of the toolbar. The Color Picker opens. Type the hex code of one of your brand colors in the field next to the # sign, press Tab, and click OK. The can body changes color live and your label stays.
Wait for Ray Tracing to settle. Export LastName_CanMockup.jpg again with Range 1, and replace the old file when asked.
Upload the new LastName_CanMockup.jpg to Canvas if your instructor allows resubmits.

Check your work: The can body matches your brand color and the label is still on it.

What you should see: A can in your brand color with the label on the front.
If not: If the label disappeared, you may have clicked the label graphic. Undo and click the can body again. If the can looks dark, that is the lighting.

Select the can body before double-clicking Fill.

Final checklist

My brand name and mascot are original. No real company name or logo.
My label uses three colors from the class palette.
My label sits entirely inside the Label artboard.
I exported LastName_FlatLabel.jpg with Range 2, LastName_CanMockup.jpg with Range 1, and LastName_Social.jpg with Range 3.
The Social JPEG is 1080 by 1080 pixels.
I uploaded JPEGs, not the .ai.

Optional steps

Finished early? Do these in any order.

Optional A

A second flavor on the social can

about 9 min

Select the label group on the Label artboard. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and drag it a little to make a copy, or press Ctrl+C / Cmd+C and Ctrl+F / Cmd+F.
Use the Direct Selection tool (A) to click the background rectangle inside the copy and give it a different brand color. Change the flavor line to a second flavor name with the Type tool.
Select the copy and use Add as Single Graphic in the 3D and Materials panel.
Click the can copy on the Social artboard, then click the new thumbnail. Drag a white square on the blue circle to fit the label.
Export LastName_Social2.jpg as Range 3. Delete the extra copy from the Label artboard first so it does not leak into the Label export.

Check your work: The social can now shows your second flavor, and the Label artboard is clean again.

The reference images are real Illustrator exports of an invented brand, Ghoul Fizz. The label art was drawn by a script and placed as an SVG, so your own label will look different. The can and the crop are the real thing.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
I cannot find the Label artboard.	Use the artboard box at the bottom left of the window and choose 2, or press Alt+Cmd+0 (Mac) or Alt+Ctrl+0 (Windows) to see all artboards.
My mascot shapes fall apart when I move them.	They are not grouped. Select them all and press Ctrl+G or Cmd+G.
My text is a box and some words are missing.	You dragged with the Type tool. Undo, then click once.
The wordmark is all navy.	The navy Fill is above the bright one. Drag the bright Fill row to the top of the Appearance panel.
The shadow did not move.	The Transform effect landed on the wrong row. Click the bottom Fill row, then add the effect.
The label background covers my art.	Select the rectangle and press Ctrl+Shift+[ or Cmd+Shift+[ to send it to the back.
Add as Single Graphic does nothing.	Nothing is selected. Drag a box around the label art from the gray area and group it first.
Clicking the thumbnail does nothing.	The can is not selected. Click the body of the can, then click the thumbnail.
The label is huge on the can.	Drag one white square on the blue circle toward the center.
I squashed the can.	You dragged a corner handle of the selection box. Undo and drag a white square on the blue circle.
My new artboard moved my label.	A selected object or an overlapping artboard moved the art. Undo, deselect everything, set X first, then the size.
The export is the wrong artboard.	The Range box remembers its last value. Set Range to 1 (can), 2 (label), or 3 (social) every time.
3D does not work on my computer.	Open CrackOpen_Can_Flat.svg, place your label small, choose Effect > Warp > Arc (Horizontal, Bend -20), then set the blend mode to Multiply in the Transparency panel. Tell your instructor.

What this project was actually about

This is the first time you put your own brand on a product. A mascot, a wordmark, and a can mockup is a real small-brand deliverable. Everything you used today came from a session this term: shapes, the Pen, swatches, a stacked type treatment, and 3D mapping.

Tools used

Open and Save As with a supplied 3D can
Swatches: load a library
Shape tools, Pen, Pathfinder Unite, Group
Type tool, Character panel, Appearance panel stack, Transform effect
Rectangle with typed size and Properties X and Y
Add New Artboard (Properties), typed X, W, H, name
3D and Materials: Graphics, Add as Single Graphic, circle widget, Ray Tracing
Copy and paste, scale a 3D object in Properties
Export As JPEG with Use Artboards and a Range