Just print on letter sized (for smaller bags) or tabloid size (for larger  bags), cut out, fold and glue to make some unique gift bags for Halloween parties or to give out to trick-or-treaters. Enjoy!

Click images below to download:

CREATE THE BACKGROUND

In a new document, create a background using the gradient tool. I’m using a light grey and dark grey color, with the gradient tool set to Radial Gradient. I start at the upper left corner and aim towards the lower right corner to give a subtle light effect. You may need to make a few passes to get the look you want.

SET YOUR TYPE

The best typeface for this effect is a sans serif font. I’m using Futura Condensed Extrabold and a dark red color.

SET YOUR LAYER STYLES

Now that you have your type set in the font and color you want, set up the layer styles for Inner Shadow, Inner Glow & Bevel and Emboss as seen below. Remember, if you choose a different color than the red I’m using, you will need to adjust the Inner Shadow and Inner Glow color so that it is in a shade and tint of the color you are using.

DUPLICATE TYPE LAYER

To create the “back” of the type and give you a guide for creating the 3D effect, duplicate the type layer you’ve made (select the type layer and press Command+J). You will be working on the bottom type layer, so make sure you have it selected. Open up the Layer Style for this layer and select only the Gradient Overlay, using the the settings below.

ADJUST GRADIENT OVERLAY

Make the adjustments to the Gradient Overlay you need to get the desired result, which is light at the top moving down to dark at the bottom.

OFFSET THE LAYER

With the adjustments made to the back type layer, offset it to give it the desired 3D effect.

FILL IN THE GAPS

Next, you’ll use the Rectangle Tool to connect the front and back type layers. Start by making a shape that is flush with the edge of the front type layer and connect it to the edge of the back type layer.

Extend the shape all of the way to the top and shift the sides to match up with the both layers of type.

ADD GRADIENT OVERLAY

Open up the Layer Style for this shape and set the Gradient Overlay to the settings below.

The idea is to go from light, at the top, to dark, at the bottom.

ADD DIMENSION TO ALL

Continue this same technique to all exposed sides of the type, making sure to fill in all gaps. An easy way to do this is to duplicate shapes that are similar and can be applied to other letters of the type.

ADD THE GLOSS

When you have finished the above actions, you can now add the gloss to the type. Create a new layer in the Paths palette and using the Pen Tool, create a shape over the top type layer. The shape I’m using is organic, but you can easily use a more symmetrical shape such as a half circle or straight line.

Make a selection of the shape by holding down the Command key and clicking on the path layer in the Paths palette. When you have made the selection, create a new layer, above the front type layer, and fill the selection with 100% white.

Now, with the new shape layer still selected, hold down the Command key and click on the thumbnail of the front type layer. Make sure you click on the thumbnail and not just the layer. This will create a selection in the shape of the front type layer.

TRIM THE ACCESS

Inverse this selection by either holding down the Shift and Command key at the same time and press “i“, or go to Select–Inverse. After that, press the delete key to remove any extra parts of the white shape you don’t need.

FINISH THE GLOSS

With this layer selected, set the Blending Mode to Multiply. Go to the Layer Style of this layer and apply the Gradient Overlay using the settings below.

THE FINISHED IMAGE

The Gradient Overlay and layer opacity can be adjusted to give you the result you desire.

See link below for PSD file for this tutorial.

CHOOSE A FONT

In a new Illustrator document, select a font you like and type in the copy you want to make chrome. The typeface I’m using is Gill Sans Ultra Bold.

LOAD GRAPHICS STYLE

Then, load the “Image Effects” graphics style library. When the Image Effects palette comes up, select your line of copy, then select the “Metal Silver” swatch. And Voila! You’ve got chrome type.

You can also get some other great effects too by clicking on some of the other swatches within the palette. Here are a few examples:

Apple Software Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard – Single User ONLY $29

You can either add your twitter name to the e-card using a photo editing program, or you can put the image in a layout program, overlay your twitter name and save it as a pdf.

Click e-cards to see full size jpeg:

Twitter bird art from:

thedesignsuperhero.com

rocketgenius.com

iconeden.com

icontexto.blogspot.com

]]> http://rubberspark.com/twitter-invite-ecards/feed/ 0 http://rubberspark.com/business-card-templates-for-illustrator/ http://rubberspark.com/business-card-templates-for-illustrator/#comments Sun, 02 Aug 2009 20:00:04 +0000 Joseph http://rubberspark.com/?p=728 Here is a set of four business card die lines. They are all 3.5″ x 2″ with rounded corners of .125″, .25″, .375″ and .5″.

3.5″ x 2″ business card die lines

If you need custom business card die lines, contact me here: order@rubberspark.com

At one point in your design career you might need to create a die line or a die-cut in your layout. This is how you do it.

OUTLINE THE SHAPE

A die line or die cut is the area on a layout that will be cut to a specific shape, such as the one below. You will first need to create an outline of the shape to be die cut. The outline will be given a spot color stroke that the printer will use as a guide to make the die cut.

CREATE A DIE LINE “COLOR”

Once the shape is outlined, go to the swatches palette and create a new color swatch. Name this new swatch “Die Line-Do Not Print”, set the color type to “Spot Color” and in the color mode choose any color that you want. I usually make mine 100% magenta. But realize that the color magenta is only used to visually distinguish the die line, and does not pertain to what color ink is printed.

It is important that the color type for this new color is set to “Spot Color”, so that a separate plate is created for the die line.

SET THE DIE LINE ABOVE THE DIE CUT AREA

The die line you’ve created should be positioned over the area that will be die cut. When type is used in the layout, give .125″ to .25″ space between the type and the die line. This is to insure that the type is not cut off if the printed piece shifts during the die cutting process.

SET TO OVERPRINT

The last step, which is important, is to select the die line and go to the Attributes palette and select “Overprint Stroke”. If this is not selected, the die line color will knock out (leave a blank area) on the other color plates and that is not what you want to have happen.

ADD BLEED

Don’t forget to add bleed to your shape, as when the die cut is made you will need to have access color outside of the die line in case the the printed piece shifts during the die cutting process, which can happen when you have a long print run.

Here’s a sample file of the die line I used for this tutorial:

Now that you’ve learned how to create die lines in Illustrator, read my tutorial on creating bleeds in Photoshop.

]]> http://rubberspark.com/creating-dielines-in-adobe-illustrator/feed/ 9 http://rubberspark.com/the-efficiency-of-quick-keys/ http://rubberspark.com/the-efficiency-of-quick-keys/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:00:02 +0000 Joseph http://rubberspark.com/?p=29

When you sit down at your computer, you want to focus all of your energy on creating great design. These tips will help you become more efficient on the Mac, meaning more time spent creating, and less time spent troubleshooting. 

Tip #1: ADJUST YOUR MOUSE TRACKING

With the larger size of displays nowadays, moving the pointer from side of the screen to the other can involve moving the mouse until you run out of mouse pad, move the mouse back and keep it up until you’ve reached the area of the desktop you were headed for.

The problem is that the default setting on the mouse tracking, which is how fast your pointer moves on the screen, is set in the middle; not too fast and not too slow. But having it set in the middle is still too slow. Open up your “System Preferences” control panel and select “Keyboard & Mouse”. This is where you set the mouse tracking all the way to the right, the fastest setting. It may take awhile to get used to the new speed of your pointer, but you’ll soon find that you need to use a lot less mouse moving on your mouse pad to get things done.

Tip #2: BUY A MIGHTY MOUSE

When the Mighty Mouse first came out I was against the little roller ball located on top. I didn’t think I needed it. And then I had to use one. When I got my new G5, it came with a Mighty Mouse, so I had no choice but to use it. Now, whenever I get on a computer with an older mouse I get frustrated because I don’t have the scrolling capabilities I have with the Mighty Mouse.

It takes some time getting used to it, but once you get the hang of it you’ll be thankful that you have one.

Tip #3: USE THE QUICK KEYS

What are “Quick Keys”? Quick keys are key combinations that execute an action that you would normally do by moving the mouse around to a menu, selecting the appropriate action and letting it happen. By using quick keys you become more efficient on the computer. I’m not sure if people just don’t know about them, or they aren’t comfortable using a keyboard, but it pains me to see someone using the mouse to do something as simple as quitting out of a program when they can make two key strokes and get the job done a lot faster.

The best way to learn quick keys is to use them. Yes, practice makes perfect and the more you use them, the more you’ll use them: they will become second nature. A link to most OS X quick keys can be found here, and most programs have quick keys for most of the programs menu actions. In Adobe Illustrator you can even “program” your own quick keys. I found this especially helpful with such actions such as “Place” when placing an image in your layout.

Tip #4: ORGANIZE YOUR FOLDERS, AND LABEL FILES

Your office has file cabinets to store important documents. Your desk has trays that hold documents you’re currently working on. Your computer should be as organized. Make folders, and name them accordingly. Your “Work” folder should have individual folders for your clients. In those folders should be individual folders for the projects you’ve worked on or are currently working on for that client.

Name your files with names that reference the project you’re working on. Create a name-filing system that gives you the information you need to find your work, which helps remove the chance of you saving over important files. This will save time and frustration when searching for important files and will help you reference those files in the future if need be.

Tip #5: CLOSE THE FONTS YOU AREN’T USING

Fonts are great, as they add feeling to your layout. But they sometimes bog down your system. Purchase a font utility program such as Suitcase Fusion. By using this program you can organize and open only the fonts you need. It also comes with a program called FontDoctor that will reorganize your fonts into individual, alphabetized folders for easy referral.

Tip #6: BACK UP ALL OF YOUR FILES

Nothing’s worse than having your hard drive crash and all of your work is gone with it. It rarely happens, but it does happen. Having your work and system backed up is a life saver and great insurance in case something like that happens.

I would suggest purchasing an extra external hard drive, such as the Lacie 500 GB. It comes with back-up software that will designate what folders to back up, and when to perform the back ups. I set mine to back up my system once a month, and my work folders everyday. That way if my hard drive crashes, I can pull everything off of my back up drive and all is well.

Tip #7: SAVE OFTEN

Sometimes programs crash. Sometimes you close a document and hit the “Don’t Save” button instead of the “Save” button. And then all of the work you’ve done for the past hour is gone. Use that thumb and index finger and hit the apple key and “s” key to save your work. And do it after every round of actions you perform on your document. Illustrator has multiple undos and Photoshop has the “History” palette. Do it until it becomes second nature and you’ll never have to worry about losing that awesome illustration you’ve spent the past hour creating.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your workflow and relieve you of some of the frustrations you’ve experienced in the past. If you have tips of your own, please feel free to leave them in the comments section.