Newbie questions about creating an arc with text! 1

[graphicsnut22]

Hello to all, I have a project I am working on for a motorcycle club. They are looking for a design for their jackets - I am having trouble creating what they call a "top rocker" (the name of their club basically in an arched box with a stroke edge containing their name text). Can anyone help me create the box & lettering? I am very new to this program. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[apepp]

...i have done a screen capture to show (quicktime player required), this is it's simplest method, there are other ways to achieve what you need...

...link here:

http://www.zen63258.zen.co.uk/tek/toprocker.mov

Andrew

 

[graphicsnut22]

Thanks Andrew - awesome presentation. The problem I'm having now is that the lettering is getting distorted/skewed at the far ends of the rocker.
Is there a way to avoid or eliminate that? I don't want these bikers to be unhappy with my work!

 

[apepp]

...one possibility is to apply the warp settings individually as opposed to both grouped together, or you can apply another warp effect to just the text...

...you can get a bit more control that way, although it is fiddly/awkward...

...the other way would be to warp the box only, copy and paste that in front, expand appearance, then with the type on path tool, put the text on an existing curved path and adjust...

...adjustments are nearly always needed with letter spacing and size, and some fonts work better than others on curved paths, they don't all behave the same way unfortunately...

...here is another quick screen capture to show the type on path method, this method also provides a different appearance as the letters are not distorted, only the baseline of the text:

http://www.zen63258.zen.co.uk/tek/toprockerV2.mov

Andrew

 

[apepp]

...and yes, unhappy biker gangs...

...we know about those here in the UK, not long ago a Hells Angel was shot as he was returning from a bikers festival simply because of his badge...

...he was doing 90mph on the motorway, a drive by killing from a chasing land rover...

...unbelievable nutters!...

Andrew

 

[graphicsnut22]

Thanks again Andrew!