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Text is under-rated!
Text is a massively under-rated design element. Let’s get that out of the way from the off shall we?!
With so many choices for cool effects and awesome graphics on offer in just Photoshop alone (not even mentioning Illustrator et al. here) it can be easy to overlook the most basic of graphic, the humble letter. Many of us can fall into the trap of thinking of text as nothing more than an after-thought – something we just add at the end of the design process as a matter of necessity, to state the focus product in an advert for example. But look around. Words are used everywhere, in almost every commercial construct you can find. Whilst the lay public walking past a poster on a high street may not consciously register the style of the text written on it, what they also don’t realise is that it’s how this lettering is used that really sells the product.
The product is as good as its name in advertising and as such the designer has to try as hard as they can to make that name stick in people’s minds. If they’re trying to sell a luxurious, silky shampoo, the style of the text used to pitch it has to match its ‘texture’. In a film poster the title is designed to really push the atmosphere of the movie. Font, styling, surroundings; all are vital considerations when planning how to emotionally impact on an audience.
So pro designers recognise the importance of text, but for someone new to the whole designing arena it can be hard to remember this when playing with the tools in a new, exciting software package. This is a shame since there is an almost endless source of creativity to be found in customising a simple font. Whether this consists of finding a perfectly complimentary colour to a composite background, or using custom layer styles to add glossy contours and eye-catching glows, a basic line of type can transform your digital artwork.
In support and to show my appreciation of the ‘awesome-ness’ of text as a design element I’ve outlined my top tips for taking your letter-love to the next level (ok never let me say that again…)
Add a gradient:
One of the main reasons you might not find your initial use of text inspiring is that a raw type layer is pretty damn flat-looking – not only is it a plain 2D object, but if it’s evenly-lit your lettering will just seem to sort of sit there, looking out of place. Adding a light gradient using the gradient layer style takes 10 seconds and really makes your words jump off the page. Just hit little fx button in the layer panel and check the Gradient style. Set the blending mode to Soft Light if you want to keep your text colour.
Use Bevel and Emboss/Drop Shadow
Another way to lift your text off the page is to give it some depth and shape by adding a bevel. Using the Chisel Hard option will give strong, sharp edges while the Smooth option is a bit softer. Checking the Drop Shadow option will also add to the depth between the text and background elements, lending it a feeling of hovering.
Overlap your text and background
Make your writing elements interact with the background by creating some overlap. Simply place your text layer below one or more of the layers containing these background features in the layer stack and paint black on a layer mask with the brush tool to ‘rub in’ that feature over areas of your text (as with the cobwebs in the above image.)
Make your text part of your background
Even better in some instances is to blend your text layer with whatever is behind it. This might be as simple as changing the text layer Blend Mode to Softlight or Overlay, or something a bit more creative. In the above image the lettering was selected by Ctrl + left clicking the text layer, then right clicking and choosing Create Work Path. I then used the Direct Selection Tool (A) to pick each letter and move them individually so they overlapped. By selecting and filling each with varying colours it created the effect that certain letters are being formed by the negative space between the other letters, with the colour of the background showing through. This literally makes up text from the background – a total interaction. No feeling of disparate elements here…
Customise your font
By selecting your text as a path you can rearrange some of the anchor points to change the appearance of the standard font, as in the Cool Creative Stuff logo at the top of this page (see how the word Creative is warped?) This generates a recognisable font, but one that has an original twist. Just Right-click the text layer and choose Create Work Path. You can then use the Pen tool (P) to select and manipulate any of the points.
There are a ton of additional effects that I could list here but to quickly summarise, if you want to take your text up a notch you need to create some kind of link with the rest of the image. Make your letters as funky as your background and use it to push the atmosphere of your design. Personally I’m addicted to text effects and nothing sells a creation to me more than awesome title effects. Be bold and innovative with lettering to really make your overall design ‘gel’.
Give it a go and get in touch to tell me how you got on!
Peter