How to Make Positive and Negative Letters in Illustrator

Reversed or negative type is common on street signs.

The appearance of typeset material depends on everything from type size, color and style to how loosely or tightly letters fit together to build words on the page. Evaluating type means considering it in context, set against a background color that also affects attractiveness and readability. Whether type is positive or negative depends on whether the type contrasts with the background or the background defines the type. Positive type sets dark on a light background; negative or reversed type appears in a light color on a dark background. Adobe Illustrator accommodates either style with equal ease.

Instructions

1. Activate the Adobe Illustrator Type tool. Click on an unused area of your artboard to create a point text object, or click and drag to define the perimeter inside which to set area type.

2. Type your text. You can also paste it in from the clipboard or place it from a text file.

3. Open the "Window" menu and choose "Character" to bring up the Character panel if it isn't already visible. Open the "Select" menu and choose "All" to select all the type in your text object. Set the size, typeface, style, leading, and horizontal and vertical scale for your text. You can choose typographic parameters from the Character panel's drop-down menus or type in your choices.

4. Set the size, typeface, style, leading, and horizontal and vertical scale for your text. You can choose typographic parameters from the Character panel's drop-down menus or type in your choices.

5. Open the "Window" menu and choose "Layers" to display the Layers panel if it isn't already open. Click on the "Create New Layer" icon at the bottom of the panel to add another layer to your Illustrator file. Click on your new layer in the Layers panel and drag it to position it below the layer that contains your type.

6. Switch to the Rectangle tool. Click and drag on your artboard to draw a box that's larger than the area occupied by your text. Use the Selection tool to position the box relative to the text so all the type falls on top of it.

7. Switch to the Selection tool. Marquee around your rectangle and text object to select both, then hold down the "Alt" key on a Windows computer or the "Option" key on a Mac while you click and drag the two objects down the artboard to duplicate them. Click on an unoccupied portion of your artboard to deselect your duplicates.

8. Open the "Window" menu and choose "Color" to open the Color panel if it isn't already visible. Open the fly-out menu at the top right corner of the panel and set its color read-out mode to "Grayscale." Click on the duplicate type to select it, then set its fill color to zero percent black. Select the duplicate box, then set its fill color to 100 percent black and its stroke color to "None." Set the fill color of your original type object to 100 percent black and your original rectangle to zero percent black.

9. Experiment with different light colors for the original box and different dark colors for the duplicate. Your original type consists of positive letters; your duplicate, negative. So long as the boundary of your type is defined by the color on which it sets, your type is reversed.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid long stretches of reversed type in magazine articles, catalogs and brochures or on websites. The contrasting look of reversed type may make for an attractive looking page, but the result can be hard to read.

• Set reversed type in a heavier weight if it will be printed so your letterforms won't close up or plug.

• Avoid brightly saturated colors on top of opposing or complimentary colors -- for example, blue on orange or red on green. These combinations make the edges of your type look as if they're vibrating.

• Always maintain enough contrast between text and its background color to promote legibility.

References

• Adobe Systems: Using Adobe Illustrator CS5

Resources

• The Adobe Illustrator CS5 Wow! Book; Sharon Steuer
• Real World Adobe Illustrator CS5; Mordy Golding
• Adobe Illustrator CS5 Bible; Ted Alspach
• Illustrator CS5 for Windows and Macintosh Visual QuickStart Guide; Elaine Weinmann and Peter Lourekas
• Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium All-in-One for Dummies; Jennifer Smith, et al.