Tutorial Blog Post

This tutorial will show how to use the rotate options in order to create a radial pattern. The rotate options is frequently in the design world, and how to use it effectively is important.

1. Draw your desired shape using the shape tool. Make sure it is big enough for a pattern. Nearly any shape is suitable. Center it on the art board for recommended effect.

2. Copy and paste the shape and overlap it with original shape.

3. With the copied shape selected, go to Object>Transform>Rotate to access the rotate panel. With the rotate panel, enter the desired angle of rotation, for example, 25 degrees or simply 5 degrees. Use the Preview button on the lower left to help you find an ideal angle.

4. Copy and paste the rotated shape and overlap the copy over the first rotated shape.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are satisfied with results.

6. Add something extra to the radial motif. Change the colors, use a gradient, adjust opacity, use the pathfinder tool or the shape building, or simply just experiment with other tools and option panels to create something that fits your style.

Professional Project Review

This work is the album cover to Tame Impala's latest album Currents, and is based on the scientific principle of vortex shedding, which is the particular way a liquid or gas moves around a solid object. It uses a purple and pink/yellow color scheme, reminiscent of the 70s & 80s eras of music. It represents a collision of classic 70s and classic 80s music in an electronic/synth fasion. One element I would take away from this album cover is the style of having a repeating pattern and creating something that interacts with that pattern in a way, which is an interesting design concept. One element of this that I have already learned is the smooth gradient applied to the neon stream. The creator did well with the overall execution of the streams, as it looks very natural. One thing I feel could have been done better was the shading on the silver ball/marble, because it does not look entirely correct shading wise. Overall, I thought it had a great design with a great execution.

Graphic Design Pattern

Motif:  The scope of the motif was to create radial pattern that would work for a ceiling tile. I came up with the idea while messing around with the rotate tool. I created it by drawing a star and rotating it by 5 degrees until it made a complete circle. I then copy and pasted that into the empty circle space and used the pathfinder tool to remove certain sections and create the above pattern. I thought this was fun because it was simple and easy to do while also having a wide range of possibilities.

Repeating Pattern: The scope of the repeating pattern was to create an interesting, solid color repeating pattern that would fit among others as a ceiling tile. I found the concept when researching different kind of designs online. I created in by placing four circles in a square and using estimate the correct amount of pucker and bloat to make the shape that was created by the circles meeting together. I then filled in the remaining spaces by the rectangles edge with the blue color. I thought this was enjoyable because it allowed me to find a design that appealed to me and recreate it using what I have learned in this class.