Text

Made the text for the DVD/Disk

The default text I wanted was "Blade 2" font, so I downloaded it and added it to my system.

To add the text I downloaded the font file and added it to my system fonts.

Once it has been added here I'm able to use it in nearly all programs on my system, such as Photoshop and Microsoft Word.

I opened a new Illustrator project selected the type tool and then typed the title of the film "Fallen", I then right clicked the text and converted it to an editable image "Create Outlines" and then ungrouped all the letters. I then selected the letters between "f" and "n" and  went to Object  Transform > Scale.  and reduced their size to 80%, then I spaced them out evenly, then moved them up so the strikes through the "a" and "e" lined up with the "f"'s, then raised the "n" so it sat on the same level as the other letters.

I then selected all of the letter and dragged while pressing atl, which created a duplicate of what I had selected, then Object > Path > Offset path. This allows me to reduce the size of each letter, unlike scale this reduces the size of each object individually, so the spacing between them will be the same. 
I placed these smaller letters over the larger ones, and made them red.

I selected the larger letters and gave them a black stroke of 10, then again, object > Path and Outline stroke, this makes the stroke on each letter its own object. I did this to make third larger version of the text, I did it using the stroke as upsizing with the Offset path tool causes the pointy edges to go square.

This is the final text before effects were added showing the outlines of the 3 objects on each letter.


I then tested a whole load of different fill and stroke effects.

I've made a gallery of them all here: http://imgur.com/a/VMu9f

I used gradients on the smaller inside image, mainly sticking to white to black, but on one going to red.


My favorite of them is is this:


Being on a black background the rough black stroke on the middle object makes it look like roughly cut metal with the white to black gradient fill, and the outter lines it looks like wire. The inner object also has a gradient going from white to blake, adding to the metal effect.

The strokes I use are basic, aswell as Divider
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and Charcoal - Feather.


Each of the objects which make up the text is on the same layer.