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During an illustration of a design, I've often found myself battling with the legibility of text over busy or textured backgrounds. This has influenced my choice of stock photography over better design more times than I care to admit. Over the years, I've gathered some tricks that get the job out there, but these rarely satisfied the perfectionist in me. White or light text frequently generates the contrast required and a simple drop shadow strenghtens the edges from one side, but there's a better solution that only came to me while playing with my phone's wallpapers; Outlines!

For text to retain it's legibility, the only real requirement is for the reader to recognize the shapes. White outlines, for example, keeps the black text alive, in the shadowy areas of the background. No longer do I need to clone out that cloud, my blue-outlined type will get the message across.

Adjusting the width of the stroke on an object in FreeHand, does not retain the authenticity of the original shape, however. It takes up some space of the background, and ditto on the shape itself, especially if the line is relatively thick.

So how does one achieve outlined bliss? Here's how:

1. Clone the object that requires more contrasting joy (Edit > Clone).
2. Change the colour of the new shape to the colour you require the outline to be.
3. Click on the "Inset Path" button on the Xtra Operations Toolbar (Window > Toolbars > Xtra Operations) or select the tool directly from the menu (Xtras > Path Operations > Inset Path..)
   
4. Inserting a negative value into the Inset Path dialogue will enlarge your shape instead of the expected inset.
5. Once you have decided on a suitable width for your outline, click Ok, and move your selected shape behind your original shape (Modify > Arrange > Move Backward) or Send to back if you're certain there's nothing behind the shape currently (Modify > Arrange > Send to Back)

Remember to stand back as your text blows your socks off ;)

Update: This illustration is now available for sale on a t-shirt at Obsidian

Probably the most challenging illustration this year, and hence, one of my favourites - all in pursuit of Shibumi. Understated beauty is where it's at.

Text in 3D using FreeHand is no mean feat. I do that all the time and has become a breeze with some creative cloning and the knife tool. Perspective has a few simple rules and really only poses a challenge when dealing with curves in space.

In this case, however, we're dealing with curved objects in space, on a curve..

I had to call in the help of PhotoShop to get some of the perspective right.

From there, it was a process of filling in the perspective in the substance in FreeHand, and voila! :)

The finished product was used on a t-shirt for the Obsidian stand at Futurex SA 2005. Using traditional blue shirts for the authentic Superman feel. I preferred the image on black, however. Pity really..

*Update* Limited edition shirt now available at Obsidian

Illustration is a large part of the designer's life. Find a collection of my proud moments behind the wheel of Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Photoshop here.