drawing :

using guides

(use an image with grid lines on it)

rulers :

draw by measuring with pencil

 illustrator :

As we have started working with Illustrator, we have relied on a default preset for the size of our artboard. It is possible to update or change this information for your workfile at anytime by using the Artboard Tool. Artboards can be named and a workfile can have more than one artboard. If one were working on a multiple page document, then having additional artboards available would allow for consistency in layout and design.

There are additional tools that can be activated to help with layout and consistency in design. These are accessed through the View Menu.

• View -> Show Rulers
  • Rulers can be modified through Illustrator Preferences for Units
  • Rulers must be turned on in order to create Guides
• View -> Show Grid
  • Create an overlay for simplified grid
  • Grid size can be modified through Illustrator Preferences
• View -> Guides -> Show Guides
  • Click ruler and drag guide onto artboard
  • Grid size can be modified through Illustrator Preferences
• Grid Tool
  • Grouped with Line Segment Tool
  • Creates a grid of paths, that can be used like other layers or as a reference

Grids and Guides generally do not display when work is printed or exported. They are a designer’s tool to create a frame of reference or to aid in grid-based layouts. Using the grid or guides can be very beneficial to overall design of a project. On the practical side, they can also be used for “snapping” to help line things up with one another.

A more thorough series of exercises related to Grids and Guides (as well as the Type Tool) is available in Digital Foundations Chapter 4.