Layout 17 - Spiral Lettering
InDesign and Illustrator (Affinity Below)
General Document Setup
11in. x 8.5in. Portrait Format
3 pages, with “facing pages” checked
Start # = 2
Columns 1, column gutter 0.25in.
Margins = 0.625 in. all sides
Bleed = 0.125in.
This is a very important step if you want ANY full bleed images!
Note that you’ll also have to drag out any images that you want full bleed out to the bleed mark
This layout is definitely a bit of a harder one so buckle up and follow along with the video!
1 .Setting Up InDesign File:
Open Adobe InDesign and create a new document with specific dimensions in inches.
Use the provided settings mentioned in the tutorial or adapt based on your preferences.
It’s important to create the InDesign file first since we will need to paste into it later on.
2. Creating Spiral in Illustrator:
Open Adobe Illustrator and select the Line Tool, then right-click and choose the Polar Grid Tool.
Click anywhere on the page to bring up the polar grid tool options.
Set 35 concentric dividers and ensure zero radio dividers.
Create the shape and split it in half using the Direct Selection Tool (A).
3. Adjusting Spiral Shape:
Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the top half of the spiral.
Here are selecting only the top half of the spiral with the direct selection tool. Feel free to draw yourself a guide like I did in the video to make it easier.
Cut (Ctrl + X) and paste in place (Ctrl + Shift + V) it to create a single spiral shape.
Shift the half we just pasted to the left or right while holding Shift (to keep everything orthogonal) until it makes a spiral shape.
Join all elements together using Object > Object Path > Join.
Reflect the shape vertically using Object > Transform > Reflect
Note: This step is only necessary if the tail end is on the wrong side. For example, if you want the words to go to the right page, make sure the tail is circling to the right; Vice versa.
4. Importing Spiral into InDesign:
Copy the finalized spiral shape in Illustrator (Ctrl + C).
Switch back to InDesign and paste the shape (Ctrl + V).
Resize the shape to fit the page and adjust points using the Direct Selection Tool (A).
Adjust the spiral so that it looks like it might continue onto the next page by adjust the points and anchors of the curve.
Use the Pen Tool (P)to continue the curve onto the following page. Mouse over the endpoint of the spiral path and you should see a little “/” looking symbol beside your cursor. (See image below)
This allows you to continue the curve.
Once you have this, continue the curve onto the next page while dragging out control points.
Remember the more control points you have, the messier the curve will look. I achieve my curve in the video with only 2 additional control points.
If you have trouble adjusting the curvature using points and anchors, feel free to use the Smooth Tool, which can be access by right clicking the pencil tool.
5. Adding Text to Spiral:
Right-click on the type tool (T) and choose the “type on a path tool”.
Add text along the spiral path, using placeholder or actual text.
Customize the text, consider making it uppercase for a cleaner look.
In this tutorial I am using upper case letters and a San-Serif font. I found that this worked the best for me after many many iterations of the design.
6. Modifying the Design:
Remove unwanted lines by turning off stroke in the spiral shape.
If desired, create a cutout in the middle for an image by adjusting the text frame controls.
When in the “type on a path” tool, you can select your text and 3 control points will pop up. Make sure to grab the control on the inside of the text spiral. You’ll know that you can adjust the control when there is a small arrow that appears below your cursor.
Create a Ellipse Frame tool by right click on where the Rectangular Frame Tool is.
Add an image within the text frame, fitting it proportionally.
Make sure this small arrow appears when you are trying to push the text along the curved path.
7. Enhancing Design Elements:
Apply effects, such as an inner shadow, to give the image a cutout appearance.
If you don’t have the effects tab on the right side toolbar, go into Windows > Effects.
Add a background by creating a rectangular frame and applying a texture or solid color.
Make sure that this layer is on the bottom. You can do this by Right Clicking > Arrange > Send to Back.
On the bottom of this page, we’ll balance out the elements with a quote and a line with a color sampled from the image.
Create a text box using the Type Tool (T) and input a quote you like.
Create a line by using the Line Tool (\), change the color to one already in the image by sampling it with the Eyedropper tool (I) and change the thickness (stroke) as you see fit.
8. Colorizing Text on the Right Page:
Anchor another image to the right side, aligning it with the text.
I do this by simply copying the circular image on the first page and scaling it to be bigger. I also refit the image.
I also use text as a balancing element on this page. Here I create a Title, Subheading, and Body Text using the Type Tool (T).
Title: Futura Bold 48pt
Subheading: Futura Demi 24pt
Body: Futura Book 12pt (50% Opacity)
Going back onto the spiral. We are giving increased size to the ones that drift off the page on the right.
To do this we simply increase the font size of the words as the appear from left to right.
E.g. Start with 12pt, the next word 14pt, then 18pt, then 24pt, etc.
We can also adjust and give highlights colors to the words. To do this I sampled a color from the image using the Eyedropper Tool (I), copied the HEX code from the fill, and pasted the HEX code into the fill of the text.
Make sure you have the text selected when transferring the HEX.
9. Final Touches:
Review the entire layout for coherence and visual appeal.
Make any additional adjustments, such as resizing elements or tweaking colors.
Save and export the design based on your intended use or distribution.
Again, make sure that you drag all elements out to the bleed box if you are printing this full bleed.
That’s it! Hopefully that was not TOO much information but this was definitely one of the harder ones.
Affinity Workflow
VECTOR
Document Setup in Affinity
Create a new document in Affinity (File > New).
8.5 x 11 Inches in Portrait Orientation
2 Pages
We can leave everything else as is.
Once the document is created, make sure you are working in Vector Studio so we can create the spiral shape first.
Create the Spiral Guide
Go to the Shape Tools and select the Spiral Tool.
If you don’t see the Spiral Tool right away, right-click or click and hold on the Shape Tool icon to open the full shape tool flyout.
Drag out a spiral on the page.
Hold Shift if you want to keep the spiral proportions more controlled while drawing.
Use the Move Tool (V) to position the spiral on the page.
Use the corner handles to scale the spiral until it fills the area you want.
For this layout, the spiral should feel large enough to become the main visual element on the page.
One important thing to pay attention to is where the spiral ends.
Make sure the end of the spiral is positioned near the top of the layout, because this will affect how the text flows along the spiral.
Adjust the Spiral
Select the spiral using the Move Tool (V).
Adjust the spiral settings in the context toolbar at the top.
You can change the number of turns, the spacing, and the overall shape depending on the look you want.
The goal is to create a spiral that feels smooth and gives the letters enough room to wrap around it.
If the spiral feels too tight, increase the spacing or scale it up.
If the spiral feels too loose, reduce the spacing or scale it down.
Right click on the spiral and “Convert to Curve”
This will allow us to edit and add onto it with the pen tool.
Extend the Spiral with the Pen Tool
If the spiral does not end exactly where you want, use the Pen Tool (P) to create an extension.
Select the Pen Tool (P).
Drag out a curved path from the end of the spiral so that it feels like a continuation of the original curve.
Try to match the direction and curvature of the spiral as closely as possible.
This extra curve helps the typography continue more naturally instead of stopping too abruptly.
Use the Node Tool (A) to adjust the curve after it is drawn.
Move the nodes and handles until the extension feels smooth on the page.
The goal is to make the Pen Tool extension feel like it belongs to the original spiral.
LAYOUT
Add Text to the Spiral
Select the Artistic Text Tool (T).
Move your cursor over the spiral path.
When the cursor changes to show that text can be placed on the path, click directly on the spiral.
Type out the word, phrase, or repeated letters you want to use for the spiral typography.
If the text does not appear where you want, select the text path using the Move Tool (V).
Use the start and end handles on the text path to adjust where the text begins and ends.
The start is the Green triangle and the end is the Orange
The text should follow the spiral and create that circular, rotating movement through the layout.
Add Circular Picture Frames
Next, create circular picture frames for the layout with the Ellipse Frame Tool (K).
Hold Shift while dragging to create a perfect circular picture frame.
Use the Move Tool (V) to position the circle on top of or around the spiral composition.
You can duplicate a circle frame by selecting it with the Move Tool (V), then holding Alt and dragging.
Position the circles so they feel integrated with the spiral instead of sitting separately from it.
Place Images into the Circular Frames
Select one of the circular picture frames.
Place your image into the frame (File > Place). Or just drag-and-drop
Double-click into the frame to adjust the image inside of it.
Add Effects to the Circular Images
Select one of the circular image frames using the Move Tool (V).
Open the Effects panel, which can be found at the bottom of the layers tabs.
Add the effect you want to use on the image frame.
For example, you can add a shadow, glow, or other subtle effect depending on the look of the layout.
Adjust the effect settings until it feels strong enough to separate the circles from the background, but not so strong that it overwhelms the typography.
Here I’m using a inner shadow for the smaller circle on the left and a drop shadow for the one on the right.
Add the Background Image
Once the spiral text and circular picture frames are in place, add the background image.
Place the Picture Frame Rectangle Tool (K) and drag-and-drop your image in.
Add Highlight Letters & Change Size of Characters
To create more visual interest, select individual letters or sections of the spiral text.
One thing you can do is selecting words and making the bigger as the get closer to the edge of the page.
I would start with the text on the very right side of the spread, make them bigger.
Then select the next two and make them slightly smaller than the biggest size…. and so on and so on…
You can also change some of the letters to a highlight color.
You can use the Colour Picker Tool / Eyedropper Tool (I) to sample a color from elsewhere in the layout.
Try using the same highlight color across the entire word spiral so the color feels intentional.
The highlight letters help break up the spiral and give the typography more movement.
