All your Font Needs
Ribbon Banner Vector in Illustrator
1 - In Illustrator, create a “New Document”.
2 - Select the “Rectangle Tool” (M), click on the Top-Left corner of your Canvas and input the same “Width” and “Height” of your document to make a rectangle that covers all of it and fill it with a “Radial Gradient” from White with 0% “Opacity” to a very Light Blue with 100% “Opacity”.
3 - Lock your Layer by clicking on the left side of its thumbnail in the and bringing out the small padlock icon. Then, click on the “Create New Layer” button at the bottom of the “Layers Panel”.
4 - Click inside your Canvas to create a second rectangle, but make it about 10 cm in “Width” and 3 cm in “Height” and fill it with a Medium Brown color from the “Swatches Panel”.
5 - To center it, use the “Horizontal and Vertical Align Center” options on your Top Menu and make sure that “Align to Artboard” is selected. Or use the same options in the “Align Panel”.
6 - Click inside your Canvas again to create another rectangular shape. This time use a value of 5 cm for the “With” and keep 3 cm for the “Height”. Fill it with the same color.
7 - Select the “Add Anchor Point Tool” (+) and click in the Middle of the Right-most side of your new Rectangle.
8 - Use the “Direct Selection Tool” (A) to select your new “Anchor Point” and use your “Left Arrow” key to move it to the Left enough to make it look like a sideways “V”.
9 - Select all your Shape, go to the “Appearance Panel” and click on the “Effects Menu” at the bottom-left. Go to Distort & Transform > Transform… check the “Reflect Y” box and input the number 1 in the “Copies” section.
10 - Go to Object > Expand Appearance and then, right-click on top of your vectors, choose “Ungroup” and move one to the side.(you may need to “Ungroup” a couple of times).
11 - Move the smaller shapes so they touch the sides of the bigger Rectangle but positioned about 5 mm lower on the vertical and then move them the same amount horizontally. Select the bigger Rectangle, right-click on top of it and go to Arrange > Bring to Front… to make sure it is on top.
12 - Select the “Pen Tool” (P) and draw a small “Triangle” starting at the spot where the Rectangle and one of the Shapes touch. Hold the “Shift” key to make a straight line and add another Point where the Rectangle side ends, then another one right under the first Point but, aligned with the bottom part of the “Side Shape”. Close the “Triangle” by returning to the original Point. Fill it with a Dark Brown.
13 - With the “Triangle” still selected, go to Object > Transform > Reflect… choose “Vertical Axis” and click “Copy” to create a reflected copy. Drag the duplicate while holding the “Shift” key to move it in a straight line and place it in the other side of your Banner, where the Rectangle and the other “Side Shape” overlap. The idea is to create a “Shadow”. You can add some “Guides” to help you by dragging from the Left or Top edges of your Document and placing them where needed.
14 - If you are done with the “Guides” you can get rid of them by going to View > Guides > Clear Guides. Select the front “Rectangle” and change the fill to a “Linear Gradient” (1: Dark Brown, Opacity 100%, Location 0%. (1st Gradient Slider Location 13%) 2: Medium Brow, Opacity 100%, Location 50% (2nd Gradient Slider Location 87%) 3: Dark Brown, Opacity 100%, Location 100%.)
15 - Select the Right-hand Shape and change the fill to a “Linear Gradient” (1: Dark Brown, Opacity 100%, Location 0%. (Gradient Slider Location 13%) 2: Medium Brow, Opacity 100%, Location 100%. Do the same with the Left-hand Shape, but click the “Reverse Gradient” button in the left-hand side of the “Gradients Panel” to place the darker areas (shades) close to the “Rectangle”.
16 - Select the “Type Tool” (T), choose your font (we used Myriad Pro Semibold Italic”), type your text and make it fit on top of the “Rectangle” and fill it with White. Right-click on top of it and choose “Create Outlines”.
17 - Select the front “Rectangle” and “Text”, go to the “Pathfinder Panel” and choose “Minus Front”. The “Gradient” should now be in the interior of the letters too giving the idea of shadows.
18 - Select the “Rectangle Tool” (M), and drag it on top of the front “Rectangle” but leave a 2 mm gap in each side. Fill it with a “Linear Gradient” from White to Transparent, with a -90° Angle. Place the 2nd fill at a 60% Location. Then, go to the “Transparency Panel” and change the “Blending Mode” to “Soft Light”.
19 - Select all your Shapes and Text, right-click on top of them and choose “Group”. In the “Appearance Panel”, click on the “Add New Effect” button at the bottom, navigate to Warp > Flag… and choose a “Horizontal Blend” of -30%. Click “OK”.
20 - Go to Object > Expand Appearance, then right-click on top of the paths and choose “Ungroup” (you may need to “Ungroup” a couple of times). In the “Layers Panel” click on the small arrow to the left of your Layer to show its contents and select everything but the Top-most Rectangle (the one filled with the White to Transparent Gradient).
21 - Right-click on top of your selection and choose “Group”, then go to the “Appearance Panel”, click on the “Add New Effect” button and navigate to Stylize > Drop Shadow… Use “Multiply” as “Mode”, 60% “Opacity” and “X, Y Offsets and Blur” of 0.08 cm. Click “OK”.
22 - Your work should look similar to this.
by @lornacane
