The best way to Create an Ornate Classic Brand Design in Illustrator
Ever since creating the storefront with unique whiskey bottle packaging and label designs, I've wanted to try creating my own type of liquor bottle label design. I also have a resource in my collection that I was dying to use. This would be the perfect tool for creating a Victorian style branded design with ornate flourishes. Follow this Adobe Illustrator tutorial to create a vintage logo for a whiskey bottle label. I'll show you how a layered font and its bonus elements can be used to quickly create good-looking graphics without having to illustrate the ornaments or lettering by hand.
The artwork I will create in this tutorial is an ornate logo for a fictional whiskey bottle label. The entire design is done using the Java Heritages font that I feature in my All-Time Favorite Fonts collection. This saves Spoon Graphics readers 50% over this font I'll be using in this tutorial and four more of my favorite fonts that I use regularly in my projects.
Get 50% off my favorite collection of all time
Java Heritages is a clever multi-layered font family that was inspired by vintage signage. By overlaying the additional variants, you can quickly apply drop shadows, inner shadows and inline effects to your text, which would otherwise only be possible by manually changing the type. Also included in the font package is a collection of ornamental elements that can be used to easily create a composition of decorative flourishes for insanely detailed vintage effects.
Open Adobe Illustrator and create a new document to start creating your vintage whiskey bottle label design. Since we're using white as the fill color, I prefer to work in the empty gray area behind the drawing area. Java Heritages offers two types of style alternatives. Highlighting each character allows you to see the alternate glyphs available for each letter.
Choosing alternate characters will add decorative effects, which are usually features of handwriting, rather than a font! To use the layer feature, go to Edit> Copy, followed by Edit> Paste Front.
Highlight the duplicate text element and change the font to one of the Java Heritages variants, e.g. B. Drop shadow. That particular font version alone would be illegible, but when placed over the regular version it creates an effect that would normally have to be created manually.
For each font effect, insert a new text element and choose the new font style. Changing the fill color of each font creates different colors for each part of the effect.
To add some extra flair to the text, go to Object> Transform> Scissors. Click the Vertical option and enter -7 degrees to give the text a rise effect.
The Java Heritages package contains a collection of bonus ornament elements and pre-made badge layouts. These elements can be used to quickly create intricate designs without having to depict each decorative shape first. You need to split the elements up so that they can be selected individually. Right-click and choose Ungroup.
Copy and paste or hold down the ALT key while dragging an item to create a duplicate. Then position it near the main text element. Start by creating an ornate border around the text by placing several elements.
All elements are vector graphics so you can further customize them using the Illustrator tools. Use the direct selection tool to delete the points that form an unwanted part of a flourish.
This entirely new piece can then be created by copying and rotating the remaining paths and then merging them using the Pathfinder "Merge" button.
The Regular Java Heritages font is also good for smaller text. When you type in lowercase letters, smaller capital letters are created. Expanding the tracking can add style and make it easier to read on small sizes.
Add the shear transform to give the same rise effect to the text so that it runs parallel to the main brand name.
I find it helpful to place some key elements and then fill in the empty space with additional flourishes.
The direct selection tool can also be used to extend the straight edge of some decorated elements. Select only the points that make up the end cap and drag it while keeping the angle.
Adding a smaller decorative flourish to an existing element is a great way to further customize it and make your design look more detailed.
Combining multiple elements is a great way to expand the ornate flourishes to take up more space. Here you can see how two extra pieces are added to the end of a longer Twirly element.
Gaps in the layout can easily be filled in with a small decorative element. Drawing this particular element from scratch would be quite a tedious task. Therefore, it is very convenient to have a collection of ready-made items available for immediate use.
Elements that you have already used can still be used elsewhere in the design. Rotate them 180 degrees or even rotate them in the Object> Transform> Reflect menu so they are not recognized as recognizable.
Continue building your ornamental composition to decorate the text. Try to follow the curves and outlines of the letters so that the decorative elements complement the text.
To take advantage of the space inside the decorative frame, use an ellipse with no fill or stroke to draw a path that follows the curvature of the elements.
Use the scissors tool to cut and trim the circular path so that it will fit into the decorative element. Use the direct selection tool to select the unwanted part and delete it.
Use the Text tool to hover over the path to reveal the Type option on a path. Use the direct selection tool to adjust the handles so that the text is positioned correctly.
Copy this type and paste it into a path element and position it on the same decorative element at the bottom of the layout. To change the text alignment, use the direct selection tool to drag the handle to the other side of the path.
When your design is ready, give it a suitable background by drawing a rectangle with a suitable fill color. Use the Arrange> Send to Back menu option to place it under the main logo.
It is a good habit to sketch your text to preserve the appearance of the design, even when the font is not available. Make sure to make a copy of the original live text version in case you need to edit the wording.
The end result is a detailed vintage brand logo with Victorian-style ornaments and flourishes. The Java Heritages font's overlay feature makes it easy to create unique text styles, while the pre-made vector elements mean a huge time saver when creating a decorative frame around your design.