Type Tuesday: The Letter Y

This is a continuation of the series of designs based on the alphabet from our Creative team. Each post will include their designs and a peek into their process. Here’s a look inside Dillon’s process. Enjoy!

For the letter, “Y,” I thought I would take a different approach from my previous designs. Both letters, “I,” and, “Q,” were more illustrative. For the letter, “Y,” I thought it would be fun to go for a clean, simple approach.

I like how the capital, “Y,” consists of three simple lines.  So for this project I wanted to base my design off of these lines. I found some great inspiration from a project called,” Linea,” by Marcos Bernardes to help get me started.

Setting the Background

First I opened up Illustrator and created two lines. Using the Blend Tool to create a blend object, I duplicated the lines with a distance of 30 pixels to give myself a series of lines for a background.

The Letter Y

Creating the Letter

Using the Pen Tool, I created the, “Y,” shape over my background. I then duplicated these lines to give my letter some shape and filled the background with white.

The Letter Y

Making a Connection

Then, I used the Pen Tool and Direct Selection Tool to connect the new lines with the background. Giving it a seamless look.

The Letter Y

Color Contrast

Now that it was starting to take shape, I needed to add some color. Since it is the letter, “Y,” I felt the color yellow was a fitting choice. And to contrast the yellow, I decided to use black.

The Letter Y

Final Concept

From here, it was time to pull this into Photoshop and add little dimensions and noise to the design. I added a drop shadow under the letter to give it some depth, along with some noise and gradients to bring the letter, “Y,” to the forefront.

The Letter Y

When all was said and done, I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. It actually reminds a little of the design aesthetic from the 2013 Film Great Gatsby. Hope you enjoy!

Dillon White, Web Developer