Adobe Illustrator CS5 One-on-One

Press the Esc key to escape the text-entry mode and return

to the black arrow tool. See that long line that extends be-

tween the B and the R? This midpoint bracket lets you move

text (when there’s room to do so) and fl ip it to the other side

of the path. Drag the bracket up to fl ip the text so it’s right-

side-up, as demonstrated below.

Now to adjust the alignment and spacing. Choose Type→Type

on a Path→Type on a Path Options. In the ensuing dialog box,

turn on the Preview check box. Then switch the Align to Path

setting from Baseline to Center, which shifts the characters

down so that the path runs through their centers. The word

Brush is bunching up like crazy, and Type spreads so much

that you could fi t another character between the T and the Y.

To compensate for the valleys and swells in the path, change

the Spacing value to 14 points. As witnessed below, the effect

is by no means perfect, and I encourage you to experiment

with other adjustments, including changing the Effect setting.

But the truth is, this is about as good as we can do with this

path and this text. So click the OK button.

Again, we’re missing the drop shadow. Choose Effect→Stylize→

Drop Shadow or press the dekeKeys shortcut Ctrl+Alt+E

(-Option-E). Illustrator should remember the last settings

you applied (100, 3, 3, and 0). Once you have them in place,

click OK. The fi nal effect, pictured below, is not only ...