oticed WEEK 3: OPTIMIZE CLASS 2 TRANSCRIPT CERRIES MOONEY

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Hannah Daniels
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2 Hello! And welcome to Week 3 Class 2: Why Illustrator rocks! Before we go any further into this lesson, now really is a good time to go ahead and purchase or download Illustrator, if you haven t already. You can do that at Adobe.com. If you re stuck, or not sure what you need to do, me at cerries@cerriesmooney.com, and we ll put you straight. In this video, you re going to learn: What Illustrator actually is, and why it s so important when it comes to developing brand identities The difference between vector and raster images (and no - there s not a dreadlock in sight) How I use Illustrator in my business - what I use it for, and what I DON T use it for The BEST way to learn how to get the best out of Illustrator And finally - the Eight Tools you need to know to create wonderful, magical things Let s get started! So...Illustrator. Some of you might have been waiting patiently for this class, full of excitement and enthusiasm - totally aware of how Illustrator holds the key to satisfying your creative cravings. Some of you, on the other hand, might be anxious about what this class will hold - and whether you ll be able to get it or not. If you re in the latter category, I d encourage you right now to relax. Illustrator has, over the years, managed to manifest itself a bit of a reputation for being a big, scary, hairy beast that s impossible to master. The truth is: that s absolutely spot on. Illustrator IS big. It CAN be scary. And...I m pretty sure it s hairy. (As far as apps go). But there s another softer, kinder side to Illustrator that many people never get to see. They download it, open it, and are paralysed by its size and plethora of features - and they freak out. They never get passed opening the front door. But - if you can actually get through the door and into the kitchen, you ll find a hot cup of tea brewing for you - accompanied by a plate of cookies. In other words: Illustrator is a bit of a pussy cat once you know what you re doing.

3 And the good news is? Knowing what you re doing is surprisingly easy. Well - at least for the purposes of what you ll need it for. Let s start by getting clear: What exactly is Illustrator, and why is it so important? Illustrator is an application made by Adobe - it is the professional, go-to tool for the creation of graphics and illustration. Historically, it has been ridiculously expensive to get your hands on (with licenses starting at around $1000). For that reason, many individuals found it easier to access Adobe Photoshop - Illustrator s sister program - which was available in a diluted version at a much cheaper price (and probably why you or someone you know has a legacy version of Photoshop Elements lurking on a desktop somewhere). Now, thanks to Adobe s recent introduction of monthly subscriptions to their applications, Illustrator is now more widely available - which is GREAT news for us solopreneurs. It means that for a relatively decent amount each month, we have access to the same applications used by the industry pros. Whilst that really IS great news, it also means that many people sign up for it - get totally overwhelmed by it, and give up all hope very quickly. If you ve had any experience with Photoshop before, you ll notice that Illustrator does feel a lot more complex. But don t worry - during Noticed, I ll be highlighting only the tools you need to know for everyday use (but of course, I hope you ll continue to explore Illustrator long after our time together - because it s just so blummin awesome!). Whilst it is entirely possible to create a brand identity in Photoshop, Word or Powerpoint, the professional knows that Illustrator is THE go-to tool for creating crisp, clean graphics (and we are ALL about being professional here in Noticed...right?). Vector & Raster Files Now - I m not going to get all techy on you, but I think it is important for you to have a brief understanding of WHY it is so important that you use Illustrator to create graphics for your brand and business. (I know it s an extra cost, and an extra application to learn about - but for a relatively short learning curve, you ll reap all the benefits I m about to explain to you). There are two types of graphics that you need to be aware of: vector graphics, and raster graphics. Vector graphics are created in Illustrator, raster graphics are created in applications such as Photoshop, PicMonkey, Canva etc. Vector graphics are made up of points and paths, raster graphics are made up of pixels.

4 Like I said - I m not going to bombard you with the technicalities of the structures of how graphics are made, but basically: raster graphics are made up of pixels, and can become easily pixellated (where the edges of the image becomes blurry, and the image looks out of focus - and therefore unprofessional) - vector images, on the other hand, remain clean and crisp no matter what size you view them at - whether they are the size of a building, or the size of a pinhead. Your logo - and in fact, all elements of your brand identity - should be clean, crisp and polished at whatever size you look at them, and within any context they are presented in - whether in print, or on screen. Any application that works in pixels just cannot give you the flexibility that vector graphics can - and that is why Illustrator is your go-to tool for graphic creation. How I use Illustrator in my business...and what I DON T use it for I use Illustrator pretty much every single day in my business (and not just for clients - I use it daily for my own business and brand development). Anytime I need to create a graphic, Illustrator is my go-to choice for creating something that looks professional. Seeing as I use Illustrator for pretty much everything in my business - from graphics for social media to PDFs to banners - it might be easier to tell you the limited things I DON T use it for. The only time I use another application is when I m dealing with photographs, or images. If I need to change the colour of an image, or airbrush something out of view, or cut something (or someone!) out of an image - then I use Photoshop (or Pixlr). As a rule of thumb, the ONLY reason you should use these applications is for image manipulation. I use Illustrator for absolutely everything else in my brand and business visuals. Like I said earlier - you CAN use the likes of Canva and Pixlr to create graphics for your brand. Many solopreneurs are - but in my opinion? You just don t have the same level of flexibility and creativity available to you as you would in Illustrator. I feel so strongly about it, I created a program about it (wink wink!). The BEST way to learn how to get the best out of Illustrator Illustrator is a massive tool. There is no denying that. For every single graphic you see at every moment of every day - it has likely been created in Illustrator. From movies to ads, magazines to ebooks, packaging to presentations - you name it, Illustrator will have been involved somewhere. It s the professionals choice for a reason - it s pretty well-stocked with functions and tools and tonnes of other good stuff. (Hint hint: 99% of which you don t need). The key with Illustrator is to not be overwhelmed. When you ve been using Illustrator for over ten years like I have, you re still only likely to be just scratching the surface of what it can do. My aim in Noticed is to teach you the basics, and what you NEED to know for the day-to-day running of your business. I highly encourage you to further your learning of Illustrator beyond Noticed, and the best way to do that is to seek out tutorials (there are lots on YouTube) and to foster an attitude of trial and error. I learned Illustrator this way over the last ten years - there really is no better way to learn with Illustrator than to get stuck in.

5 If there is something that you d like to do over the next four weeks that I haven t covered, or a more advanced technique, my recommendation would be that your first port of call would be to Google it - or do a YouTube search. The BEST way to learn how to get the most out of Illustrator really is to dive in, and try things out - even if you re not sure of what the outcome will look like. Of course, I m here to help you - but there is nothing more satisfying than having a creative conundrum on your hands, and pushing yourself to figure out the answer. If you take this approach with Illustrator, I guarantee you - you ll form a long-lasting relationship with it, and will be excited to take your understanding to deeper and deeper layers over the years to come. Now...here s the fun part! I m going to introduce you to some Illustrator basics - such as the workspace and essential tools, so you can start to find your way around this awesome program! (VIDEO DEMONSTRATION) They really are the main tools that you need to know in Illustrator to be able to make beautiful designs. Of course, as you start to use these tools and attempt more complex things in Illustrator, you ll learn more about how each of these tools work. But for now - I just wanted you to know that the learning curve may not be as big as you feared it might be. As you re working with Illustrator, it s perfectly natural for you to stumble across something that you can t seem to do - I still experience that after all these years. When you re right at the start of using a big application like this, it helps to remember that Rome wasn t built in a day. You re going to come across little niggles and frustrations, and that s ok! If there s something you really are stuck on, ask for help! Send an to cerries@cerriesmooney.com and we ll help you figure it out. Now it s time for you to head on over to the Playsheet for this class, and I ll catch you in the next class where we ll be taking a look at your Creative Core Kit!

Congratulations on taking this incredible leap of faith in yourself... This journey is not

YOUR CREATIVE JOURNEY OF COURSE YOU CAN! Congratulations on taking this incredible leap of faith in yourself... This journey is not just for people with a talent for design. Our goal is to enable you with