Follow-up to: Logotype Exercises in Illustrator 2024, Learn how to combine letters to form logos

Original Video to Watch First: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oid5Jf2txZ8 🎨 Avoid These Common Illustrator Mistakes! In this video, I walk through the essential gotchas to watch out for when working with shapes, text, and the Pathfinder tool in Adobe Illustrator. 🧠 Key Tips to Keep in Mind: 1. Fill & Stroke Layering – Check which block (Fill or Stroke) is on top in your toolbar. The top one is active and will be applied when you click. 2. Move vs. Direct Select Tools 3. The Move Tool (black arrow) moves entire shapes or objects. The Direct Select Tool (white arrow) lets you grab and edit specific points or segments. Hold Shift to select multiple points. 4. Text Tool Behavior Click and drag to create a text box (paragraph text) Single click to create a line of text This project uses line text. 5. Convert Text to Shapes – Turn your text into editable vector shapes by choosing "Create Outlines." If that option is grayed out, your text is already a shape. 6. Select Before Applying Tools – Make sure your shapes are selected on the canvas before using any commands like Pathfinder or shape tools. 7. Undo Is Your Friend – Use Edit → Undo (or Cmd/Ctrl + Z) to quickly go back. Don’t be afraid to experiment! 8. Using the Line Tool – Be sure to assign a stroke color, or your line won’t be visible. If you still can't see it, switch to Outline View to see all paths, even those with no fill or stroke. 9. Fixing Unite & Counterform Issues – If your letter's inner shapes (counterforms) fill in when using Unite in the Pathfinder, try this: use the Direct Select Tool, hold Shift, and click only the outer parts of each letter—avoid the inner counterform—before uniting. 💡 Like this Illustrator tip? Give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more practical, designer-friendly how-tos. Illustrator Logo Design Tutorial. Blog post: https://designertofullstack.com/tips-for-creating-a-logotype-using-two-letters-or-initials/