Designing for Laser and Vinyl Cutting Projects using Adobe Illustrator

Unlock your creative potential in this hands-on class focused on using Adobe Illustrator for designing graphics tailored to laser cutting and vinyl cutting. This class is for beginners or those with some Illustrator experience, who want to use the Cricuts or the laser cutters available in the Makerspace. The instructor will guide you through the essentials of vector-based design for various applications. Vector based design ensures clean, scalable designs for cutting and printing.

What you will learn:

• How to use the Pen Tool, Shape Tool, and Pathfinder to create precise and clean vector designs.

• Understanding color modes and ensuring your designs translate well from screen to physical products.

• Techniques for working with text that will be cut or printed, including creating custom letterforms and adjusting spacing.

• Best practices for preparing artwork for cutting machines like Cricut, or laser cutters, including setting up outlines and ensuring the proper file format (SVG, EPS).

• How to design for specific projects such as T-shirts, vinyl decals, or intricate laser-cut pieces, with an emphasis on simplicity and cutting precision.

By the end of this class, you will be ready to use the Makerspace tools and equipment to design, cut, and create your own projects. Whether you’re working on t-shirts, vinyl decals, or laser-cut designs, you’ll be ready to bring your ideas to life using the Cricut or the laser cutters available in the Makerspace.

This class is intended for ages 15 and older. A basic understanding of Adobe Illustrator is helpful. Some computer experience is necessary.