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LA117 — Design Communication II — Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator Reference Cards
14 reference cards covering Illustrator from document setup through analytical diagram construction and technical rendering. The focus throughout is on communication: vector as a precision tool for argument, not for decoration.
How to use these cards: These explain what tools do and why they matter — not which menus to click. The diagramming cards in particular describe a way of thinking about analysis before they describe how to use the software. Read the concept before you open Illustrator.
01
Foundations
Card 01
Illustrator Vocabulary Reference
Illustrator is not AutoCAD with a paintbrush. The underlying geometry model is different, and the vocabulary reflects that.
Card 02
Document Setup and Artboard Organization
All of your diagrams live in one file. Artboards and layers keep them organized and independently exportable.
Card 03
Importing CAD — The PDF Workflow
A PDF export from AutoCAD is the cleanest path to a scaled, editable base in Illustrator.
Card 04
Importing CAD — The DWG/DXF Workflow
A direct DWG or DXF import brings fully editable, layer-organized CAD geometry into Illustrator — but scale requires deliberate attention.
02
Vector Logic
Card 05
Paths, Strokes, and Fills
Every diagram element is a path. Every path has a stroke, a fill, or both. Understanding how to control these independently is the foundation of everything else.
Card 06
The Pen Tool
Every path in Illustrator can be drawn with the Pen tool. It is worth learning correctly, because it is the most precise drawing instrument in the application.
Card 07
Pathfinder Operations
Pathfinder is not a cleanup tool. It is a design tool — the primary mechanism for constructing complex diagram shapes from simple component geometry.
Card 08
Live Paint — and Why Stroke/Fill Separation Matters
Live Paint is fast. But it has a specific failure mode in diagram work that you need to understand before using it.
Card 09
Gradients, Blends, Offsets, and Converting Strokes
These four tools handle the visual communication of intensity, transition, buffered areas, and graphic weight — things flat fills cannot do alone.
03
Diagramming
Card 10
Diagramming Intent — Analysis vs. Inventory
A diagram that only shows what exists gives a designer nothing to respond to. A diagram that reveals what it means gives a designer a direction.
Card 11
Diagram Construction — Building the Argument Visually
A good diagram is as minimal as it can be while still making its argument. Every element either carries information or should be removed.
Card 12
Text and Legends
A diagram without a title makes the viewer do interpretive work you should have done for them. A legend without hierarchy is a list.
Card 13
Color, Palette, and Narrative Clarity
Color communicates analytical category, intensity, and relationship. It is not decoration and it is not personal expression.
04