Select the Type tool (T) and choose a typeface in the Control panel that your font monster will be based on. (Note: To dock panels together, drag the panel that you want to appear on the bottom near the base of any panel, and when you see a blue line appear, release the mouse button.) Click-and-drag each panel to the left of the artboard and arrange them into a single toolbar. For maximum efficiency when designing our font monster, you’ll want the Pathfinder panel (Window>Pathfinder), Swatches panel (Window>Swatches), and Glyphs panel (Window>Type>Glyphs) open and within easy reach.

Also, be sure to check out Jonathan Yules’ original Helbotica font monster ( which inspired this tutorial.Ĭhoose File>New to create new A4-sized document. And if you’re adventurous, you can try out the Pathfinder panel, as well. What you do with it after that is entirely up to you! You’ll learn how to use the Glyphs panel and how to outline, resize, and rotate fonts. Need a monster to gain world domination? In this tutorial, we’ll teach you how to create a font monster entirely out of a single typeface.

Illustrator pathfinder panel