Having visual representations of links on your site can be a great way to improve your sites user experiences and usability. A great way to do this is through icons.
In this tutorial, I will demonstrate how to create specific calendar icons. In my earlier tutorial, Develop a Calendar Graphic in Adobe Illustrator CS4, I walked through the steps to create a calendar graphic, which would work well with the icons, I'll show you in this video.
First, I will set up a foundation for the icon using the rectangle tool. I will create the background and the header where the title of the month would be found. Next, I will use the tile set up from the previous calendar tutorial to lay-in the individual dates. Finally, I will make a few modifications to the copied tile to further stylize the icon.
When the first icon has been created, I will show you how to easily make another icon representing an individual day. I will also show you how to add a folded corner to the icon. I'll also add some effects to the icon to finish it off.
The next icon will be created using a copy of the first. With the first icon copied, I will show you how to easily add a trapezoid piece to the top of the icon to give it a three-dimensional look.
The last icon will be created using forced perspective to create a clipboard style calendar icon. I will show you how to create the pieces needed for this icon using the rectangle tool, pen tool, and the direct selection tool along with various gradients.
By the end of this tutorial you should have a better understanding of the techniques used to create various calendar icons in Adobe Illustrator CS4.
