Bookmarking the Old-Fashioned Way

On the first day of the semester I hand out the class syllabus. This is a paper that is meticulously, painstakingly rewritten every semester only to be unceremoniously jammed into the back of a pocket folder that will never be opened again.

When a student does something particularly annoying during the semester I add a new blurb to the syllabus. For instance, one year Jim sauntered into class 7 to 10 minutes late every day. He always did nice work and turned everything in on time, but his constant tardiness was both disruptive and disrespectful. Since I had never officially specified that my expectation was that students would come to class on time, I had no recourse but to give him a good grade. The following semester, though, my syllabus included strict admonishments regarding tardiness. (1st time you are derided unmercifully, 2nd time your grade drops significantly, and 3rd time you might as well drop the class because you're not passing.) Any complaints about the severity of my tardy rules I gladly refer to Jim. My syllabus is now approximately 20 pages long and is periodically reviewed by a team of lawyers that I keep on retainer.

Just kidding, actually, I am not meticulous at all. Every semester our office assistant checks our syllabi for errors. This fall I had the wrong room number, forgot to put the name of the scool in the header and had the year as 2004. Ah, that was a very good year.

We also delve a bit into Illustrator on Day 1. I bring in nice, heavy paper (that has been known to jam up the printer) and we create bookmarks. It gives the students a quick look-see at all the exciting things that can be accomplished in Illustrator. They end up with a nice sturdy bookmark to lose for the semester. I mean use. Actually, the obsessive older students laminate and beribbon theirs and eventually bequeath them to grandchildren as family heirlooms. So, lets get busy with those bookmarks.

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Create a Bookmark

• Open Adobe Illustrator (preferably a CS something)


• Choose File>New from the menu.


• Set the Units to inches, choose CYMK Color mode and name the file "Bookmark."

Rectangle 1

• Select the Rectangle tool in the Toolbox


• Click on the page with the tool and make the rectangle 2" width and 6" height. (Note: a rectangle is created and is automatically selected. An object must be selected in order to change its color, size, and other attributes.)


• Click Fill in the Control Panel (top of screen) to open the Swatch Palette.


• Select a light color to apply to the rectangle.


• Hold the Shift key down and click on the Fill box in the Control Palette again. (Holding the Shift key magically transforms the Swatch Palette into the Color Palette.)


• Adjust the color using the sliders if you so desire.


• Click on the Stroke box in the Control Panel and choose No Stroke. (that would be the one with the red diagonal line.)


• Keep the rectangle selected.


• Let me repeat that...keep the rectangle selected. Illustrator is very adamant about refusing to do things when there are no objects selected.

Rectangle 2

• Choose from the menu: Object>Path>Offset Path.


• Type in -0.25 (negative number) and click OK.


• You have created a duplicate rectangle that is slightly smaller than the original. This new rectangle is the one that is selected now.

Decorative Border

• If it's not showing, open the Brushes Palette by choosing Window>Brushes.


• Click on the options menu button. (this is the little circle with an arrow that is on the top right side of the palette.)


• From the Open menu: choose Brush Library and select any brush library that strikes your fancy.


• Select a border from the library palette. (The rectangle is outlined with the border you chose. Now is a good time to change your mind if you are unhappy with your first choice. Illustrator specializes in accomodating indecisive people.)


• Close the Library palette to get it out of the way. Your border is most likely overwhelmingly big, so you will edit it. The brush you chose from the library is now showing in the Brushes palette.


• Double-click on the brush you used to open a dialog box. (towards the right side of the dialog box is a place to change the scale of the border.)


• Click the preview box and adjust the size if necessary.


• Click OK


• When a warning box comes up, choose Apply to Strokes.


• Choose Select>Deselect All from the menu.

Adding Text

• Hold the Alt key and click on the Type Tool in the Toolbox until you see the Vertical Text Tool.


• Click on the Fill Color box in the Control Palette and select a text color.


• Set the keyboard for all caps.


• Choose a font, font style and point size from the Control panel.


• Type a word or two on the bookmark.


• If you are dissatisfied with any of the attributes of the text, click on the black arrow at the top right of the toolbar (selection tool) to select the text and make your changes. You can also adjust the position of the text using the up and down arrows on the keyboard.

Drop Shadow

• Make sure the text is still selected.


• Choose Effect>Stylize>Drop Shadow


• Click the Preview button in the dialog and adjust the shadow any way you like.

Add a Symbol

This part is great for all us folks who can't draw.

• Choose Window>Symbols to open the Symbols palette.


• Click on the Options Menu button in the Symbols palette (top right of palette.)


• Choose Open Symbol Library and choose any of the libraries.


• Click on a picture and drag it to your bookmark. (If the symbol needs to be resized or rotated: choose View>View Bounding Box. select the symbol and adjust it using the bounding box.)

Finish it up

• Choose File>Save As and save it wherever you like to save things.


• Choose File>Print and click OK.

Pat yourself on the shoulder and go read a good book. How about Adobe Illustrator CS3 How-Tos: 100 Essential Techniques.