How to Create Label Frames With Illustrator

Label frames add flourishes and scrolls to embellish the type used to identify sections and subject matter in scrapbooking artwork. These devices range from simple to elaborate, all designed to unify the elements of a page within the graphic treatment applied to it. Whether you create entire scrapbooking pages and projects in Adobe Illustrator or simply use the program to create label frames to use in a page-layout application, Illustrator's drawing tools offer you all the options you need to craft the right decorations for your page designs.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Activate the Type tool. Set the typeface, style and size in the Options Bar, using the same parameters you'll apply to the text for which you're creating label frames. Click on an unused area of your artboard and type your text. This type object will give you a working reference around which to design your label frames.
   • 2
     Switch to the Pen tool. Click once to create an anchor point, then hold down the "Shift" key and click again at a distance to the right of your first anchor point. Switch to the Selection tool and position your line above your placeholder type.
   • 3
     Open the "Object" menu and choose "Add Anchor Points." Repeat this procedure to add another set of points. Hold down the "Shift" key to select the line and the type. Hold down the "Alt" key (Windows) or "Option" key (Mac) and drag your selection to create several copies of the original.
   • 4
     Select one of your line copies. Open the "Effect" menu, navigate to its "Distort & Transform" submenu and choose "Zigzag." Set the size to a higher value for larger waved shapes or a smaller value for a more compact effect. Set the ridges per segment to a low value for a simple, loose shape or higher for a bristly result. Set the point style to "Smooth" for a serpentine curve or "Corner" for a true zigzag. Click on the "OK" button to apply your live effect.
   • 5
     Select another line copy. Open the "Effect" menu, navigate to the "Distort & Transform" submenu and choose "Twist." Set the angle lower for shallow curves and higher for wider arcs. Click on the "OK" button to apply the effect. Accentuate the effect by adding more anchor points to the line so it includes more curves.
   • 6
     Select another line copy. Open the "Effect" menu, navigate to it "Distort & Transform" submenu and choose "Roughen." Set the size and detail levels to low values and the point style to "Smooth" for a shape reminiscent of the trace on an oscilloscope screen or health monitor.
   • 7
     Experiment with applying a second effect, or a second instance of an effect you've already applied, to the lines you created. When you find a style you like, hold down the "Alt" key (Windows) or "Option" key (Mac) and drag your line below your placeholder text to create a duplicate of the effect. Use the Reflect tool to flip your line horizontally or vertically for a mirrored effect.