WORK WITH
LESSON 4
Creating and Applying Graphic
Styles
Graphic styles are named sets of appear-
ance attributes that are accessed in the
Graphic Styles palette. To create a new
style, select the artwork whose attributes
you want to save as a style, then do one of
the following:
■ Click the New Graphic Style button in
the Graphic Styles palette.
■ Drag a selected object from the art-
board into the Graphic Styles palette.
■ Drag a thumbnail from the
Appearance palette into the Graphic
Styles palette.
A graphic style can include fills, strokes,
effects, patterns, opacity settings, blending
modes, gradients, and effects. However,
a graphic style can be created from a single
set of attributes only. Only one object
needs to be selected in order to create a
new graphic style. The Graphic Styles
palette is shown in Figure 27.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will create and
apply graphic styles.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 8-24
Working with Transparency, Effects, and Graphic Styles

Merging graphic styles
You can create new graphic styles by merging two or more graphic styles in the Graphic
Styles palette. [Ctrl] click (Win) or click (Mac) to select all the graphic styles that
you want to merge, click the Graphic Styles palette list arrow, then click Merge Graphic
Styles. The new graphic style will contain all of the attributes of the selected graphic
styles and will be added to the Graphic Styles palette as a new
graphic style.
GRAPHIC STYLES
Lesson 4 Work with Graphic Styles
ILLUSTRATOR 8-25
When you apply a graphic style to an object,
the new graphic style overrides any graphic
style that was previously applied to the
object. When you apply a graphic style to a
group or a layer, all objects in the group or
on the layer take on the graphic style’s
attributes. Graphic styles are associated
with the layers they are applied to. If you
remove an object from a layer that has a
graphic style applied to it, the object will
lose the graphic style attributes.
FIGURE 27
Graphic Styles palette
Break Link to Graphic Style button
New Graphic Style button
Delete Graphic Style button
Default graphic styles
ILLUSTRATOR 8-26
Working with Transparency, Effects, and Graphic Styles
Create a new graphic style

1. Open AI 8-3.ai, then save it as Dolphin Blue.
2. Create a rectangle that is 1" wide and 2" tall.
3. Fill the rectangle with the Blue Radial swatch
and remove any stroke.
4. Click the Gradient Tool , then drag the
Gradient Tool pointer from just below the
top-left corner to the bottom-right corner of
the rectangle.
Try to make your fill resemble Figure 28.
5. Click Effect on the menu bar, point to Stylize
in the Illustrator Effects section, click Round
Corners, type .15 in the Radius text box,
then click OK.
6. Click Effect on the menu bar, point to Stylize
in the Illustrator Effects section, then click
Outer Glow.
7. Change the color to black in the Color Picker,
if necessary, click OK, type .1 in the Blur text
box, then click OK, so that your work
resembles Figure 29.
8. Click Window on the menu bar, then click
Graphic Styles.
9. Select all, then drag the thumbnail next to
Path: Graphic Style in the Appearance palette
to the Graphic Styles palette, as shown in
Figure 30.
10.Double-click the new swatch in the Graphic
Styles palette, then name it Dolphin Blue.
You created an illustration with the Round
Corners and Outer Glow effects, then saved the

appearance attributes as a new graphic style in
the Graphic Styles palette.
FIGURE 28
Applying the gradient to the rectangle
FIGURE 29
An Outer Glow effect added to the rectangle
FIGURE 30
Creating a new graphic style
Drag the appearance thumbnail to the Graphic
Styles palette to create a new graphic style
Lesson 4 Work with Graphic Styles
ILLUSTRATOR 8-27
Apply a graphic style to an
object
1. Cut the rectangle from the artboard.
2. Click Object on the menu bar, then click
Show All.
A dolphin object and the words Dolphin
blue appear.
3. Deselect all, select the dolphin artwork, then
click Dolphin Blue in the Graphic Styles
palette.
Your work should resemble Figure 31.
You applied a graphic style to a simple object.
FIGURE 31
Dolphin Blue graphic style applied to an object
ILLUSTRATOR 8-28
Working with Transparency, Effects, and Graphic Styles
Apply a graphic style to text
1. Click the Graphic Styles palette list arrow;

if there is a check mark to the left of
Override Character Color, click Override
Character Color to remove the check mark.
2. Select the text, then click Dolphin Blue in
the Graphic Styles palette.
The text takes on all the attributes of the
graphic style except the fill color, which
remains black.
3. Undo your last step.
4. Click the Graphic Styles palette list arrow,
click Override Character Color, then apply
the Dolphin Blue graphic style to the Dolphin
blue text.
Your work should resemble Figure 32.
5. Undo your last step, click Type on the menu
bar, then click Create Outlines to convert
the text to outlines.
6. Ungroup the outlines, then apply the Dolphin
Blue graphic style to the objects so that your
work resembles Figure 33.
7. Compare the text fills in Figure 33 to those
in Figure 32.
You explored three ways of applying a graphic
style to text and text outlines for different effects.
FIGURE 33
Dolphin Blue graphic style applied to each object
FIGURE 32
Dolphin Blue graphic style applied to text
Lesson 4 Work with Graphic Styles
ILLUSTRATOR 8-29

FIGURE 34
Artwork modified with a stroke and a second Outer Glow effect
Modify a graphic style
1. Select all, then apply a 1.5-pt. green stroke
to the dolphin and the letters.
2. Deselect, select only the dolphin, click the Outer
Glow item in the Appearance palette, then click
the Duplicate Selected Item button
.
3. Double-click the duplicate Outer Glow item
in the Appearance palette, then change the
opacity to 17% in the Outer Glow dialog box.
4. Click the color box in the Outer Glow dialog
box to open the Color Picker.
5. Type 32 in the H (hue) text box, 100 in the S
(saturation) text box, and 100 in the B (bright-
ness) text box, then click OK.
6. Click OK again to close the Outer Glow dia-
log box, then deselect all.
Your work should resemble Figure 34.
7. Press and hold [Alt] (Win) or [option]
(Mac), then drag the thumbnail from the
Appearance palette directly on top of the
Dolphin Blue graphic style in the Graphic
Styles palette.
The Dolphin Blue graphic style is updated to
include the green stroke and the orange
outer glow.
8. Save your work, then close Dolphin Blue.
You modified the Dolphin Blue graphic style by

changing the settings in the Appearance palette,
then replacing the old graphic style with the new
appearance attributes.
Duplicate outer glow
added to dolphin
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Once you are comfortable with creating
objects, you must explore the Filters and
Effects that you can apply to your objects.
You’ll see early on that the Filter and
Effect menus are quite similar, however,
there is a big difference between applying
a filter and applying an effect. Filters are
permanent, meaning to remove a filter,
you’d have to revert your document and
risk losing all of the changes that you
made since applying the filter. Effects can
be easily removed without disturbing
other formatting attributes you have
applied to your objects, even if they were
applied after the effect. Why? Each time
you apply an effect, it is added to the
Appearance palette. You can delete it from
the Appearance palette or double-click
the effect name to open the options dia-
log box for that particular effect. When
you make changes in the dialog box, your
object’s appearance is updated automati-
cally. You can also adjust the trans-
parency of selected objects using the

Transparency palette and finally apply
graphic styles to your objects and out-
lined type. Like brushes and symbols, you
can create your own graphic styles, name
them, and add them to the Graphic Styles
palette. There are ten graphic style
libraries to choose from if you’re looking
for ideas.
What You Have Learned
• How to change the opacity and blend-
ing mode of objects
• How to use the Color Picker
• How to apply effects
• How to modify effects using the
Appearance palette
• How to remove effects from new art
• How to create a complex appearance
from a single object
• How to create a new graphic style
• How to apply a graphic style to an
object
• How to apply a graphic style to text
• How to modify a graphic style
Key Terms
Opacity The opacity of an object is the
degree to which it is “see-through”.
Blending modes Blending modes are
fun, preset filters that control how colors
blend when two objects overlap.
Effects Effects are a type of appear-

ance attribute and are listed on the Effect
menu.
Graphic styles Graphic styles are
named sets of appearance attributes.
Hue The hue is the color itself.
Saturation Saturation refers to the
intensity of the hue.
ILLUSTRATOR 8-30
Working with Transparency, Effects, and Graphic Styles
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR CS2
9-1
CREATING GRAPHS
IN ILLUSTRATOR
9
chapter
1. Create a graph.
2. Edit a graph using the Graph Data Window.
3. Use the Group Selection Tool.
4. Use the Graph Type dialog box.
5. Create a combination graph.
6. Create a custom graph design.
7. Apply a custom design to a graph.
8. Create and apply a sliding-scale design.
9-2
When you think of graphs, you probably
think of those premade, click-a-button
graphs that you can make with any
presentation or financial software

package. As a designer, you’ll be really
excited by the graphs that you can create
with Illustrator’s graph tools. When your
project calls for a graph, you can enter
the data directly into Illustrator, then
have all of Illustrator’s design and draw-
ing power behind you when it comes to
designing the graph.
For the right project, visually interesting
and smartly designed graphs are a very
powerful tool for conveying information.
Think of using graphs as an opportunity
for expressing data artistically. Since
people naturally pay more attention to a
well-designed graph than to blocks of text,
using graphs in a presentation will help
you to make your points more
persuasively.
CREATING GRAPHS
IN ILLUSTRATOR
chapter
9
9-3
Tools You’ll Use
Graph tools
Group
Selection
Tool
LESSON 1
Defining a Graph

A graph is a diagram of data that shows
relationships among a set of numbers. A
set of data can be represented by a graphic
element, such as a bar, line, or point.
Different types of graphs are used to
emphasize different aspects of a display.
Illustrator offers nine types of graphs:
■ Column
■ Stacked column
■ Bar
■ Stacked bar
■ Line
■ Area
■ Scatter
■ Pie
■ Radar
The right type of graph can help you to
simplify complex data and communicate a
message more effectively. In Illustrator,
you can convert one type of graph into
another type and create custom designs
that you can then apply to the graph.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will enter data and cre-
ate a column graph.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 9-4
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
Changing the number of decimal points in graph data
Numbers in the Graph Data window are initially displayed with two decimals. For

example, if you type the number 86, it appears as 86.00. To modify the number of
decimals in any or all cells in the Graph Data window, click the cell(s) that you want
to change, then click the Cell style button in the Graph Data window. The Cell Style
dialog box opens. Increase or decrease the number in the Number of decimals text
box to change the decimal place (set it to 0 if you do not want any decimal place),
then click OK. You can also increase or decrease the column width in the Cell Style
dialog box by changing the value in the Column width text box.
CREATE
A GRAPH
Lesson 1 Create a Graph
ILLUSTRATOR 9-5
Creating a Graph
Before you create a graph, it is important
to understand how data is plotted in
Illustrator’s Graph Data window. The first
column (vertical axis) of the Graph Data
window is reserved for category labels,
while the first row (horizontal axis) is
reserved for legend labels. See Figure 1.
Category labels describe non-numeric data,
such as the months of the year, the days of
the week, or a group of salespersons’ names.
Legend labels describe numeric data that
may change, such as weekly sales totals,
payroll amounts, or daily temperatures;
they appear in a box next to the graph,
called the legend.
The legend, like a map legend, contains
the legend labels and small boxes filled
with colors that represent the columns on

the graph.
FIGURE 1
Entering category labels and legend labels
Legend labels
Category labels
ILLUSTRATOR 9-6
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
Create a column graph
1. Open AI 9-1.ai, then save it as Graph.
2. Verify that you are using inches as your
General unit of measure by checking your
Units & Display Performance Preferences.
3. Click the Column Graph Tool , then click
the center of the artboard.
4. Type 6 in the Width text box and 4 in the
Height text box, as shown in Figure 2, then
click OK.
The Graph Data window appears in front
of the graph. The Graph Data window
consists of rows and columns. The
intersection of a row and a column is called
a cell. The first cell, which is selected,
contains the number 1.00 as sample data
to create a temporary structure for the
graph. The appearance of the graph will
change after you enter your own data.
5. Press [Delete] (Win) or [delete] (Mac),
then press [Tab] to eliminate the 1.00 from
the first cell and select the next cell in the
first row.

You must always remove the number 1.00
from the first cell before entering new data.
6. Type Low, press [Tab], type High, press
[Tab], then type Average.
You have entered three legend labels.
(continued)
FIGURE 2
Graph dialog box
Width text box
Height text box
Lesson 1 Create a Graph
ILLUSTRATOR 9-7
7. Click the second cell in the first column, type
Jan, press [Enter] (Win) or [return] (Mac),
type Feb, press [Enter] (Win) or [return]
(Mac), type March, then press [Enter] (Win)
or [return] (Mac).
You have entered three category labels.
Compare the positions of your labels with
those shown in Figure 3.
TIP Category labels are listed vertically and
legend labels are listed horizontally in the
Graph Data window. If you enter your labels
incorrectly, you can click the Transpose
row/column button in the Graph Data win-
dow to switch them.
8. Enter the remaining data shown on the art-
board, using [Tab] and [Enter] (Win) or [Tab]
and [return] (Mac), and the four arrow keys
on your keyboard to move between cells.

TIP Often you will want to create labels
that consist of numbers, such as a ZIP
code or the year 2008. Since these labels
are meant to describe categories, they must
be set in quotes (“2002”) so that Illustrator
will not mistake them for data that should
be plotted.
9. Close the Graph Data window, saving the
changes you made, then reposition the
graph on the artboard (if necessary).
10.Deselect, save your work, then compare
your graph to Figure 4.
You defined the size of the graph, then entered
three legend labels, three category labels, and
numbers in the Graph Data window.
FIGURE 3
Graph Data window
FIGURE 4
Column graph
Legend labels
Category labels
LESSON 2
Editing Data and Graphs
A project that calls for a graph often calls
for edits to the graph. Fortunately, it is
easy to make changes to the data that
defines the graph . . . and just as easy to
update the graph. For every graph in
Illustrator, the data that was used to plot it
is stored in the Graph Data window. The

data is editable; when you make changes to
the data, simply click the Apply button in
the Graph Data window to preview the
changes to the graph.
When you create text and data in another
program that you want to use in an
Illustrator graph, the document must be
saved as a text-only file with commas sepa-
rating each number from the next. If you
are importing an Excel worksheet, it must
be saved as a text (tab-delimited) file for
Illustrator to support it.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will change the data
that is the basis of the column graph, then
update the graph to reflect the new data.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 9-8
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
Importing data from other software programs
You can import graph data from a text file or a Microsoft Excel worksheet into the
Graph Data window in Illustrator. To import data, you must have the Graph Data
window open and selected. Click the Import data button. You will then be prompted
to open the file you wish to import.
EDIT A GRAPH USING THE
GRAPH DATA WINDOW
Lesson 2 Edit a Graph Using the Graph Data Window
ILLUSTRATOR 9-9
Edit data in a graph
1. Click View on the menu bar, then click Hide

Page Tiling, if necessary.
2. Click the Selection Tool , then select and
delete the text at the top of the artboard.
3. Click the graph, click Object on the menu
bar, point to Graph, then click Data.
TIP The separate objects that make up the
graph are automatically grouped when the
graph is created.
4. Click the cell that contains the number
30.00, type 80, press [Enter] (Win) or
[return] (Mac), then compare your screen to
Figure 5.
When you click a cell, the number in the cell
becomes highlighted in the entry text box of
the Graph Data window, allowing you to
change it to a new number.
5. Click the Apply button in the Graph
Data window, then compare your graph to
Figure 6.
6. Change the number 80.00 to 34, click the
cell that contains the number 41.00, type 43,
then press [Enter](Win) or [return](Mac).
7. Close the Graph Data window, then save
changes when prompted.
TIP To remove data from cells in the Graph
Data window select the cells from which you
want to delete the data, click Edit on the
menu bar, then click Clear.
You edited the graph’s data in the Graph Data
window, then clicked the Apply button to view the

changes to the graph.
FIGURE 5
Changing data in the Graph Data window
FIGURE 6
Viewing the new graph
Entry text box
LESSON 3
Using the Group
Selection Tool
Graphs are grouped objects, consisting of
many individual groups grouped together.
Each set of colored columns represents
an individual group within the larger
group. For example, all of the black
columns in Figure 7 represent the low
temperatures for each month. The gray
columns are the average-temperature
group, and the light gray columns are the
high-temperature group.
The Group Selection Tool allows you to
select entire groups within the larger
group for the purpose of editing them with
the Illustrator tools and menu commands.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will use the Group
Selection Tool to easily select different
areas of the graph for modification.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 9-10
Creating Graphs in Illustrator

FIGURE 7
Individual groups within a graph
Grouped objects
USE THE GROUP
SELECTION TOOL
Lesson 3 Use the Group Selection Tool
ILLUSTRATOR 9-11
Use the Group Selection Tool
1. Click the artboard to deselect the graph.
2. Click the Group Selection Tool .
The Group Selection Tool is hidden beneath
the Direct Selection Tool.
3. Click the first black column above the Jan
label, then click again.
The first click selects the first black
column, and the second click selects the
two remaining black columns.
4. Click the first black column a third time to
select the low-temperature legend box.
If you click too many times, you will eventu-
ally select the entire graph instead of an
individual group. In that case, deselect and
try again.
5. Change the fill color of the selected columns
to red, as shown in Figure 8.
6. Click the first light gray column above the Jan
label, click it again, click it a third time, then
change the fill color of the high-temperature
columns and legend box to yellow.
7. Select the gray columns and legend box,

change the fill color to green, then deselect all.
Your graph should resemble Figure 9.
8. Save your work.
TIP The text labels, value axis labels, and
legend labels are also individual groups
within the larger graph group. Click twice to
select them, then change their font, size, or
color as desired.
You used the Group Selection Tool to select groups
within the graph quickly and easily, then changed
the colors of the columns and the legend boxes.
FIGURE 8
Changing the color of the low-temperature group to red
FIGURE 9
Column graph with new colors applied
LESSON 4
Using the Graph Type
Dialog Box
The Graph Type dialog box provides a vari-
ety of ways to change the look of your
graph. For example, you can add a drop
shadow behind the columns in a graph or
change the appearance of the tick marks.
Tick marks are short lines that extend
out from the value axis, which is the verti-
cal line to the left of the graph. Tick marks
help viewers interpret the meaning of col-
umn height by indicating incremental val-
ues on the value axis. You can also move
the value axis from the left side of the

graph to the right side, or display it on
both sides.
Values on the value axis can be changed,
and symbols such as $, %, and ° can be
added to the numbers for clarification.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will modify the graph
using the Graph Type dialog box.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 9-12
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
Choosing a chart type
Keep in mind the following guidelines when choosing a chart type:
• Pie or column charts are typically used to show quantitative data as a percent-
age of the whole.
• Line or bar charts are used to compare trends or changes over time.
• Area charts emphasize volume and are used to show a total quantity rather
than to emphasize a portion of the data.
• Scatter or radial charts show a correlation between variables.
USE THE GRAPH
TYPE DIALOG BOX
Lesson 4 Use the Graph Type Dialog Box
ILLUSTRATOR 9-13
Use the Graph Type
dialog box
1. Click the Selection Tool , then click
the graph.
The entire graph must be selected to make
changes in the Graph Type dialog box.
2. Click Object on the menu bar, point to

Graph, then click Type.
3. Click the Add Drop Shadow check box, as
shown in Figure 10.
4. Click the Graph Options list arrow, then click
Value Axis.
All of the options in this window now
refer to the value axis, which is the vertical
line located to the left of the columns on
the graph.
5. Click the Length list arrow in the Tick Marks
section of the window, click Full Width,
compare your Graph Type dialog box to
Figure 11, then click OK.
6. Deselect the graph, save your work, then
compare your graph to Figure 12.
TIP The Graph Type dialog box does not
provide an option for displaying the number
or value that each column in the graph repre-
sents. For example, it will not display the
number 32 on top of a column that repre-
sents 32°. If you want to display the actual
values of the data on the chart, you must add
those labels manually, using the Type Tool.
You used the Graph Type dialog box to add a drop
shadow to the graph and to extend the tick marks
to run the full width of the graph.
FIGURE 10
Graph Type dialog box
FIGURE 11
Choosing options for the value axis

FIGURE 12
Graph with full-width tick marks and a drop shadow
Graph Options
list arrow
Add Drop Shadow
check box
Graph types
Length list arrow
LESSON 5
Defining a Combination Graph
A combination graph is a graph that
uses two graph styles to plot numeric data.
This type of graph is useful if you want to
emphasize one set of numbers in compari-
son to others. For example, if you needed
to create a column graph showing how
much more paper than glass, plastic, or
aluminum is recycled in a major city over
a one-year period, you could plot the paper
recycling data as a line graph, leaving the
other recycling categories as columns.
Your audience would be able to compare
how much more paper is recycled than the
other three products by looking at the line
in relationship to the columns on the graph.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will create a combina-
tion graph to show one set of data as
compared to other data.
▼

ILLUSTRATOR 9-14
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
CREATE A
COMBINATION GRAPH
Lesson 5 Create a Combination Graph
ILLUSTRATOR 9-15
Create a combination graph
1. Click the Group Selection Tool , then select
all four items of the Average (green) group.
2. Click Object on the menu bar, point to
Graph, then click Type.
3. Click the Line button , then click the Add
Drop Shadow check box to remove the
check mark.
4. Click the Edge-to-Edge Lines check box,
make sure that there are check marks in the
Mark Data Points and Connect Data Points
check boxes, as shown in Figure 13, then
click OK.
The four green columns are replaced by four
small square markers.
5. Click the artboard to deselect the graph.
6. Click the Group Selection Tool , then
click the first line segment connecting the
markers three times to select the entire line
and the corresponding information in the
legend, as shown in Figure 14.
7. Click Object on the menu bar, point to
Arrange, then click Bring to Front.
8. Change the stroke weight to 10 pt, the fill

color of the line to [None], the stroke color of
the line to green, and the cap to a round cap.
9. Deselect, select the four gray markers using
the Group Selection Tool , change their
fill color to White, then deselect again.
10.Save your work, compare your graph to
Figure 15, then close the Graph document.
You created a combination graph.
FIGURE 13
Graph Type dialog box
FIGURE 14
Selecting the line graph
FIGURE 15
Formatting the line graph
Line button
Connect Data
Points check box
Mark Data Points
check box
Edge-to-Edge
Lines check box
Markers
LESSON 6
Creating a Custom
Graph Design
A custom graph design is simply a pic-
ture of something used to replace tradi-
tional columns, bars, or markers in
Illustrator graphs. For example, when
reporting on financial news, newspapers

such as USA Today often print graphs
made with custom designs of coins or dol-
lars instead of columns and bars.
Only vector-based objects can be used for
custom graph designs. You cannot use
bitmaps, objects created with the Paintbrush
Tool, or objects filled with gradients.
Illustrator contains predefined column
and marker designs as well as graph
designs. These files are located in Adobe
Illustrator CS2/Cool Extras/Sample Files.
To use these designs, first open one of the
sample files, create a new document and
then create a new graph. Select the graph,
click Object on the menu bar, point to
Graph, then click Column. All of the col-
umn designs will appear in the Graph
Column dialog box.
What You’ll Do
In this lesson, you will define artwork that
will be used for a custom graph.
▼
ILLUSTRATOR 9-16
Creating Graphs in Illustrator
Using supplied custom graph designs
Illustrator comes with two documents full of custom designs that you can apply to
graphs. These designs include flags, cats, hammers, diamonds, dollar signs,
stars,
and men and women. In addition, three-dimensional objects such as cylinders,
hexagons, cubes, arrows, and pyramids are available.

CREATE A CUSTOM
GRAPH DESIGN