Design your own gift wrap – Illustrator pattern function

You may have often thought about how to give your personal wrapping paper a unique touch instead of relying on the ordinary discount store paper. With the pattern function of Adobe Illustrator, you have a powerful tool at your disposal to create creative and unique designs. In this guide, I will show you step by step how to design your own wrapping paper – easily, effectively, and above all, creatively.

Key Insights

• The pattern function in Illustrator allows you to create custom designs.
• You can combine and adjust various elements.
• The created pattern can easily be applied to objects.

Step-by-Step Guide

First, you set up a blank workspace. This is done by simply opening a new document in Illustrator. To ensure that the pattern design goes smoothly, go to ‘Object’ and then to ‘Pattern’. Here, select the option “Create”.

Once you click “Create”, the pattern palette opens with various options. In this palette, you will see a blue frame that indicates where your pattern will be placed. Now you can start placing your design elements within this frame.

For your wrapping paper project, you may want to use festive motifs. I have already prepared two elements: a Christmas tree and a golden star. Start with the star by copying it. You do this with the keyboard shortcut Command + C.

Return to your pattern file and paste the copied element into the frame using Command + V. The star will initially be oversized, so you need to resize it. Hold down the Shift key to maintain proportions, and adjust the size until it fits well into the design.

To position the star correctly, move it upwards and rotate it a little so it fits better into the overall picture. Now you can copy the next element, the Christmas tree. Use Command + C again and paste it into the pattern frame.

Make sure that the Christmas tree also needs to be resized to fit well into your design. Position the tree in the pattern frame so that it looks harmonious with the star. Feel free to experiment a bit with the size and rotation of the elements.

Now that the two main motifs are placed, you should optimize them further. For example, you can rotate the bottom star a little more or move it closer to the tree to achieve a balanced design.

To complete the pattern, add a background. Use the rectangle tool to draw a rectangle that covers the entire frame. Fill it with an appropriate color; in this case, green would be ideal for Christmas wrapping paper. Remember that the rectangle should lie in the background, so right-click on it and select “Arrange to Back”.

After you have positioned all the elements, you can click “Done.” From this moment on, you will find your new pattern in the Swatches palette. You can double-click the pattern to make any further adjustments if necessary.

Do not forget to name your pattern – for example, “Wrapping paper.” Click “Done” again to save the changes. Now you are ready to apply your newly designed pattern to objects. Simply create any object, whether it's a square or a rectangle, and select your newly created pattern to fill it.

To show even more creativity, you can draw a large rectangle over the entire drawing area (e.g., A3) and fill it with the pattern as well. Now you are ready to print your custom wrapping paper!

All steps can be adjusted as desired. Take your time and experiment with different designs to achieve the perfect result. In Illustrator, it's easy to create impressive patterns and bring your ideas to life.

Summary

The pattern function in Adobe Illustrator gives you the opportunity to quickly and easily generate unique designs. You have learned how to combine, adjust, and integrate your elements into your final pattern. Whether for gifts or other creative projects, let your imagination run wild.