How To Create A Distressed Font

Creating a distressed font or design can be a very useful tool during a new project. Maybe your client is looking for traditional or vintage aesthetic, then this technique is perfect for you. Let’s take a look at how you can create your own vintage, distressed look.

Step 1

Pick your graphic. Choosing the right typeface can be challenging and time consuming. We have learned that bolder designs have a tendency to work better. The typeface used here is called Vacation Vibes. We designed this in-house and use it frequently. Vacation Vibes is available for purchase here or in The Mill.

Step 2

Choose your distress. You can make your own custom distress by live tracing high contrast texture images.If you’re short on time or like these 4 free available textures for your use here.

Live Trace Settings

If you do opt to create your own texture start off with these settings and then experiment to find your favorite.

Step 3

Overlay you're distressed graphic with your original design. You may have to arrange the graphic to the front by right clicking > arrange > move to front. Once your graphic is properly placed in front of your design make sure your graphic is the same color as your background. Doing this will make the distress look like it integral with your overall design.

You're Done!

You have just made your very own distressed design. If your CPU is running slow you may want to use the pathfinder tool to knockout your distressed vector. If you liked this content be sure to follow us on Instagram. All the fonts and digital illustrations used within this tutorial are available here. Let us know if you have any questions. We always respond within 24 hours.