Setting Text Around A Circle in AI CS6

Whether you're orbiting the Earth, or circling a soccer ball, setting text around a round path is one of the most common tasks in sticker design. While Adobe Illustrator makes this a snap, the procedure can be a little daunting if you’ve never done it before. With that in mind, here’s a cool little step-by-step tutorial that demonstrates the basics ...

1. To put text around a circle in Adobe Illustrator, start by creating a circle shape or a round image.
2. Center the circle on the art board, using the Align tools.
3. Create a path for the type by selecting the circle and clicking Object > Path > Offset Path.
4. Select the Type on a Path tool from the Type tool flyout menu.
5. Add some type along the path.
6. Drag a guide from the Rulers to help align the text.
7. Drag the text path handles to the points where the guide meets the circle.
8. Center the text, using the Align Center command.

Voilà! You now have text set around a circle. This sticker we recently printed for the Arkansas Canoe Club is a great example of circular text: