How to Easily Create a Hatched Drop Shadow Text Effect in Illustrator

Illustrator Text Effects

Retro Text Effects are an aspect of typefaces that so many designers love; ythink like Hominis or Sunset Boulevard fonts, with that hatched drop shadow effect. But what if you want to use a different font or even a different type of hatched drop shadow effect on your headlines? Today, I'll show you a very easy way to make a Hatched Drop Shadow Text Effect in Illustrator that you can apply to any font and using nothing but the default Illustrator Tools and Patterns.​

Step 1

Open Illustrator and make a new file at any size you want. In this case i will make mine at 1800 x 1200 px.

Step 2

With the Type Tool (T) type your text. In this case, i will be using the Roboto Slab Bold font at 300 pt but you can use any font you want.

Step 3

In the Toolbar set the Fill and Stroke of the text to none.

Step 4

With the text selected, go to Window > Appearance.

Step 5

Add 2 new fills by clicking 2 times on the "Add New Fill" icon.

Step 6

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard and click on the first Fill layer thumbnail to bring up the alternative color UI and set any color you want for your text. In this case, I will set mine to #343334.

Step 7

Select the second Fill layer. Click on the layer thumbnail and then on the Swatches Library Menu icon. From the dropdown select Patterns > Basic Graphics > Basic Graphics_Lines.

Step 8

In the Basic Graphic_Lines window select the "10 lpi 30%" pattern.

Step 9

With the Fill layer selected, click on the "Add New Effect" icon and from the dropdown menu select Distort & Transform > Transform. Apply the following settings and click OK.

Step 10

Again, click on the "Add New Effect" icon and from the dropdown menu select Distort & Transform > Transform. Apply the following settings and click OK.
Note: If a warning window pop up, click on "Apply New Effect".

Step 11

Lastly, and just to give the text a nice final touch, select the Stroke layer and set the Stroke to any Color and Weight you want. In this case, I will setup a 4px Stroke with a white color.

Some Final Notes

As we made this effect using the Appearance Panel, you can easily edit your text as you normally do. Simply select the Type Tool, type your text and pick any font and font size you want, and if you want to change the text or stroke colors, just change the first Fill or Stroke color layer in the Appearance panel.