how to make a web 2.0 play button in adobe illustrator cs6

How to Make a Web 2.0 Play Button

In Adobe Illustrator CS6

Step 1: Create a circle using “Ellipse Tool”.

Step 2a: Create a “Triangle (play icon)” using “Star Tool”.

Select “Star Tool”, click and hold the left button of your mouse. You will see an outline of a star.

Step 2b: Now press “DOWN Arrow” key on your keyboard 2 times, you will see a triangle outline. Press “Shift key” and release your mouse button.

Step 2c: Rotate your triangle to the right side so it will look like “Play icon”, then go to color palette and change the color to a lighter tone.

Step 3a: Select the “Play icon” and “circle” with the “Shift key”. Click the circle 1 more time. Now whatever alignment you use, the circle will not move from its original place. Go to “Align panel” and select “Horizontal Align Center”.

Step 3b: Select “Vertical Align Center”.

Step 3c: Once the Alignment is done, press and hold “ALT+SHIFT” and resize the icon according to the size of the circle. You do this by stretching one of the corner of the “Bounding box”.

Step 4: Select the “Play icon”, then go to the color palette and change the color to white.

Step 4b: It’s time to hide the icon so we can proceed with the coloring! To hide, select the icon and go to Object>Hide>Selection.

Step 4c: Now the only thing that is left is the “Black Circle”.

Step 5a: Select the circle. Go to “Gradient Panel” and select white to black gradient. You will see an option where it says “Linear”(Linear gradient starts from 1 side to another), change it to “Radial”(Radial Gradient starts from the center of a particular object).

Step 5b: This should be your outcome.

Step 6a: Select the “Gradient Circle” then go the “Gradient Palette”. You will see 2 colors in the sliding bar i.e. White and Black. Select the white and change it to cyan.

Step 6b: Select the black and change the color to royal blue.

Step 6c: Add a mid tone shade of blue at the center of the sliding bar. You can do that by dragging the color from your color palette and dropping it at the center of the sliding bar.

Step 7a: For the Glossy effect, create a small oval shape using “Ellipse Tool” and place it on front of the circle.

Step 7b: Select the oval shape, go to “Swatch panel” and select “Fading Sky” gradient. This is the outcome.

Step 7c: Select the blue color in the sliding bar on “Gradient Panel” and change it to white. Now select the “Gradient Tool (G)” from your “Tool” window and make a 90 degree angle gradient i.e. from the top of the circle to bottom of the oval shape.

Step 8a: Using the same method described in “Step 7”, create a circle smaller than the original and place it in front of the original.

Step 8b: Use the same “Fading Sky” gradient as in “Step 7”. Make the blue color in the sliding bar white.

Step 8c: This time you want to give just a hint of the glossy effect at the lower part of the circle using the gradient at the angle of 125 degree.

Step 9a: Now to bring back the play icon that you hide in “Step 4”! In order to do that, go to Object > Show All.

Step 9b: Your play button is ready!