Are you interested in a simple and editable neon text effect that you can apply to other fonts and icons, including the Beat Saber logo? Stay tuned until the end to find it!
If you don’t have the time to learn how to make a neon sign text effect, you can always try Envato Elements, where you will find a large selection of text effects, fonts, and graphics that are ready to be used for a neon text effect.
What You’ll Learn in This Affinity Designer Tutorial
- How to make a brick wall background in Affinity Designer
- How to make a neon light text effect
- How to apply Layer Effects in Affinity Designer
- How to recreate the Beat Saber logo
Tutorial Assets
You’ll need the following resources in order to complete this project:
1. How to Open a New Document
Launch Affinity Designer and go to File > New to open the New Document window. Type in the dimensions shown, while setting the resolution to 72 dpi, the Document units to Pixels, and the Color format to RGB. Hit Create.
2. How to Create a Wall Background in Affinity Designer
Step 1
Go to File > Place, locate the background image on your computer, and hit Open. I’m using this beautiful Brick Wall photo. Scale it down, and then make sure to lock the layer in the Layers panel.
Step 2
To darken the background more, take the Rectangle Tool (M) and draw a rectangle the same size as the artboard. Fill the shape with a radial gradient. Set the first color stop to black at 70% Opacity and the second color stop to black at 96% Opacity. Change the Blending mode of the layer to Multiply.
3. How to Create a Neon Light Text Effect
Step 1
At this point, we’re ready to start making the neon sign text effect. Grab the Artistic Text Tool (T) and write LIVE on your artboard using the Avaneonz font, with a size of 180 pt.
Now, apply a white fill color and a 2.5 pt Stroke in the Appearance panel.
Step 2
While the text stays selected, open the Layer Effects window (View > Studio > Effects) and activate the Inner Shadow effect. Change the settings and color as indicated.
Step 3
Now, activate the Outer Glow effect and apply the settings shown. This will create a bright red glow around the text.
Step 4
Finally, activate Outer Shadow and apply the settings shown. Hit Close once you’re done. How easy and quick was this, right?
Step 5
At this point, you can right-click on the LIVE text layer and choose Duplicate from the menu. Move the copy downward and change the text to MUSIC with the Artistic Text Tool (T). You can type anything you wish.
Step 6
You can change the color of your neon effect text easily. Reopen the Layer Effects window and change the color of the Inner Shadow and Outer Glow effects. I’m using blue shades for a blue neon look.
Step 7
In Affinity Designer, you can warp text easily. To create a cool slanted neon light look, just select both pieces of text with the Move Tool (V) and position the cursor next to the middle bounding box points. When the cursor turns into two arrows pointing in different directions, you can click and drag the text upward or downward.
Another option to display your neon effect text is just to rotate one of the pieces of text.
Step 8
To improve the look of your final neon effect, you can add some extra light. Grab the Ellipse Tool (M) and draw an ellipse that covers the LIVE text. Fill it with red; then apply the Gaussian Blur effect using a Radius of about 50 px. Hit Close once done. Move this ellipse behind the text in the Layers panel.
Step 9
Repeat the same thing for the MUSIC text, but color the ellipse with blue. Adjust the Radius of the Gaussian Blur effect depending on how small or big the ellipse is.
Congratulations! You’re Done
Now you know how to make a neon text effect in Affinity Designer. Explore all the settings and options available, and create a unique effect that’s perfect for your project. Try other colors like neon green or neon yellow, and come up with a cool color combination. Try other fonts or apply this effect to icons and logos. It can be done!
Make sure to check out Envato Elements, where you’ll find many text effects, fonts, add-ons, or photos that might inspire you, or download them ready to use.
If the bright red and blue colors remind you of the Beat Saber color combo, then you can recreate it quickly by following this tutorial. I’ve used One Thin Line with a few tweaks as the Beat Saber logo font. Looks great, right?
Popular Resources From Envato Elements
Envato Elements is an excellent resource for text effects, fonts, logos, graphics, and photos, all ready to be used. You can download as many as you wish with a subscription. Here’s a short list of some of the most popular text effects that you can find.
Neon Light Editable Text Effect (EPS, AI)
Choose this brightly colored neon text effect to make any title, headline, banner, poster, or cover pop. You can also display your logo, signage, or branding in an original way.
Neon Layer Styles (ASL, PSD)
If you can’t decide on the color, then these neon layer styles are the perfect option for you. The pack includes 63 color variations, so you’ll definitely find one that fits into your project. Try them!
Want to Learn More About Affinity Designer?
Did you like this Affinity Designer tutorial? We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+ that teach many other useful techniques. Here’s a list of tutorials specially made for you. Take a look!