How to Use Templates in Adobe Illustrator

Knowing how to use templates in Illustrator is essential as there are templates for so many different things, such as business cards, invitations, planners, presentations, etc. It’s great to be able to grab a template and quickly edit it to fit your style.

The template we’ll be using is a Father’s Day event flyer from Design Bundles, but there are many more templates available.

Before we begin, ensure that your file has been downloaded and unzipped.

Step 1 - Open the Template

Click on File > New from Template.

In the New from Template dialog, locate and select your template file. Then click the New button.

Step 2 - Fix Missing Fonts

Depending on your template, you may not have all the fonts you need. Some templates come with fonts for you to install before using the template. Other templates may only come with a document explaining all the information you need to know, so make sure you read that beforehand.



If you have missing fonts when you open the template, a popup will appear on your screen. The Adobe Fonts library is then checked for the missing fonts. If any of the missing fonts are Adobe fonts, mark the checkbox for that font and click the Activate Fonts button.

Click Close once your Missing Fonts list is empty.

If you see a popup like the one in the following image, simply select your preference.

Step 3 - Edit the Template

Once your template appears, open the Layers panel by going to Window > Layers.

Edit the Text

You can simply click on an object in the design itself to select it or select it in the Layers panel. If you are selecting it in the Layers panel, click the arrow next to the corresponding layer’s thumbnail to expand the list of objects in that layer.

You can select a text object in the Layers panel by clicking the circle on the far right. Then make your edits. We only changed the font and size of “Happy,” but you can edit the text any way you want including changing what it says. You can even use the Touch Type Tool (Shift + T) on it.

Edit the Background Color

Select the background object in the same way as the text object. Then double-click on the Fill icon in the left toolbar to open the Color Picker dialog. Pick a new color and click OK.

The change in the background object color will be reflected on the template itself and in the Layers panel.

Edit Color of Other Objects

The template you are using may have other objects that you can edit as well. Our template has many more graphics, and we ended up changing their colors. Take a look at all the changes we made below!

Step 4 - Save and Export

The last step is to save the template and export the design in whatever file format you need.

Now you know how to use templates in Illustrator! Grab a template and make it fit your style and/or event with everything you’ve learned in this tutorial!