In this week’s free episode of Deke’s Techniques, Deke shows you how to draw a meticulous (of course) version of the universal “this is how you turn the power on/off” symbol inside Adobe Illustrator.

Who knew that this symbol is based on the artist’s interpretation of a zero (off) meets a one (on)? Deke, that’s who. Why he decided to ask the question in the first place is one of the mysteries of the world.

But the results of Deke’s never-ending curiosity is that we all benefit from his learning exactly how to recreate this everyday symbol with precision in Adobe Illustrator. 

He begins with a field of blue and a set of center guides.

Next, he creates a 600 point diameter circle at the center of those guides.

Next, with the bounding box set to visible, he uses the convent “pie” handles to drag a Pac-Man like “mouth” in the circle (at the top). The Shape properties allow you to make sure the beginning and end of the pie wedge are precisely equidistant from the vertical guide.

Removing the point that holds the wedge together creates a perfectly interrupted circle. Applying round caps via the Stroke properties controls finishes the zero part of our symbol.

And finally a mathematically engineered line interrupts the circle and finishes our power symbol.

Deke’s Techniques, finding graphic arts projects in everyday places every week.