How to make a radial dot effect

To start, use the Ellipse Tool to draw a circle and adjust the stroke weight. A stroke weight of 14 pt is recommended, though it can be changed later.

Once the circle and stroke width are set, use the Scissors Tool on the anchor points. The Ellipse Tool automatically generates four anchor points—one on each side of the ellipse. For a more complex design, additional anchor points can be added.

The Scissors Tool separates the lines between the anchor points where it is used. Apply the tool to all four points to divide the circle into four sections. Each section can be colored, and experimenting with complementary, tertiary, analogous, or gradient colors is recommended. After selecting the desired colors, group all the sections of the ellipse together. Grouping is essential; without it, the radial dot effect will not work.

Next, click on Stroke, which is underlined with a dashed line and located either on the top bar or the right side of the screen. This will open the stroke adjustment panel. First, set the “Cap” to rounded while leaving the “Corner” and “Align Stroke” options unchanged. Then, check the “Dashed Line” box and set the first dash to 3 pt and the gap to 25 pt. Finally, change the profile from “Uniform” to “Width Profile 4,” which resembles a triangle, and press return.

With the dot effect applied, proceed to the radial effect. Navigate to Effects > Distort & Transform > Transform. In the Transform panel, set both the horizontal and vertical scales to 90% and the angle to 8 degrees. Ensure only the “Transform Objects” option is checked. Change the number of copies from 0 to 35, then click “OK.”

Have fun designing!