2. Create the Shapes of the Letters
Step 1
Grab the Type Tool (T) and type the following letters on your artboard. Use the fonts and sizes indicated for each one. The word is "SAMPLE" but we will create the letters "A" and "L" separately.
Step 2
Now let's create the letter "A". Grab the Star Tool, click on your artboard to open the Star window and enter the settings shown below. You will get an upside-down triangle but you can flip it by going to the Transform panel and selecting Flip Vertical from the fly-out menu (upper right corner).
Using the Direct Selection Tool (A) select only the bottom middle point and move it down about 9px by pressing the Down Arrow Key on your keyboard 9 times. Next, using the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C) click on this point and drag to generate the handles.