Using Illustrator tools to craft the perfect logo

Published on March 11, 2014

Whether you're designing a new logo for a startup company or crafting an image to accompany a project, there are many programs available to make the process both easy and fun. With a heavy emphasis on vector-based design, Adobe Illustrator is the best tool to use when crafting your logo. This app makes it easy for users to create using a number of colors, shapes and high-quality fonts, but it also includes a number of more artistic features ideal for logo design.

Image Trace allows users to transform images
There are many logos from which you can draw inspiration, whether you're more interested in a text-heavy image - such as the one used by Coca-Cola - or an image-based one, similar to the Starbucks logo. For designers who prefer those with pictures, the Image Trace tool is ideal for transforming 3-D pictures or objects into 2-D drawings. This tool has the capability to make any image into a vector-based one, which will make it much easier to transport onto company documents, websites and graphics.

Say, for example, that you wish to incorporate the image of a small dog into your design. When you upload the real-world picture of the dog then use the Image Trace feature, the canine will be instantly transformed into a line-based picture that can be further edited to suit your needs.

New Pencil Tool adds realistic feel to drawings
While the Pencil Tool has been a staple feature of Adobe Illustrator since its inception, the version featured in Illustrator Creative Cloud allows for users to interact with the tool in new ways. Designers still have the ability to draw free-form images using the pencil, but, according to the Adobe website, the Illustrator CC pencil offers the opportunity to create more complex shapes. Forming curves, straight lines and refining images may be much easier with this new feature.

Putting it all together
Enrolling in Adobe Illustrator Classes at the American Graphics Institute helps you to learn how to master these tools, and to use the myriad of features found within this app. Learn how the experts manipulate images using these design tricks, and discover ways in which your logo can stand out among the rest.

About the author

Jennifer Smith is a user experience designer, Photoshop expert, educator and author based in Boston. She is the author of more than 20 books on design tools and processes, including Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies, Adobe Creative Cloud Digital Classroom, and Photoshop Digital Classroom. She has been awarded a Microsoft MVP three times for her work with user experience design in creating apps for touch, desktop, and mobile devices. Jennifer holds the CPUX-F credential from the UXQB.

Jennifer delivers UX training and UX consulting for large Fortune 100 companies, small start-ups, and independent software vendors. She has been hired by Adobe and Microsoft to deliver training workshops to their staff, and has traveled to Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East, and across the U.S. to deliver courses and assist on UX design projects. She has extensive knowledge of modern UX Design, and worked closely with the Microsoft Windows team to create educational material and deliver UX workshops to key partners globally on behalf of Microsoft. Jennifer works with a wide range of prototyping tools including XD, Sketch, Balsamiq, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blend for Visual Studio. She also works extensively in the fields of presentation design and visual design.