Adobe Illustrator is the best program to use when designing and creating logos. We show you all the tools and techniques in our Illustrator courses.
The first part of the process is to examine the design brief received from the client, taking into consideration any existing company branding. Other important information would concern the company’s products or services, their target audience and clientele, their values and mission statement. We would also research the client’s competitors.
The next stage is to start visualizing ideas, using perhaps pencil and paper for rough drafts. The advantage of starting this way rather than using digital media is the looseness and fluidity of traditional methods. We would find the main concept and build upon this one idea, possibly using photos and sketching variations.
The logo mark would then be adapted in Adobe Illustrator. You could scan in your sketched image, or recreate the basic forms using Illustrator’s shape and Pen tools. Start with basic shapes: circles, rectangles, rounded corners. Then evolve the idea using repeats created by copying & pasting. Add and subtract using the Pathfinder panel. Also Align & Distribute the shapes evenly. And adjust the Stroke weight of the outlines.
Colour would also be utilized, often using the company’s own corporate branding guidelines, using the RGB and CMYK breakdowns of the colours. Or Pantone spot colour swatches.
Finally text is added, again possibly using the company’s own fonts from their Style Guide. Maintain the basic rules of typography – simple is often best. Text could be further distorted, as in the example above. Again, keep it subtle.
Variations of the logo mark could be submitted to the client, but don’t confuse them with too many choices. When the client is happy with the result, provide them with vector versions of the artwork so it can be scaled up for banners and posters without any loss of detail. And provide greyscale and black & white versions.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or self-taught, our courses will help you gain self-confidence in your Illustrator workflow, as well as adding to your professional skill-set. See many examples of our Illustrator clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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Illustrator workspace
Illustrator basics
Illustrator clipping masks
Illustrator live trace
Illustrator brushes