How To Create A Logo In Illustrator 6 Easy Parts

What is the philosophy behind your brand? What makes you different from the competition? Are there any symbols or images that are representative of your brand? Are there any colors or color combinations that fit your brand identity?

If you just want to create a vector version of an existing logo, you can trace over an existing raster image of a logo using Illustrator’s Live Trace feature or manually using the Illustrator tools.

You need a subscription to Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Creative Cloud to download and install Adobe Illustrator. You can start a free 7-day trial of Adobe Illustrator at https://www. adobe. com/products/illustrator/free-trial-download. html If you don’t have a subscription to Adobe Illustrator, you can use Inkscape which is a free and open-source alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It has many of the same features that Adobe Illustrator has.

Click File in the menu bar at the top. Click New. Type a name for the file next to “Name”. Click Ok.

Click View in the menu bar at the top. Hover over Rulers. Click Show Rulers.

Most logos are designed on a vertical rectangle-shaped artboard or an even square-shaped artboard. A rectangle-shaped logo will look good on banners, signs, and a social media cover page, but a square-shaped logo will fit into more platforms, such as the corner of a business card or social media profile icons.

A traditional font such as Times New Roman or Garamond can add a formal look to a logo. A sans-serif font such as Helvetica can add a more modern look to a font. Avoid using overly decorative fonts that are difficult to read. Also, avoid mixing fonts in your logo design. If you download free fonts online, be aware of the licensing agreement for those fonts. Many free fonts are free to use for personal use but are not authorized for commercial use.

Don’t add color to your logo just yet. Color printing might not always be an option. Designing a simple black and white logo to start with will ensure that your logo looks good in its simplest form. You can also use the Text on a Path Tool to add text in a circle or curvy shape.

Font Size: The drop-down menu with a small “T” next to a large “T” adjusts the font size. You can also use the selection tool (the icon that resembles a black mouse cursor in the toolbar to the left) to change the size of your font by clicking and dragging the corners of your text object. Hold Shift to keep the text size proportional while resizing it with the selection tool. Leading: Leading changes the space between lines of text. Use the drop-down menu next to the icon that resembles an “A” on top of another “A” to change the leading. Kerning: Kerning adjusts the space between specific characters. To adjust the kerning, highlight the characters you want to adjust and then use the drop-down menu next to the icon with an “A” and a “V” being pushed together in the character menu to adjust the kerning. Tracking: Tracking adjusts the space between all characters in the text. Use the drop-down menu next to the icon that resembles an “A” and a “V” being pushed apart in the Character menu to adjust the tracking. Horizontal Scale: Horizontal stretches the characters horizontally making them wider or thinner. Use the drop-down menu next to the icon that resembles a “T” being stretched horizontally in the Character menu to adjust the horizontal scale of the text. Vertical Scale: Vertical scale stretches characters vertically making them taller or shorter. Use the icon that resembles a “T” being stretched vertically to adjust the vertical scale of the text.

Click the selection tool at the top of the toolbar to the left. Click the text object to select it. Click Type in the menu bar at the top. Click Create Outlines.

It’s a good idea to place your text and your images on separate layers in Illustrator. You can also use the Pen Tool to create more complex shapes.

Hold ⇧ Shift while you click and drag to keep the shape proportional. Don’t add any color to the logo just yet. Start with a simple black and white version of the logo.

Click Windows in the menu bar at the top. Click Pathfinder

Unite: This joins the selected shapes into a single shape. It’s the icon that resembles two squares joined together. Minus Front: This cuts the shape on top out of the shape on the bottom. It’s the icon that resembles a square with the corner cut out. Intersect: This removes all but where the two shapes overlap. It’s the icon with two squares forming a small square in the middle. Exclude: This removes the area where the two shapes overlap. It’s the icon with the two squares with the corners cut out in the middle.

If you zoom in on a shape, you’ll see white dots on the lines and corners of the shape. These are called Vectors. Use the Direct Select tool and click and drag the vectors to move them. This allows you to move corners and expand shapes. If you click a vector with the Direct Select tool, you might see two lines with dots on the end of them attached to the vector. These are called Bezier Curves. You can click and drag them to adjust the curve of a line.

Click Windows in the menu bar at the top. Click Artboards

Click Windows in the menu bar at the top. Click Swatches.

You can access Pantone swatches under Color books in the swatch libraries menu.

You can also use the gradient to add more complex color blends. However, it’s best to do this on a third artboard with a full-color copy of the logo.

You can also select “Adobe PDF” to save the logo in PDF format. If you plan on using the logo in Adobe Animate or Adobe After Effects, it’s also recommended that you save a copy in “SVG” format.