Adobe Illustrator Vs Photoshop For Logo Design

Why Logos Should Be Designed in Adobe Illustrator Over Photoshop and InDesign

In the arena of graphic design, there are a number of quality software programs that allow users to create stunning designs for an array of applications. Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign are easily the most widely used of the available software, however, what the general public might not understand is that each of these design programs is uniquely specialized for a niche set of tasks. In short, not all programs are created equal.

Illustrator Vs Photoshop Vs InDesign

Sure, while one program may be able to loosely achieve the feats of the others, there are inherent strengths and weaknesses within these software programs that cause for one to be a more appropriate tool than the other, for any given task. It’s really a matter of evaluating the breadth of your project and your desired design deliverables, and then identifying the best tool for the job.

Specifically referring to logo design, it’s extremely common for clients to request that designers use Adobe Photoshop for the project, so that they may be able to edit the logo themselves in the future. While this makes sense in the fact that Photoshop is a more accessible and user-friendly program, thus preferred by novice designers, it simply isn’t the appropriate tool for professional logo design.

The question then becomes why not?

Though the answer may not be simple, it is distinct. With that, we’ve decided to elaborate on the debate; discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the three design programs, their limitations and most importantly, the major differences between them that ultimately determines their correct uses.

Adobe Illustrator – Built for Logo Design:

The most distinct characteristic of Illustrator is that it is a vector drawing tool, meaning, the output file is a vector graphic that can be resized to any degree, without losing any quality. As you may have guessed, this is absolutely essential for logo design because of the dynamic diversity of its applications – you need the logo to function in spaces as small as a business card but also as big as a billboard. Conveniently, vector files allow for you to shrink or grow the finished design without any deterioration of graphic integrity.

Adobe Illustrator Image

More About Vector Files:

For a more in-depth explanation of how exactly vector files work, the software essentially uses a mathematical solution to plot paths and strokes on an X and Y axis, within the given work area, to establish “control points” that universally control the shapes during the design process. When the design is complete, it is saved to a vector format such as Adobe AI or EPS. These file formats can be considered the master files, which are fully editable in the software in which they were created.

If that wasn’t enough, a further and reasonable explanation of vector graphics can be found here→ Vector graphics – Wikipedia

Illustrator is also equipped with excellent drawing capabilities that make it the supreme method for crafting more organic, free-flowing forms that are beyond the basic presets of circles and squares. Although clients might be intimidated by these advanced features, the program’s unique ability to draw next-level shapes and then save them as a vector file that can be liberally resized, without the loss of quality, makes Illustrator the most apt tool and the clear software of choice for professional logo design.

are then laid out within Photoshop to form a greater, more collective document. While Illustrator works mainly with vector files, Photoshop is primarily a raster-based program that produces bitmaps.

More About Raster Graphics:

Raster graphics are synonymous with bitmap graphics, as both essentially refer to computer images that are formed by way of a rectangular grid of pixels or individual points of color.Rater ImageSource:printcnx.com If that wasn’t enough, a further and reasonable explanation of raster graphics can be found here→ Raster graphics – Wikipedia While Photoshop is not the best for creating professional logos, primarily because of its lack of vector drawing abilities, it is still a potent program. It’s a fantastic application for photographers because of the amazing editing controls that are available for manipulating photographs, as well as, it’s a popular program for untrained designers because of the built-in creative filters that allow even a novice user to make something look good with very little effort.Vector Bitmap ImageSource: wikipedia Further, because of its bitmap base, Photoshop is great for web designers because it allows you to optimize graphics for use online, resulting in smaller file sizes and subsequently quicker page loading. Web designers can also appreciate that Photoshop provides a relatively easy forum for slicing graphics to form individual online elements, such as backgrounds and buttons, for laying out web pages and wire frames. It’s safe to say the learning curve for Photoshop is ultimately quite flat and because it’s generally cheaper to acquire than Illustrator, it tends to invite less experienced hobbyists than it does seasoned logo design professionals. Yes, for all of Photoshop’s many strengths in general design, when it comes to logo design, it has some weaknesses to be addressed. Above all, the glaring difference here is that when bitmap files are enlarged, they lose quality. As the individual bits get larger, at a certain point in the enlarging process you begin to see a ragged edge (the result of the individual squares that make up the bitmap design, as opposed to a smooth edge formed by a vector image). Obviously, this perceived pixilation becomes a substantial problem when growing an image to the size of a billboard. Knowing this, when it comes to the application of logo design, Photoshop simply isn’t a suitable software. Logos need to be versatile by nature but because Photoshop does not allow you to make a vector file, you would either need to create the original file to be the size of a billboard (and shrink it down from there) or you would literally need to remake the logo each time in a new size, which are both, of course, ridiculous practices.