A Question (or 2) about designing Logos...

I have a few questions about logo designing (which are probably "newbie" questions).

I'm interested in logo designing (for extra income) and have been researching/practicing with Photoshop (I've been a photoshop user for years).

However, I've seen debates on forums where some say its best to use Illustrator to design logos (due to scalability) while others say Photoshop is just fine. I pretty much have found the answer to this question (most say use Illustrator) but it never hurts to hear a few more opinions on it lol.


Also, in viewing logos for inspiration, I've noticed alot of logos will use images as a part of their logo (example: an image of a soccer ball, not an actual picture of one). My question is, do you normally draw EVERYTHING by scratch? Or do you use pre-made vector shapes (as long as it has a commericial use license)?

Thanks everyone in advance!

 

well for me i would only use photoshop when it comes to any type of graphic design, thats including logo design, but i taught my brother how to design and ever since he can only stand using adobe illustrator for logo's, so in my opinion it all depends on the person and how they prefer their set-ups, best bet is to try out both and decide which you feel more comfortable in.

for the last question, it all depends on the design, their are some designs (most designs) where you create everything from scratch but their are also some logo's where you can take a picture of something and use it as a outline for your design.

do note though, anything you use that you have brought and not made yourself will be protected under copyright law and you may be taken to caught for stealing their designs and such (rare case and can only be found out if a logo of that product is showing.) also it tends to look better if you design yourself from scratch.

 

thanks so much for the advice

i don't know if i'm going to use illustrator to design EVERY logo, i guess that would be up to the client, but i will learn it just in case (cause it would be just my luck, that the first client i have will want a logo in vector format lol).

as far as the images go, its just that i would view other designers' portfolios and i would wonder if they were using pre-made vector shapes, or if they designed it from scratch (because some of the examples i've seen look as if they've used pre-made vector shapes that's offered on different sites, so it made me wonder). but i think its just best to design everything from scratch.

 

I've been using photoshop for about 2 years now, haven't tried illustrator. Maybe i should give it a try

 

I think if the business/site/whatever plans to later branch out from the internet world (i.e. Making T Shirts, Company Logo on the outside of their building ect..) then the logo should be made in Illustrator due to scalability like said before. But if its just a site logo for a header or something, i think photoshop can handle that job.

 

Illustrator is for vectoring, and not much to be used... Photoshop has vectoring features, also photo editing, blending, everything to get logo tuned up.. So photoshop is better.. i've tried illustrator, but imo, photoshop is enough for me, i dont need illustrator as photoshop can give everything i obviously needs..

 

If the logo isn't going to be used for print then Photoshop is just fine (ie: anything for the web). If the logo is going to be used for a business card or such than designing it in Illustrator is pretty much required.

 

Illustrator is a precision drawing tool that designs using vectors. Vector logos are the industry standard for design. Many people on here might sell five dollar logos that were whipped up in photoshop, but trained professionals rely on Illustrator to create their logos.

When it comes to adding an image, icon, or clip art, illustrator gets the job done well. You can trace the image and create an easy to edit vector out of it. Or you can combine basic geometric shapes to make your design or freehand it. You can also hand draw your logo on paper, scan it and trace into illustrator.

Good luck.

 

I haven't tried Illustrator. Photoshop is still the best in therms of making LOgos and banners aw well as photo Editing.
Most of our Logo Designers are using Photoshop.

 

I guess it all depends on the client's needs. If it needs to be printed then you should use illustrator or else the logo might print out in lower quality. But for web stuff, photoshop should be alright.

 

NEVER use photoshop for logos, use illustrator, because Illustrator is vectorized. It can be scaled up and down without being unsharp