Best program for logos

[aaronfalloon]

What program do you guys use to draw your logos? and if it's photoshop, how do you do it, are there any tutorials?

 

[digitome]

I use photoshop, Can you post links on here? Just google free psd logo tutorials you'll see a bunch of them.

 

[Varelse]

If you think of designing logos profesionally, they have to be designed in vector format - which leaves Photoshop out. Illustrator, Corel, Freehand, Xara - any of these programs can be used. Many logo designers choose Illustrator.

 

[kindigo]

Photoshop or freehand.

 

[weblord]

fireworks and coreldraw

 

[zachbb]

You can not use photoshop for logos. Photoshop creates Raster images and you will need vector. Corel Draw or Illustrator are good options.

 

[Swefx]

The latest version of Macromedia Flash is out and it has some great graphical features as well being vector.

I've made many logo's for company's with Flash 8.

 

[Varelse]

Please don't confuse person asking for help by giving a bad advice.
Suggesting Photoshop for logo design isn't a good tip for sure.
People suggesting it have probably header design in mind - but it's not the same as logo.
These are 2 different things.

 

[aaronfalloon]

So I need Adobe Imageready for designing a logo and Photoshop for web layouts etc?

 

[peter phillips]

We use Coral Draw and Illustrator for logos.

 

[will7]

So I need Adobe Imageready for designing a logo and Photoshop for web layouts etc?

Yes, you can use Photoshop for web layouts - in fact, I'd recommend it. But, for logo design (don't use Imageready), as others have mentioned, you will need a vector program - there are quite a few on the market: Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Xara X1, Macromedia Flash are all vector design programs.

Personally, I opt for Adobe Illustrator with Flash every now and again, but it is, really, down to personal preference.

 

[Xombie]

I'm another Illustrator user, but if you want something simple, try Fireworks instead.

 

[iNod]

Please don't confuse person asking for help by giving a bad advice.
Suggesting Photoshop for logo design isn't a good tip for sure.
People suggesting it have probably header design in mind - but it's not the same as logo.
These are 2 different things.

And why isn't a program which is ment for logos good to use for logos? Aslong as you can save it in the .ei or another vector format. The project is fine. It has all the funky tools like pen and freehand. So it is perfectly fine to suggest.

- Steve

 

[Varelse]

And why isn't a program which is ment for logos good to use for logos? Aslong as you can save it in the .ei or another vector format. The project is fine. It has all the funky tools like pen and freehand. So it is perfectly fine to suggest.

- Steve

Photoshop isn't meant for logos. It is meant for raster design and even though it offers vector tools, it cannot be treated as vector program for sure.

When you save AI (not .ei) or EPS from Photoshop, it WON'T be a vector file, but will contain raster elements only.
Check it yourself - zoom in into the AI or PDF file exported from Photoshop and watch the blocky pixles growing.
It WON'T be vector output and this eliminates Photoshop from the list of programs that can be recommended for logo design.

It's a bad advice to suggest Photoshop for designing logos to someone just starting his design experience, especially if he treats your advice as if it was given by a professional and as such - worth listening. Unfortunately it isn't, and in a longer run may rather cause negative effects (bad terminology used and wrong standards applied) than really help the person asking for the advice.

 

[TeviH]

It's perfectly legitimate to use photoshop to design a logo. As long as you know what the logo will be used for, or what it can be used for, and make it large enough, it's fine. I sometimes use photoshop, and create it to be 8x10 @ 600dpi or larger. With today's printing capabilities, sometimes a client will want a full-color design, rather than just a few colors or black and white. And then, vector might not be so great.

Sometimes I design in Illustrator only, sometimes Photoshop and then I'll export paths to Illustrator, or vice versa - Whatever the job calls for. Don't ever limit yourself to a single tool. If the job calls for a different tool, you use the different tool. Between photoshop and illustrator, you should be covered with everything.

Every logo should start off with a pencil sketch. You can use whatever tools you want after that.

 

[will7]

It's perfectly legitimate to use photoshop to design a logo. As long as you know what the logo will be used for, or what it can be used for, and make it large enough, it's fine. I sometimes use photoshop, and create it to be 8x10 @ 600dpi or larger. With today's printing capabilities, sometimes a client will want a full-color design, rather than just a few colors or black and white. And then, vector might not be so great.

Sometimes I design in Illustrator only, sometimes Photoshop and then I'll export paths to Illustrator, or vice versa - Whatever the job calls for. Don't ever limit yourself to a single tool. If the job calls for a different tool, you use the different tool. Between photoshop and illustrator, you should be covered with everything.

Every logo should start off with a pencil sketch. You can use whatever tools you want after that.

TeviH, it is not perfectly legitimate to design a logo in Photoshop - irrelevant of what it is used for. It doesn't matter how big you make it or whatever other techniques you use, Photoshop is not a vector program and never will be, that is why Adobe brought out Illustrator as its vector companion.

Even if a client says "I don't think I'll need to use this for anything other than the web" you can never be 100% sure, something may come up that they do need to use it for and can't then what are you going to do? It is of paramount concern in logo design that the logo can be used in every format - irrelevant of whether the client asks for it or not.

You do not have to limit yourself to one tool either, Illustrator is not the only vector program on the market you know - simply the most well-known one. Xara X1, CorelDRAW, Macromedia Flash etc are all vector programs and viable for logo design.

By all means Photoshop is vastly superior than Illustrator in every other area of graphic design apart from vector. It is great for template design, creating photorealistic images etc and is unparalleled in the industry in those sectors, but Adobe made Illustrator for a reason and that was to fill the gap that Photoshop left with it's lack of vector capabilities.

Please, don't try and convince people that Photoshop is a viable logo design program because, the fact of the matter is that it is not and never will be hence why Illustrator was made as a design program that can be used in conjunction with Photoshop to give, quite possibly, the most comprehensive and powerful graphic design suite on the market.

And sorry for the long post

Will.

 

[dongan]

If you think of designing logos profesionally, they have to be designed in vector format - which leaves Photoshop out. Illustrator, Corel, Freehand, Xara - any of these programs can be used. Many logo designers choose Illustrator.

100% right. Logo should be in vector format.

 

[LeetPCUser]

I use Photoshop and go to www.pixel2life.com...I also have seen people do work with Adobe Illistrator and that is amazing as well. You can make vector images (images that can be shrunk or blown up to any size and not change clarity). I would recommend learning both.

 

[Varelse]

Using Photoshop for logo design means that a designer is taking advantage of his client limited knowledge regarding the possible future issues he may have with a raster only design. In fact in many cases it seems that's also limited designer's knowledge about the quality and professional standards, and this is even more sad...

Client pays for a sub-standard service and when he has to have his logo reproduced, he's told that he has to provide the vector file. The original logo designer refuses to provide them, as he's already been paid for his (questinable quality) work and this unfortunate client has to look for another designer to vectorize his logo into industry standard format.

I heard tons of these stories and vectorized over a hundred of such logos being the result of the work done by a designer not experienced with professional quality standards.

That's why it is very important that the forums like WHT can be a place when a beginner can find a helpful advice, not the one that'll cause only confusion and give him wrong start at the very beginning of his designing career.

 

[Coolprogram]

It;s definitely photshop, but I ain't gonna write a tutorial...so here are some places to go to.

www.pixel2life.com
&
www.tutorialized.com
-CP