Creating Logo in Photoshop and Illustrator: Which Is Better?

One of the most critical points in starting a business is designing a logo. Being nitpicky about it, from the conceptualized draft to the software to be used for finalization, is nothing but a very important approach in crafting an effective art piece. Adobe Systems Incorporated, a company known for its first-class programs made for media-design, has two leading programs that are now widely being utilized by many graphic designers: Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Both programs are equipped with highly-innovative and user-friendly tools for design. But in spite all of this, one question continues to emerge especially among the meticulous business starters - is creating a logo in Photoshop better than in Illustrator, or is it the other way around?

Photoshop

It started in 1987 as image-editing software that focuses primarily in photo manipulation. Nowadays, it is considered as the basic program that offers advanced tools not only for digital-image enhancement, but also for crafting different types of art such as cartoons, video graphics, and business-related illustrations.

There are many handy utilities in creating logo in Photoshop. Visual instruments such as Pen Tool, Shape Tools, and Gradient Fill are frequently used in designing a simple yet effective business symbol. Because of this, it became accessible to people ranging from students with degrees not limited to design, and to professional graphic designers.

However, as it is raster-based software, the graphic arts made are often pixelated when rescaled - the quality can be rather inconsistent when it comes to resizing and formatting. An important factor in creating a symbol must be the image flexibility, since there will be several occasions where it will be subject for print on variously sized materials, including tarpaulins, business cards, and web layouts. Nevertheless, outlining the visual representation in this software is considered as a wise initial step, given that this program has the most appropriate tools in sketching and drafting various graphics.

Illustrator

Originally developed in 1986 and released in 1987, Illustrator is launched as a complementary program for Photoshop. While the former concentrates on photo-manipulation, this software is geared for typesetting and graphic designing. Though, on contrary to Photoshop's progressive years of success, it initially failed in the market and had to undergo drastic changes, making it as the frequently-used logo maker.

With its optimization, the software finally became a renowned program for its efficiency in creating images meant for business use. Majority of Photoshop tools can be found in Illustrator, including those that are previously mentioned. Complemented with its excellent utilities meant for illustrating banners, layout elements, and graphic arts, it is predominantly utilized by students with degrees in arts, and to professional web and commercial artists as well.

As a vector-based program, the art pieces created in this software can be resized in different ways without affecting its quality. This is why a lot of corporate graphic designers prefer Illustrator: the image resolution is still maintained without pixelating during graphical scaling.

This leaves this graphic tool as a more appropriate software in designing logos, since it is its primary feature. However, incorporating the wide-ranging drafting features of the previous software will be a great reinforcement to craft a more innovative company insignia. Therefore, initially creating the logo in Photoshop and integrating it with the powerful tools in Illustrator can greatly contribute to the effectiveness of the enterprise symbol to be crafted.

Darwin Palmer believes that a creative mind can make something out of nothing. He has over 20 years of professional experience in the logo and web design industry.