A beginner can waste a lot of time trying to design a logo in illustrator.
So this guide includes the best tips and tricks on how to create a logo in illustrator. And we will also be using AI tools in the process.
Quick note:
Suppose i want to create a logo for one of my side hustles that i want to try.
1. Intro
Logo designing is a very rewarding skill to have. With some basic editing skills you can get started and start making some decent money from it.
And with the recent boom of AI, also had a huge impact on logo creation where things are much ore easier than before. So this might be an perfect time to get in.
2. Brainstorming logo ideas
Know what your client wants
This is one of the crucial parts of logo designing as the end product heavily relies on the information you get from the client.
Here are some questions that you could ask your client:
- Business goals
- Target Audience
- Competitors of them
- Marketing plan (Offline or Online)
Getting to know these crucial information helps you visualize the kind of logo they need for their brand.
You can make a small explanation of how you picked the logo and explain different aspects from your perspective. this helps the client to understand and value the logo more. also, show them how the logo could be used in terms of as a design/logo in marketing brochures and stuff.
Make sure to have good communication with the client during the initial stages. When you are trying to finalize the concept, make sure to get their feedback and make changes accordingly. it’s important that you listen to them, even if you feel like the logo is good enough if they don’t see it in the logo then be open to their suggestions.
Once you get the brief from the client, take out the important words. Write them down separately.
Now to create a logo you need to focus on these keywords. You brainstorm an logo idea the old fashion way by looking at existing logos for inspiration but i like to speed up the process.
So, i use Claude to generate logo ideas for me.
But sometimes i fail to come up with good enough logo concepts with claude. In that case, I would use an pen and paper to create multiple logo design variations.
One you are satisfied with what you the drawings, you can send them to your laptop by taking a picture from phone then emailing them.
Then import the logo to illustrator, turn the opacity down around 50% and lock it.
If the shapes the recreatable then use the golden ratio, else you need use pen tool to create the logo.
Before you start using Illustrator, draw out your ideas and make simple logo models. Things to think about:
Who is the brand? What does the business or brand do? What kind of person are they?
Simplicity—Good names are easy to remember and can be used on different sizes.
forms and symbols that mean something: Do the forms or icons stand for the brand?
Create rough sketches of different variations of the logo and then check and settle on one.
Make ruff sketches
Final 3 sketches can be forwarded to client for confirmation.
While drawing logo on illustrator use an bright line color.
Use shapes to measure the drawings are placed correctly.
Use view>ruler tool
you can select all the lines (straight lines) you draw the align it so the space between them would be the same.
even after finalising a sketch do various different versions of the final sketch.
Download good fonts
Write the name of the company in different fonts and compare and choose one font
Edit the letters using the pen tool individually
3. Designing logo in Illustrator
To make a new file, open Adobe Illustrator and go to File > New.
Choose the Print template and change the size to 1000 x 1000 pixels, which is a good size for your name.
It can be set to landscape or portrait mode.
Illustrator has many tools for making logos, such as:
Pen tool: This tool lets you draw exact vector paths and shapes. Great for designs that need straight lines.
Paintbrush tool: Makes shapes that look more like they were made by hand. It looks good with brushstrokes or handwriting.
Shape tools: To make geometric designs, use rectangles, ellipses, polygons, and other shapes.
Type tool: You can use a variety of fonts to add words to your logo.
4. Typography
For the font there is two option to choose from. Either you could go with the classic or new.
Classic Fonts: Fonts that have been used for a long time and people are more familiar with these fonts.
Typography: Pick types that fit the style of the brand.
5. Pick colors
you can settle on one/two main colors but do create different variations.
With multiple color variations standing next to each other you can see which one suites the best.
6. Sending the logo to the client
If the logo is the product then presentation is the packaging and good packaging presents whats inside.
Create 3 versions and explain the thought behind every version.
Logo in different forms JPEG PNG
Brand guideliness Appsumo brandox
Logo in different colours Needs to be given in hex code
Typographic choices Using Different fonts
First page Isolated logo on white (Shows the actual logo how it is)
Second Page Split Screen of one colour logos Black & White (Shows how well the logo looks on a white & black background)
Third Page Standard Mockups (The Products the business is involved in)
Fourth Page Small format mockups (This Proves the quality of the logo is not lost when the logo is small)
Fifth Page Large mockups (Maybe shops and places)
Sixth page Every single versions of the logo created on a white background
Side note: Create the presentation for all the versions and repeat the same proccess and at the end keep an comparison page of all logo versions created
Creating a brand logo gives more credit to the logo. Fix paths, align parts, change colors, and make the logo look better.
Delete the artboard background to make a background that is see-through.
Save as an AI file to get graphic art that you can change. You can also save it as PNGs.
If you are creating this for a client it’s better to present it with mockups.
8. Bonus: How to price your logo?
When it comes to branding people doesn’t care about the money, or what you price for the logo But if they are completely out of budget then you could consider a cheaper option. Create an inquery form from google and email them rather than contacting them via messenger its more effective and proffesionale this way.
