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How to Create Logos in Adobe Illustrator

Intro

Because Adobe Illustrator creates vector-based drawings, it is one of the better programs on the market for creating logos. A vector-based program uses lines and points rather than pixels to define the drawing. This means that when a logo drawn with vectors is enlarged, the quality will remain the same. However, when a logo is drawn with pixels, as in Photoshop, when the logo is enlarged, it loses quality and becomes pixilated. This tutorial will teach you how to design vector-based logos in Adobe Illustrator.

Create text. Select the "Type" tool from the "Tools" palette. Click inside the Pasteboard and type the text. Start a new text box for each text element of the logo. In this example, both words are in a separate text box so that they can move independently and have different fonts.

Edit text. Open the "Character" palette by selecting "Windows>Type>Character." Highlight the font and select the desired font from the "Font" drop-down box. Select the font size from the "Font Size" drop-down box. Note: you can increase or decrease the font size by pressing "Shift, Control, <" or "Shift, Control, >."

Create image. Use the drawing tools to create an image for your logo. Select a tool from the "Tools" palette and draw the image in the pasteboard. This image was created with the pen tool.
If you already have an image or symbol created, skip this step.

Add symbol or image. To insert an image, select "File>Place..." and locate the image. To insert a symbol, open the "Symbols" palette. Drag the symbol from the "Symbols" palette onto the pasteboard.

Make any necessary edits to the design. Open the "Transform" palette. Rotate, flip, or shear each element as desired. Click on the objects and move them to the proper locations. If the logo contains color, select the color of the "Fill" or the "Stroke."