Adobe Illustrator Tools And Techniques For Logo Design

Stephanie lives in Manchester, England. She has a keen interest in personal finance and the effects politics has on the economy.

I've found myself creating logos several times for my small online efforts. Blogs tend to need logos and banners, as does the popular e-commerce site Etsy.

I have no technical design skills. I can't use the popular Adobe packages, and for the number of times I plan on creating logos, it's not worth my time in learning. However, I still need to make them.

This is where easy online design sites come into their own. With a little effort, time and an idea of what you want to achieve, you can create logos, banners and even simple artwork for free.

PicMonkey

The first platform I used to create some printable art was PicMonkey. It's free (bonus!) and you don't need to sign up but if you want more features, including fonts and effects, you can pay a little extra for the 'Royale' membership.

I knew what I wanted the picture to look like (in my head), I just needed to get it out onto the screen.

PicMonkey allows you to create a range of designs on different size canvases. It's easy to use, just pick the size of picture you want to work on, then start! You can also pick template designs and alter them to your liking.

PicMonkey also allows you to edit and touch up photos directly from other platforms such as Facebook, Dropbox and Flickr.

It did take me about an hour to work out how to use it to get the effects I wanted to achieve (I read a few independent blog posts), but once I had mastered this, there was no stopping me!

It allows you to save your pictures in various quality and file sizes which can be useful, especially if you plan to print your work.

Canva

This is my latest venture into logo design. I haven't fully explored Canva's capabilities yet, but so far it has impressed me and met my needs.

Canva is similar to PicMonkey, but you do have to sign up for free to access the design tools. However, what some may be interested in that Canva offers is the ability to choose templates for Etsy logos and banners (Etsy templates are not currently available on PicMonkey).

I have just used Canva to create my own very simple Etsy logo (see the picture to the right), which I did in about 10 minutes. This was my first attempt at Canva and didn't think it served an amateur too badly.

I'm keen to do a little more research and playing around to see what else Canva can do.

Ribbet

Ribbet is a site that I haven't personally used, but I have heard of many people using this with great success.

Like PicMonkey, Ribbet allows you to edit Facebook and Flickr photos. It also allows you to create Facebook banners. However, unlike Canva, there is no option for Etsy sizes.

Free Resources

I combine these free editing tools with pictures that are also free from copyright and available to use commercially.

For photos, I suggest using the following sites:

Pixabay
Realistic Shots
Unsplash

For more clipart style pictures, I use OpenClipart. However, I can occasionally find what I want on Pixabay.

For free fonts I suggest Font Squirrel and 1001 Fonts.

Obviously you can use the resources provided by the design sites above, but if you want something a little different without the cost, try these free sites first.

If you're really serious and know exactly what you want, it might be worth looking into purchasing images and fonts.

To choose the right online editing platform for you, you should decide what you will be using it for. For me, Canva is currently the most useful due to it's ease to create Etsy logos.

Whichever you choose, take a little time to read a few independent blogs teaching you how to make the most of the tools. This will enable you to create exactly what you need.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

JohanaPS on October 25, 2019:

These online tools are great! You can also add MockoFun to your list https://www.mockofun.com it has some really cool features!

ipixeler on May 06, 2019:

Effective information. Anyone can create a logo without any design skill by following your post. Very effective.Thank you very much.

DreamerMeg from Northern Ireland on November 03, 2016:

Useful information. I have used picmonkey for improving photos but never thought of logos. Hadn't heard of the other two, nor of one of the free pic sites. Thank you.