Designing software

Hey,

I don't know where to ask this question but i am sure people can help me or mods can move it to where it should be if available.

My question is: What is the best software to design logos? either simple or complicated, but i want to have the highest quality design so i can use it on business cards or websites or even posters and billboards, also what is good/best software for designing websites, banners, books, magazines, ....etc?

I am working on Mac, but i can accept software on Windows as well.

Photoshop and Illustrator.

Adobe Illustrator comes to mind.

Adobe offers the design suite that probably covers all your needs, but its expensive

OdiN1701 wrote in post #9425695
Photoshop and Illustrator.

D Thompson wrote in post #9425710
Adobe Illustrator comes to mind.

tomd wrote in post #9425717
Adobe offers the design suite that probably covers all your needs, but its expensive

I was expecting that Adobe products will be the choice, great, i am in fact now learning or watching tutorials about Illustrator, and i hope i can get what i want.

Let's say about websites designing [I will forget about books and banners for a while], which one do you recommend?

+1 on that.... BUT - coupled with artistic and graphic design talent. I'm in the process of having my logo and site redone. I tried to do these things in the past myself with fair-to-middling results.

So I've bitten the bullit and have hired a professional graphic designer and illustrator to do the project.

tomd wrote in post #9425717
Adobe offers the design suite that probably covers all your needs, but its expensive

sapearl wrote in post #9425999
+1 on that.... BUT - coupled with artistic and graphic design talent. I'm in the process of having my logo and site redone. I tried to do these things in the past myself with fair-to-middling results.

So I've bitten the bullit and have hired a professional graphic designer and illustrator to do the project.

In fact i want to design the logo by myself, i will not design many things and the logo itself is simple and not too much complicated or has a lot of things and graphics, if i didn't get closer or what i want then later i will hire a pro designer [and it is difficult to find one in my country without his reliable/trustworthy work and good price].

About designing websites, i think i will end up to buy a web design somewhere and styles and hosts and whatever as i don't have time to learn graphics and web design and do everything alone.

Illustrator is far and above the best software to design a Logo, hands down. It's file are vector based and allow you to scale to any sizes without degradation. Also it's tools and features are designed around Font/design. InDesign is best for pamphlets etc. To design a website, your best method is to design it in Photoshop and cut and slice it apart for dreamweaver.

gorgon2k wrote in post #9426065
Illustrator is far and above the best software to design a Logo, hands down. It's file are vector based and allow you to scale to any sizes without degradation. Also it's tools and features are designed around Font/design. InDesign is best for pamphlets etc. To design a website, your best method is to design it in Photoshop and cut and slice it apart for dreamweaver.

I disagree that Illustrator is necessarily the "best" software for logo design. I find I use Photoshop more for that.

I just design the inital logo at such a large size that it can easily be scaled down without issues.

I use Photoshop or Illustrator when I design logos, sometimes both for the same logo. But to design a logo in photoshop you have to know what you're doing or it could end up being a disaster. So if you're not proficient in Photoshop I wouldn't go that route.

Then Illustrator anyway, i just downloaded the trial one from Adobe and will see what i can do before the trial expired, otherwise either i buy it which is so pricey, or i go illegal way which really i don't want to choose, anyway, will see what i will end up.

about website design, not sure if i will use Photoshop, i know how powerful is Photoshop but really i use Photoshop only for Photos and still not keen with all its features and how to use all the tools.

OdiN1701 wrote in post #9426219
I disagree that Illustrator is necessarily the "best" software for logo design. I find I use Photoshop more for that.

I just design the inital logo at such a large size that it can easily be scaled down without issues.

Well I guess best is subjective and really up to opinion, but do you use Photoshop because that's what your most comfortable with or because it's "better"? I have graphic design experience on an educational level, work with graphic designers, and know some of the business and they all use illustrator. Besides, whenever I'm asked to send my companies logo out, they never ask for a JPEG, PSD, TIFF etc, they ask for a vector file. No proffesional would design a logo with Photoshop.

gorgon2k wrote in post #9428156
Besides, whenever I'm asked to send my companies logo out, they never ask for a JPEG, PSD, TIFF etc, they ask for a vector file. No proffesional would design a logo with Photoshop.

REALLY???!!! I'm a graphic designer with over 23 years of professional experience and I've done quite a few logos in Photoshop. But like I mentioned in the earlier post I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really good with Photoshop and know what you're doing. I know of quite of few professional designers who use Photoshop for logos. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say that Illustrator shouldn't be the first choice but it shouldn't be the only choice. Also working in ad agency I get requests all the time for clients wanting a copy of their logos as jpgs. But of this maybe because I'm a professional and not a proffesional as you stated.

gorgon2k wrote in post #9428156
Well I guess best is subjective and really up to opinion, but do you use Photoshop because that's what your most comfortable with or because it's "better"? I have graphic design experience on an educational level, work with graphic designers, and know some of the business and they all use illustrator. Besides, whenever I'm asked to send my companies logo out, they never ask for a JPEG, PSD, TIFF etc, they ask for a vector file. No proffesional would design a logo with Photoshop.

I have a Photoshop and i never think to use it neither for logos nor for web design, and i know i can design some logos with Photoshop, also when i asked few friends about it they all recommended or told me to go with Illustrator even they have Photoshop and can be done with it, i agree that for best professional logos i better go with Vector based or similar software such as: illustrator, freehand, CorelDraw,....

Just wanted to throw this in here. The logo below is a logo I did for a rock band in Nashville, called Earth Quake Ballet. I did this in Photoshop but I did it large enough and at a high enough resolution that when it was put on a stage size curtain/banner behind the band when they were on stage and on the bass drum, it looked as sharp as the original. The one thing a lot of people don't realize is when you have something this large as in stage banners, billboards, bus displays the resolution doesn't have to be huge, because your viewing distance is a lot greater. Billboards for example are only 15 dpi!

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