Design were used to create its various elements. Designing a Logo Illustrator. The perfect scalability of vector images makes Illustrator, hands down, the best program for creating print logos. A logo you create in Illustrator can be imported into a number of different projects and will always print with crystal clarity. Runner Up In. Design. If you dont have Illustrator, In. Logo file formats. Doityourself guide for design clients. Taken possession of your digital assets confused about what does what This guide should help. Graphic Design. Covering everything from kerning to color theory, these resources on design fundamentals will help you become a better graphic designer. Design also has the vector tools you need to create a scalable logo. Photoshop can work as a last resort, but keep in mind that the vectors you create will be converted to raster images and youll likely see some slight pixelation if you try to reproduce the logo in different sizes. Drawing Shapes and Graphics Illustrator. Illustrator is the go to choice for drawing any shaped visual elements, since vectors can be easily manipulated, altered and resized. Vector illustration can be tricky to learn, but the results are much more professional looking than other hand drawn options. Runner Up Photoshop. If you dont mind working in a pixel based environment, you can achieve similar results using Photoshop. Since not all of your illustrative elements will be reused in other designs, you wont run into any pixelation issues as long as you dont have to resize the image. Adding Filters and Special Effects Photoshop. Photoshop gives you access to an impressive library of filters and special effects. If you want to give your print media projects that extra level of flair, Photoshop should be your first choice. Runner Up In. Design. If you dont have access to Photoshop, you can add a few limited filters to your photos directly from In. Design. It doesnt have quite the same scope as Photoshop, but it can handle the basics. Manipulating Photos Photoshop. The name says it allPhotoshop has the most tools for manipulating photos, and since photos are created using pixels, you dont have to worry about distortion. Whenever your print design includes photographs, use Photoshop first to improve the image quality before importing into another program. Runner Up In. Design. Again, if you dont have access to Photoshop, In. Design can at least handle the basics, like cropping and resizing. It shouldnt be your first choice, but its manageable in a pinch. Writing Copy In. Design. If youre designing a brochure, pocket folder or other print project that has large passages of text, In. Design is very handy for its intuitive word wrap feature. Word wrap helps you easily break up your copy into columns, letting you utilize every inch of canvas space. In. Design also creates crisp, clean text devoid of pixelation. Runner Up Illustrator. Illustrator can also be used to create smooth, scalable text out of vector shapes, but without the word wrap tools, it can be difficult to create a good looking layout for text. Designing Layouts In. Design. In. Design has all of the best tools for creating complete layouts for print, especially multi page layouts using its master page system. It can also handle multi page templates, which makes it easier for you to quickly put together a sharp looking layout. Runner Up Illustrator. Illustrator can also handle multi page layouts to a degree, but without the master page system, youll end up having to do a lot of extra work. Creating Your Print Ready Files In. Design. Composing a print ready folder design in In. Design is a fairly simple affair. It keeps all of the design elements in their original state, so when it comes time to print, youll have the most accurate representation possible. In. Design is also better than most other Adobe programs at creating. EPS files, one of the more ideal formats for print ready artwork. Runner Up Illustrator. Illustrator makes a decent second choice for its ability to export accurate print ready. EPS files. What About Adobe Fireworks Although Adobe Fireworks is an excellent illustration and photo editing tool, when it comes to designing print media, there isnt much that Fireworks has to offer over the other programs in the Adobe Creative Suite. Its actually something of an amalgam of all three programsit has layers and photo editing tools like Photoshop, vector illustrations like Illustrator, and the use of master pages like In. Design. However, Fireworks is primarily for web and digital design, so when it comes to creating print designs, it doesnt bring anything new to the table. Conclusion. We all have our own ways of doing things, and you should ultimately choose the program that best fits you as a designer. In the end, what matters is that your final product is clean, clear and catching to the eye. Do you have any questions about using Illustrator vs. Photoshop vs. In.