Which is Better for Logo & Web Design – Photoshop or Illustrator?

The various web design programs available makes it difficult for a newbie to understand which is the best choice. Two of the web design programs that are widely used are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Both these programs have their own strengths and weaknesses and it is important to have an understanding of what these programs are, and what they are used for.

Photoshop is a pixel-based graphics editor, and is a great tool to draw, create site designs, manipulate photos, etc. By expanding any digital photo, you can see the square pixels that Photoshop is based on.

Illustrator is a vector-based graphics editor, and are quite helpful to create images out of shapes instead of manipulating pixels. This is because vector graphics comprise of drawing lines from equations which are scalable. In addition to logo design and icon creation, Illustrator are also extensively used in mocking up interfaces.

For Logo Design

Both Photoshop and Illustrator can be used to create a logo, but one needs to consider the maintainability and uses of the logo. While the initial sizes may be predefined, there may arise the need to resize and reshape the logo as per its use on different materials.

If Photoshop is used to create a logo, then re-sizing the resultant bitmap graphic will lead to pixilation, leading to a compromise on quality.

Logo design made with Illustrator will be a vector object, and hence no bitmap will exist. Hence, the logo design can be reshaped and re-sized while keeping all the qualities intact. Your logo design may include Photoshop, but Illustrator should be the first choice for the most part.

For Web Design

Web designers prefer Photoshop as their first choice for web designing. As the resultant graphics is a pixel-based bitmap, Photoshop seems to be the best choice for screen media designing. However, Illustrator are quite helpful in designing interfaces with advantages that are not to be found with Photoshop. First, Illustrator makes resize much faster. Reusable components can also be created using Illustrator. The symbols panel in Illustrator helps in making a library of form elements and icons, which can be manipulated and reused whenever required.

Better Consistency

All these speed up the work flow and help in making the design more consistent. With increasing use of responsive and agile web, there will be an increasing need for re-sizable graphics. Illustrator will also come useful in designing UIs.

Here is a rundown of the pros and cons of Photoshop and Illustrator:

Photoshop

Advantages

• Can be used for vector images and pixel images
• Provides good layer control within files
• Extensive photography editing tools
• Many effects processes
• Ready designs for export to developers
• Developers easy with the program
• Popular with designers and developers

Disadvantages

• Re-sizing elements takes a lot of time (pixel-based)
• Exporting to vector formats require planning
• Unable to create complex vector elements
• Inability to convert elements not created in vector

Illustrator

Advantages

• Easy to handle vector images and pixel images
• Easy to export ready designs to developers
• No photography editing tools
• Possibility of ‘linking’ images and elements to help in external updating ; with change in design, it is easy to ‘refresh’ within the design.
• Direct export to SVG and vector formats
• Popular with designers

Disadvantages

• Less effect control compared to Photoshop
• Exporting anything is CPU intensive, except vector
• Layers structure not easy
• Developers not so popular with Illustrator

It is important for the designer to have a deep understanding of both Photoshop and Illustrator . A knowledge of these programs will help you in selecting the best program for the given task and create the perfect output. Irrespective of which program is used, ensure that the best possible web design in terms of usability and aesthetic is created.

Whether it is a web design for your new website or improving an existing one, the web design services of Logo Design India is your one-stop solution to create high quality and high performing websites to get long-lasting results for your organization.