Computerizing a Company Logo

Topics Covered in This Illustrator Tutorial:

Placing Templates, Converting Text to Outlines, Subtracting from a Shape Area (Pathfinder)

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

This exercise builds upon your logo creation skills by challenging you to recreate a professional-quality logo from a bitmapped Photoshop template. You'll practice essential vector design techniques including type manipulation, outline conversion, and path operations—skills that form the foundation of modern logo design. This workflow mirrors real-world scenarios where designers must vectorize existing brand elements or recreate logos for print and digital applications.

Setting up the File & Importing the Logo Template

Before diving into the creative process, we'll establish a proper workspace and import our reference template. The template feature in Illustrator automatically dims your reference image, creating an ideal tracing environment.

1. Go to File > New to create a new document.
2. At the top of the dialog that opens, click on the Print tab.
3. Double–click the Letter preset to establish standard print dimensions.
4. Go to File > Place to import your template.
5. From the Illustrator Class folder, choose polartemplate.psd, BUT check the Template option before clicking Place. This critical step ensures your template appears on a locked, dimmed layer.
6. You'll notice the placed artwork automatically appears dimmed, creating an ideal tracing environment. If the dimming level doesn't suit your working preferences, double–click the Template layer in the Layers panel and adjust the Dim percentage to your preferred opacity level.

Recreating the Logo

Now comes the creative challenge: transforming your template into a scalable vector logo. This process requires both technical precision and design judgment as you balance faithful reproduction with the constraints of typography.

1. Begin recreating the logo using your template as a precise guide. Focus on matching both the proportions and character of the original design:

   • Start with Futura Extra Bold Oblique as your base font, or explore similar geometric sans-serif typefaces available in your font library. Look for fonts with strong, bold letterforms and clean geometric construction.
   • You may need to apply the shear transformation to achieve the precise italic angle shown in the template—this fine-tuning separates amateur from professional results.
2. Once you've closely approximated the logo's typography, convert your text to editable paths using Type > Create Outlines. This conversion transforms your type from font-dependent text into manipulable vector shapes, allowing for precise customization of individual letterforms.

3. Switch to the Direct Selection tool and use the arrow keys to fine-tune individual anchor points. This micro-adjustment process is where good logos become great—small refinements in curve tension and point placement dramatically impact the final result.

   TIP: Optimize your workflow by adjusting the Keyboard Increment in preferences for more precise movements:

   Mac:	Illustrator > Preferences > General
   Windows:	Edit > Preferences > General

4. With your letterforms perfected, create the distinctive striped effect by positioning white rectangular shapes across the letters. Pay careful attention to stripe width consistency and spacing—these details contribute significantly to the logo's professional appearance.
5. Here's the crucial technical step: select your white rectangles and the underlying text, then apply the Pathfinder panel's Minus Front command . This operation cuts transparent holes through your letterforms, ensuring the logo maintains its striped appearance regardless of background color—a mark of professional logo construction.
6. Save your completed logo as yourname-Company Logo.ai to preserve all vector information and editability.

7. In the save dialog, maintain the default options and click OK. These settings preserve maximum compatibility while maintaining your logo's vector integrity.