#1 most frequent
United States of America
36.8%47,207 installations of 128,184
What is Adobe Illustrator?
Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.
Categories & Use Cases
Product Demos
Who Buys & Uses Adobe Illustrator CC
#2 most frequent
India
11.5%14,695 installations of 128,184
#3 most frequent
Canada
4.4%5,640 installations of 128,184
Scalable Graphics and Cross-Platform Use
Pros
- Scalable (vector) graphics enable us to use the same design for print and web without worrying about quality loss.
- Great for logo design, as logos are used in every format and need to be flexible with how they can be displayed.
- Adobe Illustrator is my go-to program for creating signage, especially large format signage.
- It is pretty easy to use, especially with keyboard shortcuts.
- I really enjoy using Abobe Illustrator with the Adobe Creative Cloud functionality. It allows my team to easily send documents to each other so multiple people can edit and look at the document for the best final product.
Cons
- Some keyboard shortcuts are different keys in different Adobe programs for the same function. It would be great if it prompted the same thing in Illustrator as in InDesign and Photoshop.
- The align and distribute functions sometimes work a little wonky and not as they're supposed to, but you can usually correct it by eye.
- I wish that Creative Cloud allowed multiple people to work on the same document at the same time, a la Google Docs. It would be helpful for team projects or cases where there are multiple art boards.
- My team frequently works in InDesign as well. They are similar programs, but things (especially text) frequently don't copy correctly from one program to another. It would be great if there was cross-program functionality and things maintained their bounding boxes and styles.
- I would love the use of Paragraph and/or Character Styles in Illustrator.
Return on Investment
- Illustrator has saved us countless hours because we don't have to redesign things when they need to be displayed at different sizes. Hours saved means money saved!
- We are able to quickly and easily put designs together and share work which also saves us time and money.
- The only negative is trying to pull items from other Adobe programs sometimes means we have to reformat in Illustrator, which can take time... but since we are saving time to begin with, it still ends up being efficient.
Alternatives Considered
Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop
Other Software Used
Adobe Photoshop, Asana, Adobe Acrobat DC
Illustrator - My Go-To Tool
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Illustrator is my go to tool as a graphic designer. It is how I ideate, create storyboards, create illustrations and logos. I can create a character and start turnarounds. It is the single most important tool for my business. I love how I can quickly create patterns and now I can incorporate AI to help me generate ideas. When I need to create an environment, the perspective tools are critical. On a day to day bases, it gives me all the tools I need and seamlessly works with the document layout tool InDesign. I can also take my illustrations into Photoshop as smart objects and refine or enhance. I think of it as the cornerstone of my work.
Pros
- logos
- illustrations
- perspective drawing
Cons
- There are some text formatting tools in InDesign that could be incorporated into Illustrator.
- Some things require too many menus or digging to get to.
- The turnaround for 3d is still being developed, but definitely can use some refinement
Return on Investment
- Because of its integration with other tools like InDesign and Photoshop, my workflow is very streamlined, which means time is streamlined.
- Being able to make quick color changes helps to quickly ideate.
- I've been using Illustrator for over 25 years, so Illustrator is my business.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Firefly and Adobe Express
Other Software Used
Adobe Firefly, Adobe Express, Microsoft Powerpoint, Adobe Acrobat
Still the industry standard
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We're a design agency so we use Adobe Illustrator CC to create all manner of vector artwork. Typically clients hire us to produce logos, illustrations, infographics, and graphics for print products like package designs, T-shirts, brochures, displays, and, annual reports. Depending on the style we also create our explainer video storyboards using Adobe Illustrator CC.
Pros
- Pen tool drawing
- Logo design
- Typography manipulation
Cons
- creating compound shapes with multiple overlapping objects creates unpredictable results
- Can crash often. Especially when it's a new release or upgrade
- costly
- Training AI on subscribers artwork is bad
Return on Investment
- Allows me to offer a wide range of services
- Speeds up my design process
- Opens up new markets or niches in which I can operate
- Concerns me that I can't easily cancel my subscription
Usability
Alternatives Considered
Canva, Inkscape and Affinity Designer
Other Software Used
Adobe InDesign, Adobe After Effects, Figma, Adobe Premiere Pro, Slack, Apple Keynote, Adobe Audition, Microsoft Powerpoint
Top to Bottom Creative Branding Multi-Tool
Pros
- Vector art.
- Typography.
- Packaging.
- Dielines.
- Large format artwork.
Cons
- Cross functionality with video.
- Image linking.
- Exporting for different file types.
Most Important Features
- Print artwork.
- Brand graphics.
- Color management.
- Dieline packaging.
Return on Investment
- Streamlines print packaging.
- Conceptual tool for brand development.
- Precise color management.
Other Software Used
Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe InDesign
Great overall tool for Vector Graphics
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use Adobe Illustrator CC for Marketing and Sales purposes. The types of elements we typically create are social media ads, paid digital ads, logos, branding elements, icons, landing page assets, infographics, charts, email banners and graphics, as well as video thumbnails and other video assets. We use these graphics on social media, on our website, for sales tools, and for videos.
Pros
- Full control of vector elements which work well for any type of scaling for print as well as precise specs for web
- Many useful tools to make a project's workflow easier
- Built-in AI assisted tools to improve project speed and eliminate manual editing
Cons
- Adobe Illustrator CC could use an update in regards to a working gradient on editable text, right now the workaround is a little tedious
Return on Investment
- The Adobe AI integration within our task management software has increased our productivity due to being able to collaborate directly in the tool
- Vendors we partner with also use Adobe Illustrator CC so handing off files to print is seamless
Usability
Alternatives Considered
Procreate and Figma