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Adobe Illustrator

Score9.3 out of 10

1,878 Reviews and Ratings

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What is Adobe Illustrator?

Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector-based graphic design software.

Categories & Use Cases

Reviews

What users are saying about Adobe Illustrator.
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Scalable Graphics and Cross-Platform Use

Incentivized
Kristin SmithView profile
Graphics Manager at Architect's Newspaper (11-50 employees employees)

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

Verified User
Professional (1-10 employees employees)

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

Incentivized
Andrew Davies
Creative Director in Marketing at Paragon Design Group (1-10 employees employees)

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

Incentivized
Eric GangnathView profile
Creative Director at COOLA (51-200 employees employees)

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

Adobe Illustrator - A Powerhouse for your design needs

Incentivized
Bill BlackView profile
Owner in Professional Services at Black Horse Productions (51-200 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Adobe Illustrator is THE industry standard for creating vector graphics and digital illustration. I use it extensively in my graphic design business to create many different kinds of graphics - event posters, custom typography, newspaper advertisements, T-shirt designs, etc. It is a VERY powerful and full-featured software tool for creative types. It integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products - Photoshop, InDesign, Aftereffects, etc.

Pros

  • Handles typography and creating custom type based designs very well.
  • Integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products.
  • Makes it easy to control and manage color (particularly for print purposes).

Cons

  • The user interface is a bit confusing and takes a bit to get used to.
  • Managing the "art boards" is kind of clunky compared to other Adobe products.
  • Other than that, I don't have any complaints or suggestions.

Most Important Features

  • Industry standard so my print vendors also use it.
  • Integration with other Adobe Suite products.
  • Powerful vector design tool that helps me create graphics quickly and professionally.

Return on Investment

  • This is a bit touchy for me. ROI was better when you could purchase Adobe products. That is harder to calculate with their subscription price structure now. With this new model, ROI goes down if you don't use the tool EVERY DAY. There are times when it isn't necessary for a project I am working on... So that is a negative.
  • On the flip side, with the subscription model, I always have the "latest, greatest and most updatest" version of the software - so that is a positive.
  • After getting familiar with the updated interface and working with it for a bit, this is a powerhouse design tool! That is definitely a positive.

Alternatives Considered

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite

Other Software Used

Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Office 2016 (discontinued)