Must have tool for all designs
May 03, 2018
Must have tool for all designs
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Adobe Illustrator CC
As the media and communications director, I use Adobe Illustrator CC for all of our graphical needs. Everything from logos to branding to design of printed material to promotional banners and screens. I am the only one at our organization that uses the software. I love that I can make one graphic that can be used for so many applications. Since it is a vector based software, that means I can save a graphic to be small is resolution to be used on screens or web but also high resolution to be used for printed materials.
- I love to Illustrator when it comes to branding our specific events. It allows me to set up multiple Artboards so I can create different versions of the same branded graphics but export and use them differently for different applications. This is crucial when it comes to working with a team and different ways of communicating to different groups. In one place I might need a graphic set up in landscape to work on a web page and another I might need a portrait that will also work with a white background instead of black. Illustrator allows you to easily organize and make those changes needed.
- Being a Vector based design program. This gives me the ability to make whatever graphic I create either as small as the size of a dime or as large as a billboard. Doing this only takes minor adjustments. This has helped me when Branding needs to span over everything from web to print to mobile.
- I love the plug in abilities that Illustrator has. There are options for everything from a plug in to help me keep track of my freelance work hours to being able to search color themes and sync my account directly up to Illustrator.
- It is hard to find something to not like about the software so I will say this, there is a pretty big learning curve when first starting the software. It can be quit intimidating for someone who has never used a design software although adobe is good at offering tutorials on how to get going.
- There are times when the software will not let me do things that I want to do and an error will pop up. For example, when it comes to the path finder tool and compound paths. I with the error message was more helpful or offered help on how to remedy the situation of why it won't let me do what I want to do. Instead of just trial and error.
- With working in a church, it is hard to tell just what the ROI is for this type of software. What it has done for my job personally is make it easier and faster to complete the tasks I need to get done. This has made me more productive and in turn, all of our graphical material and the overall modern feel of the church has improved.
- Since the use of this software and the way it has helped our church keep a modern atmosphere, we have seen an influx of younger families that may have otherwise not been interested in our particular church otherwise.
- inkscape
I have used inkscape which is probably one of the biggest alternatives to Illustrator. It is good at a few things but I found it to be slower and not as intuitive as illustrator. As well as the support and updates were few and far between. Illustrator is great with updates and regularly getting new and/or improved features.
Using Adobe Illustrator CC
1 - All media and communications that are used at our church. The communications department is made up from one employee and a small group of volunteers that help as a creative team but don't do any of the design.
1 - Our one Media and Communications Director is also our graphics designer. He has to handle all forms of support for this software and if he needs more than that he contacts Adobes help section himself.