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A great tool for serious (or burgeoning) graphics artists.
November 29, 2018

A great tool for serious (or burgeoning) graphics artists.

Anthony Burke | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Adobe Illustrator CC

We use Illustrator for various projects that involve creating and manipulating graphics. I am new in my position, but so far this has included included logos and social media content. It has been useful in creating and editing these types of graphics and making them exportable for use on other platforms. Vector graphics are vital in good logo creation. I expect our use of Illustrator to evolve and expand in the future.
  • I used Illustrator to fix an intricate logo that had a typo. It was the kind fix that benefited from more robust tools.
  • Altering and repurposing a logo for a custom t-shirt design.
  • Creating different versions of the same graphic with different backgrounds (also, removing backgrounds entirely).
  • Illustrator has so many features and can feel like learning a new language if you're a beginner (thankfully, tutorial videos are everywhere).
  • With such a high level of sophistication, it can sometimes be tempting to use a simpler program (such as Paint) when the full suite feels like overkill.
  • The sheer scale of Illustrator's offerings can be daunting, so it requires some stick-to-it-iveness to not feel mired in it.
  • Illustrator (and the various bundled services from Adobe) is not cheap, so it will make the most sense for companies that need to use this program in day-to-day operations and for a wide array of projects.
  • On the positive side, Adobe products are very powerful, and if you can swing the subscription fee, Illustrator seems to be the best tool for the job.
Canva is a stripped-down version and is great if you only have need to create the occasional social media post or basic signage. I like Canva, but if graphic creation and manipulation is part of your day-to-day, and you have ambition in this area, then Illustrator is more powerful and has a greater number of applications. You generally get what you pay for, so if you need a high degree of functionality and sophistication, then Illustrator may well be worth the cost, over the free or cheap options.
Illustrator is helpful for many scenarios... If you have a lot of projects involving graphics; if you like to repurpose or otherwise tweak your logos for various settings; if you are fairly ambitious with your social media posts; if you have an interest in creating infographics. Basically, if you are a graphical go-getter, and you find yourself using these types of programs all the time, then you might as well have Illustrator which is probably the most robust such program.
If you aren't quite so ambitious with graphics projects, then Illustrator can be overkill. This is mainly because it can be overwhelming for newbies. You will be rewarded for you patience in learning the ropes if you have the time/inclination to do so.