
Micah Bowers
Micah helps businesses craft meaningful connections through branding, illustration, and design.
We test the limits of Logo Package Express, a tool that claims to name, save, and organize every file needed for a logo package in under two minutes.
We test the limits of Logo Package Express, a tool that claims to name, save, and organize every file needed for a logo package in under two minutes.
Micah helps businesses craft meaningful connections through branding, illustration, and design.
To the logo designer, that dogged hunter of visual harmony, striking simplicity, and enduring impact, there’s nothing more thrilling than following the scent of the final version to client sign-off. Crosshairs fixed. Bag it, mount it, brag about it.
Not so fast! Logos are elusive.
Just when they appear to be portfolio-ready—BAM! Blindsided by an avalanche of unexpected design work. Hours of work. Tedious work. The work of saving and organizing logo versions.
Versions? Oh yes, hundreds. Vector files, raster files, color variants, and lockups must be named, saved, and cataloged for the client’s good pleasure.
It’s all rather monotonous, but what if there were a way to create, export, and sort that mountain of logo files in a matter of minutes? Well, that’s the promise of Logo Package Express (LPE), an Adobe Illustrator extension that alleges to:
Sounds promising. Let’s dig deeper.
The proposition of LPE is pure, unadulterated speed: “A full logo package in just two minutes.” That’s less time than it takes to brew a cup of coffee, a claim that must be tested. Timers ready. Here we go.
Well, that was fast. Let’s slow things down a notch to examine LPE’s strengths and weaknesses.
Every tool has its purpose and limitations. Logo Package Express is no different. It’s not perfect (yet), but it does exactly what it claims—makes logo packages quickly. It’s easy to use, accurate, and an excellent addition to the logo designer’s arsenal of options.
The contents of a logo package should be agreed on before a project starts. In most cases, a logo package should include files for digital and print applications. The folders and files within logo packages should be clearly named and organized so that clients may easily find and use the logo versions they need.
Both Photoshop and Illustrator are used to design logos—sometimes within the same project. Photoshop has vector capabilities, but Illustrator has more vector-specific tools. Likewise, Illustrator can generate raster graphics, but Photoshop’s tools are nuanced towards raster graphic manipulation.
Adobe Illustrator is an excellent logo design tool. Many designers trace a rough sketch of their logo idea by hand, then place an image of the sketch in Illustrator, and use its vector path tools to trace and refine their design. Illustrator also allows designers to save logos in both vector and raster format.
A logo is the primary visual mark a company uses to identify itself. A logotype is the typography used within a logo to identify the company’s name. However, some companies (think Coca-Cola) use logotypes as their main identifying mark—a logotype is the logo.
Oftentimes, logo designers create several versions of the same logo. If companies request their taglines be included in logos, designers may save separate versions that do so. That said, there are use cases (especially at small sizes) where taglines become unreadable and detract from logos aesthetically.
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