Select a document palette from the palette pop-up menu (or, if no palette exists, you can create one from the panel’s Panel Preferences menu).

They can also be created from scratch via the Swatches Panel. Global colours can be created from an existing object by selecting the object, choosing a document palette in the Swatches panel, setting the Stroke/Fill colour selector, then clicking Add current colour to palette as a global colour. If you haven’t decided on a colour palette for your logo yet, this also gives you the perfect opportunity to play around with different colour combinations. One easy way to do this is to create global colours, which can be instantly applied to any object in your design. The Add, Subtract, Intersect, Xor, and Divide operations all make the newly created compound into something different, so it’s easy to create a range of effects with the same set of shapes. To combine shapes, with multiple shapes selected, you can select from a variety of Boolean operations on the toolbar. With Designer’s Boolean operations, you can build advanced shapes non-destructively, letting you play around with endless combinations until you find the one that works for you. More often than not, memorable digital logo designs tend to use a combination of basic shapes that are easy to recognise at a glance. If you’re not sure what you want your logo to look like, or find you have a lot of different ideas on the go, Boolean operations are a great way to start experimenting. Grids can be based on any document unit and also align perfectly with rulers, if these have been switched on. It may be especially helpful to enable the Snap to grid option (this can be done via View > Snapping Manager). Grids work well when combined with snapping. Setting up a grid makes it easy to visualise and position logo elements. You can dock, group and resize panels, or hide the left and right Studios completely by going to View > Hide Studio if you prefer to go for a more minimalist approach. You can also move panels around to fit your way of working by dragging them. Panels can be displayed or hidden by going to View > Studio and selecting your panel of choice. The ability to choose which panels to show and hide makes it easier to navigate the workspace in a way you prefer. Everyone has their own way of working-customising Designer’s workspace gives you the freedom to really play to your strengths.ĭesigner’s Personas can each be uniquely customised, allowing you to rearrange and store a preferred setup of Studio Panels, Tools, or icons on the Toolbar for use at a later point. When you’re designing a logo, it’s good to be able to clearly visualise your workspace. Pen Tool (P)-create new lines, curves and shapes on the fly.Ĭolour Picker Tool (I)-grab and apply colours as you go.

Zoom Tool (Z)-home in on the fine details or go back to the bigger picture without losing focus on other aspects of your design.

Move Tool (V)-for repositioning objects on the canvas at a moment’s notice. When it comes to tools, here are a few staples that can really help you out:

Toggle snapping ( )-it’s handy to be able to position objects relative to other objects on the canvas, but sometimes a little more flexibility is required, so the ability to switch this on and off with a single key is extremely useful. Select multiple objects ( shift-click)-this is great for managing several layers (or layer objects) all at once. Undo (Win: ctrl + Z, Mac: cmd + Z)-the ability to undo a step without taking your eyes off the canvas can be a real help when focusing on your design.Ĭut (Win: ctrl + X, Mac: cmd + X), copy (Win: ctrl + C, Mac: cmd + C) and paste (Win: ctrl + V, Mac: cmd + V)-it’s useful to have these handy when you’re looking to remove, copy or place objects from the clipboard. Here are some basic shortcuts that may be helpful to commit to memory: Using keyboard shortcuts helps speed up routine processes.

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