How to save a new created logo as a vector (resizable) and transparant?

[Martine95]

Hello,

I am new to Illustrator and I made a logo for a friend of mine. She is going to continue using it, but I need to save it without a white background and that is also resizable afterwards. Like a vector. How do I do that? I can not find an answer that shows me how to do it.

I use the lastest version of CC and as I said, I am new to it so I probably need a clear explanation or a how-to

Thanks in advance!!

[Bill Silbert]

If you created it in Illustrator and saved it as an Adobe Illustrator (ai) file then the file is vector which means that it can be used at any size without regard for resolution. As long as you have not physically added a white background to the logo it will show clear when placed against a background when saved in this format. Do not export it as a .png or .jpeg as they are raster formats which will be resolution dependent. The png should retain background transparency but the jpeg will not.

[Martine95]

Thank you! She is a professional musician and she would like to use the logo on her cards, invoices and other printed media mainly. Social media and Web will be for later, not now at least. If I save it as a ai file then she still can not use it, right? It needs to be an image, transparent en resizable. Is that even possible?

[pixxxelschubser]

Hi Martine95,

does your friend also have Illustrator? Or other programms which can handle with AI-files?

If not, perhaps it is better to save as your file as PDF-file.

[Martine95]

Hi, no she does not have any programs that are able to work with the AI-files. If I save it as a PDF, it wont be an image she can work with, right? And then the white background will be kept, right? (I don't know). It should be an image, transparent and resizable. As I responded to Bill Silbert , is that even possible? Or does it sound to easy in my head, but it actually is not?

[jdanek]

Since you are just starting out using Illustrator, you may or may not be familiar with setting up a Branding Guide.  Not known what your friend needs a logo for, but you could do a little reading on the subject.  You simply cannot create just one version of the logo anymore.  You have print media and you have social media.  One completely different from the other.  For instance, you should have deterrmined colors by now.  You should create 1.) a spot color file; 2.) a process color file; and 3.) an RGB web based file.  Do not forget to create a Black-and-White version as well.  Your print media files will be vector.  Your web based files will be RGB bitmap files ( unless you save-for-web a vector GIF file, but that is being phased out ).

[Martine95]

Hi, no I am not familiar with Branding Guide. She is a professional musician and would like to use the logo on mainly printed media. Cards and invoices, for now. Web/social-media will be later. It is also plain back, no other colours involved. It is already black and white. How do I save it as vector? It should be an image for her to use, resizable and transparent.

[Monika Gause]

Martine95  schrieb

It should be an image for her to use, resizable and transparent.

How will she create all that media?

Will she do it herself or contract someone else with it?

If she does it herself, what kind of software does she have?

In order to check if it is transparent, please select View > Transparency grid. If there are checkerboards all around then your logo is transparent and you can just go on and save it to the various file formats.

Usually you save an AI file, a PDF file, an EPS file (this is an outdated format and should only be the last resort when no other format works, most modern software should work perfectly with the PDF). PDF files can be placed in a layout app and then scaled - provided that there is really only vector content in them. So it's important that you didn't use raster based effects, such as a drop shadow.

[Martine95]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

She will set up an invoice frame in Microsoft Word and she wants to design her cards in an online card designing programme/service. Not too complicated.

So it should be an image she can upload to Word, and as far as I know that is not possible with PDF, right?

The logo itself is easy, black letters and a black sign. No colours involved or shadows or anything.

[pixxxelschubser]

Martine95  schrieb

… She will set up an invoice frame in Microsoft Word and she wants to design her cards in an online card designing programme/service. Not too complicated …

I thought so already.

Good luck.

Martine95  schrieb

… So it should be an image she can upload to Word, and as far as I know that is not possible with PDF, right? …

This should be possible since Word 2010 (or 2013, I don't know the exact version).

One note: Word and print (online/offset) are not really the best combination.

[Monika Gause]

Martine95  schrieb

Hi, thanks for your reply.

She will set up an invoice frame in Microsoft Word and she wants to design her cards in an online card designing programme/service. Not too complicated.

So it should be an image she can upload to Word, and as far as I know that is not possible with PDF, right?

The logo itself is easy, black letters and a black sign. No colours involved or shadows or anything.

In Microsoft Office she can use PDF. At least in the latest versions. She cannot use EPS, since Micorosft disabled that for security reasons.

Trouble with Office: she can only work in RGB. And therfore you will get in trouble with the black logo when sending it into professional printing. All bad things might happen with it and it really is not advisable, especially when both of you have limited knowledge.

Working with online layout services might cause the same issues.

[michelew83603738]

How is she creating the cards and the invoices? She may use a pdf format or a jpg or vector - there are really so many choices these days! Ideally, one would bring a vector (Illustrator file) into an InDesign file and create the cards, for example from there. Then export for print to the printer's specs. But so many people use online platforms that aren't done that way and may require a jpg or png file, which you can export form an Illustrator file. So the first step would be find out how your friend is going to create the next assets and that will inform the file format you create from Illustrator. If she doesn't have Illustrator, handing off an Illustrator file won't help.

[Martine95]

That is exactly why I am asking! She does not have any programmes that work with Illustrator frames and next to that, she is a musician and not a designer, so even if I would give her the file, I am sure she would not know what to do with it

Anyways, she'll probably make the invoices just in Word and the cards in an online programme. InDesign definitely not. You advice me to have contact with her first on how she wants to work with it and based on her plans, I save the logo, right?

[CHMprepress]

Why don't you make the Cards for here in Illustartor?

[Test Screen Name]

Although this is a friend, what you are describing is a common business need, so we'll call your friend "the client". And we'll imagine there is a "contract" because dealing in business you need one; you have an informal arrangement because it's a friend.

So, a client wants a logo and doesn't understand technical details. They don't have suitable software for working with vectors. So you, the designer provide "deliverables". The trick is to deliver them a series of graphics which suit what you understand of their needs.

So you might deliver the following files:

zippy_logo_web_medium_100x100pixels.png

zippy_logo_web_medium_250x250pixels.png

zippy_logo_web_big_300x300pixels.png

zippy_logo_print300ppi_1inch.png

zippy_logo_print300ppi_2inch.png

zippy_logo_print300ppi_4inch.png

zippy_logo_vector_master.ai

This is a random selection; ideally it would be in the contract with the client what they get, so they don't keep bugging you for new stuff (unless they pay for more work). Including the master file gives the client the ability to get someone else with Illustrator to do the work or include it in future designs. However, you own the copyright. The client doesn't understand this, so it should be resolved in the contract.

[jdanek]

Before computer, a designer would, after getting approval on conceptuals, create one final artwork.  That artwork would have an overlay that marked up color(s) so they could be communicated to a print vendor.  That artwork remained the property of the designer ( owner of the copyrights ).  This allowed for any future work to be retained by the originator, something like a stationery package, signage, vehicle graphics, packaging, etc.  Contrast that with handing-off a digital file to the "client".  Pretty soon you begin to see that artwork "distorted" by trying to make it fit a Quickbooks form or a Word document.  You quickly begin to realize why designers exist in the first place.

[ceyhun_akgun]

You can save the finished work to EPS, PDF. When recording EPS, background is asking for transparent information.

EPS, PDF, AI can be opened and edited by different programs.