TechRadar Verdict
A very good service from Adobe which can help you create and download a logo in minutes, but with remarkable customisation features which are hidden just under the surface. Well worth a look.
Pros
- +
Easy to use
- +
Simple design
- +
Hidden customisation prowess
- +
Free
Cons
- -
Still in beta
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Adobe is well known for its Creative Cloud software and various online services, and it might not surprise you to know they also have also delved into logo creation.
Getting started
You can find this feature via the Adobe Creative Cloud Express section of their online service. This is currently labelled as a Beta product, meaning this is not yet the final version, and glitches could crop up at any time, although we didn’t experience any while testing out the features. On the plus side, you don’t need to pay to use the service.
Click on ‘Create your logo now’ to begin the process. Your first step will be to input your business type, name and slogan (if you have one). You’re then offered a choice of four styles, followed by a selection of icons which you can choose one of - these are based on the type of business you stated earlier, but there’s also a search field to help you branch out, if need be.
And now, Adobe does the creative work for you and offers you dozens of variations. If you’re not happy with what you see, you have the choice of switching to one of the other three styles in case those are more to your liking.
Random customisation
This isn’t the end of the road though, as there’s some customising options you can play with… however, it may not be what you expect: take the ‘Colour’ button for instance. It may look like a colour palette, but clicking on it doesn’t reveal a vast gamut of shades for your to pick from. No, this is a random colour generator, and clicking on it keeps creating random results for your background and foreground. Thankfully there’s an ‘Undo’ button to get back to what you saw a few clicks ago, but there’s to way to control what you will see next.
The same applies to the ‘Font’ button. There’s no control over the size, colour, or style of your writing. Just click, and click again, until you (hopefully) find the one you’d like to use.
This is not the concept of customisation we’re used to, and continuously clicking to get more uncontrolled results could get pretty frustrating pretty fast, but it’s also an interesting way to get you a design without any creative know-how whatsoever.
Download and true customisation
You need to register in order to download your logo (it’s free and not payment details are required), and once you’ve done this, as if by magic, you’re offered to ‘Customise More’. This is were those who enjoy getting down and dirty with every pixel will finally be satisfied.
Everything can be altered, modified, resized, or rotated. Photos can be added, icons replaced, text boxes inserted. You go from random changes to meticulous creation with easy to use controls via sidebars and parameter sections. If you’re used to image editing software, you’ll feel right at home here.
Final verdict
Adobe’s Logo Creator may be in beta but we found it able to strike an interesting balance between those who know nothing about design but just want a nice looking logo in minutes, to those who need absolute control over every pixel of their creation, and manages to successfully cater to both audiences. It’s a great free service worth checking out.
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