Adobe Illustrator Reviews & Insights

Score8.9 out of 10

1,575 Reviews and Ratings

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for Adobe Illustrator CC are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Pros

Better Image Management: Users have appreciated the improved image management in Adobe Illustrator over Corel Draw, which enhances their workflow efficiency and organization of design assets. The enhanced image-handling capabilities allow users to work with various visual elements, resulting in a more streamlined design process.

Seamless Integration with Other Adobe Products: Users find Adobe Illustrator to have better connectivity with Photoshop and other Adobe products, streamlining their design process and promoting seamless collaboration between different software tools. This integration saves time and also ensures consistency across projects by facilitating easy transfer of files and resources among Adobe applications.

Huge Amount of Tools for Designing: Users appreciate the vast array of tools available in Adobe Illustrator, enabling them to create intricate and unique designs while having a wide range of creative options at their disposal. Users have used the extensive toolset to explore diverse design techniques, styles, and effects, fostering creativity and innovation in their projects.

Adobe Illustrator Reviews

18 Reviews

Other

Adobe Illustrator CC is a trusted tool for any designer

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 26, 2024

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I'm a Senior Art Director and Graphic Designer and I use Adobe Illustrator CC regularly for making vector artwork for clients and various projects. I use Adobe Illustrator CC for logo concepting and production and rely on the program for its vector output.

Pros

Creating vector artwork
Illustration
Artboards for creating multiple visuals
Logo creation

Cons

It would be great if Adobe Illustrator CC had an easier way to export compressed PDFs
More pen tool ease of use

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Illustrator CC is the best program out there for producing high-quality vector artwork. I love using it for logo design and creation. For print pieces it can also be very helpful, although I prefer making the graphics for a printed piece in Adobe Illustrator CC and then placing them in an Indesign document for final output. Adobe Illustrator CC can also create artwork that will be used for digital purposes, although I usually use Photoshop for those kinds of projects.

Verified User

Employee (Marketing & Advertising company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

15 years of experience

Best tool of Adobe, for sure!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

January 20, 2023

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Illustrator in creating brands for my clients. I also like to use it to alter and/or vectors to be used in other software like Figma or Photoshop. It give me a huge freedom to create whatever I want, so I can create unique brands for my clients.

Pros

Vectoring
Exporting files
Connecting with other adobe softwares
A huge amount of tools to create an unique design

Cons

Performance, sometimes illustrator crashes or become slow
Bug correction
Give the same tools for Illustrator desktop and tablet

Likelihood to Recommend

I think Illustrator is the best vector software on the market today, whenever I need to work with this type of format I choose it. It's pretty versatile too, I can connect and export files to be used in other software, and it exports those files cleanly. Despite having a huge amount of tools inside it, it is not a difficult software to use, you can already do a lot with just the basics, but knowing some advanced techniques you can save a lot of time in projects. Just don't try to do miracles with photos inside it, it wasn't made for that and you will end up frustrated, use Photoshop instead.

João Alcantara

Brand Designer at Freelancer (Graphic Design, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

My all-time favorite design product!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

January 21, 2022

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Absolutely loved using Adobe Illustrator as a designer at my company within our Marketing Department. It would 100% be my go to software to use and was used the most out of the entire Adobe Creative Suite. I would absolutely recommend to those who want to create vector based graphics or illustrations.

Pros

Vector Graphics
Typography
Iconography
Print Graphics

Cons

Limited working area

Likelihood to Recommend

Some great examples that I've used Illustrator for have been:

Printed Graphics (Posters, Business Cards)
Providing graphics for websites (SVG files)
Creating iconography from scratch
Composing visual branding elements
Customizing typography

Scenarios where I've switched to other software have been:

Website prototypes
Image editing
Book layout and design
Animation

Verified User

Team Lead (Design company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

Illustrator is easy to implement in the industrial world

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

November 12, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Killer vector design abilities.Excellent Touch Type feature.Simplified Free Transform tool. The powerful Puppet Warp feature allows the transformation of select portions of illustrations. Many improvements to existing features. Adobe Illustrator CC is being used for nearly 80% of all design-related work for clients. It's one of the best parts of the Adobe Creative Suite considering it's vector-based and being that we have a variety of clients who need both digital and print related assets, vector-based is the best so that resolution doesn't get lost.AI is well suited for designers and illustrators who need to create scalable artwork or assets and don't want to lose resolution. Clean and beautiful work can be created with AI. However, the learning curve is not the quickest so it is better suited for those who either already have some knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite or for those who are willing to spend the time and money to learn from a course or on their own.AI is well suited for originators and artists who ought to make adaptable craftsmanship work or resources and do not need to lose determination. Clean and excellent work can be made with AI. In any case, the learning bend isn't the fastest so it is way better suited for those who either as of now have a [little] information of the Adobe Creative Suite or for those who are willing to spend the time and cash to memorize from a course or on their claim.

Pros

very good for vector design with color variation and sharpness that is really amazing

Cons

the smart guide doesn't appear until now I haven't found a solution. adobe creative suite cc 18

Likelihood to Recommend

pros n cons - Vector drawing and scaling - Easy client interface - Tons of interface instruments to work with - Ability to consequence and send out in different designs, as well as bringing in into other Adobe programs - There are so numerous apparatuses that it can be overpowering to memorize how to utilize all viewpoints of the program. - As the program is updated, tragically they inevitably get as well overpowering for more seasoned video cards - constraining you to either overhaul or bargain with the lag. - Very once in a while the program will hang or indeed crash. I've never been able to pinpoint precisely why.

Verified User

Team Lead (Graphic Design company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

Top to Bottom Creative Branding Multi-Tool

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

May 13, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Acting as the in-house design team for an organic suncare brand, my team uses Illustrator for everything from print packaging artwork, dieline modification, branding assets (icons, logos, etc.), large format print graphics, and type explorations. I personally use Illustrator daily to design and develop our in market packaging and modify or create dielines for primary and secondary packaging. I also use Illustrator daily to develop our digital marketing graphics and seasonally for new product development mockups.

Pros

Vector art.
Typography.
Packaging.
Dielines.
Large format artwork.

Cons

Cross functionality with video.
Image linking.
Exporting for different file types.

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Illustrator is very strong for creating hard line vector artwork. It's easy to take a logo sketch, trace the key strokes, and convert into a printable vector asset. Illustrator is great for product packaging and dieline work. The interface allows for a large artboard and packaging dielines can be very accurately detailed quickly down to the smallest unit of measurement. Illustrator is great for designing brand graphic assets and is very precise in the line work options.

Illustrator is not the type of software to design multi page documents in -- I would use InDesign. It also doesn't function very well for photo corrections or raster based image adjustments -- I would use Photoshop.

Eric Gangnath

Creative Director at COOLA (Consumer Goods, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

17 years of experience

View profile

Illustrator Lives Up To Its Industry Standard

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

May 13, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The marketing department of our company uses the entire Adobe Suite, including Illustrator primarily for our product label designs, vector drawings of icons and backgrounds, and all of our logo designs. We often need to have our designs in vector so they are scalable for various printing formats - so this is ideal. Also, Illustrator is one of the most widely used platforms in the world, so it's easy to also work on projects with outside contractors because of the popularity of this program.

Pros

Vector drawing and scaling
Easy user interface
Tons of interface tools to work with
Ability to import and export in various formats, as well as importing into other Adobe programs

Cons

There are so many tools that it can be overwhelming to learn how to use all aspects of the program.
As the program is upgraded, sadly they eventually get too overwhelming for older video cards - forcing you to either upgrade or deal with the lag.
Very rarely the program will hang or even crash. I've never been able to pinpoint exactly why.

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Illustrator is the industry standard for creating vector objects - especially logos, labels, and other mediums that need to be easily scalable. We also use the program for icons and creating images for our presentations. I would recommend Photoshop for more pixel based images, especially with blending, color corrections, and more web related material.

Jeff Montgomery

CTO at Animal Necessity (Veterinary, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

20 years of experience

Illustrator = Industry Standard

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

May 4, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use [Adobe Illustrator CC] in the Design and Video teams at our company. We use [Adobe Illustrator CC] for graphics that we use in PPT presentations, creating icons, building infographics, storyboarding images that the video team animates, creating/managing graphic libraries, and more. If there's anything we need to be able to expand into large sizes or import as an editable object within PPT, we start in Illustrator. Our team uses it every day to prepare images for all of our client projects.

Pros

Vector graphics for scaling to large sizes
Filling an object with a texture
Easily adjusting and expanding an artboard to fit the size of the content (especially for infographics)
Compatibility with other Adobe CC programs, but also exporting for PPT graphics

Cons

There needs to be a quicker way to ungroup layers of grouped objects (like Ungroup > Ungroup All) so that you can quickly cut through grouped objects to edit what you need
The latest version of Illustrator CC has been slow to sync or activate fonts
I wish the export versions would integrate with Google Slides like SVGs integrate as objects for PPT

Likelihood to Recommend

[Adobe] Illustrator CC is the industry standard for creating vector graphics, infographics, icons, and being able to download editable stock graphics to use in various applications. As the Design Team lead for our company, I wouldn't hire someone that doesn't know how to use Illustrator. We use it almost every day, and it touches every client project that we create.

Terra Stafford

Lead Designer at DSG Consulting (Professional Training & Coaching, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

13 years of experience

View profile

Illustrator is very good at what it does. Can it do even more?

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

April 15, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Adobe Illustrator CC is used almost daily in the publishing department of my company to access color information from our catalogue of EPS files, although it is also used frequently across the company. [Adobe Illustrator CC] is a reliable vector editor, useful to prepare client files for printing/press preflight, as well as create our own images to be used in digital and printed publications.

Pros

Create resizable images (vector images)
Export files into image files at multiple sizes
Color management: remove spot colors before printing; gather CMYK or RGB values to ensure consistent color use across all projects — this is something that Adobe CC Libraries also assists with greatly.
Create files for web use

Cons

Access to colors or selecting an area of an image can take a few more clicks than expected.
The trace tools have come a long way since older versions of Illustrator but still do not reliably transform every image into usable vectors, i.e., you cannot easily transform a photo into line art by merely using a trace tool.
I would like to see more free-hand vector pen tools

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Illustrator [CC] is great for creating graphics. It is not as well suited for multi-page text-and-image documents (InDesign is your best bet there) or photo editing (you want Photoshop). Sometimes [Adobe Illustrator CC] makes your graphic art so simple, as it has many helpful tools, and Adobe even offers tutorials on their website as a reliable resource for learning how to use their extensive tools better. However, artists looking to draw in vectors may prefer a software with more brush options and other artist-focused tools (Clip Studio Paint comes to mind here as being very artist friendly, but I am uncertain about its vector properties). In summary, Illustrator does logos and graphics incredibly well, and can be used as substitute for text layout software in a pinch.

Courtney Birnbaum

Senior Specialist, Publications at Learfield IMG College (Publishing, 501-1000 employees)

Vetted Review

9 years of experience

View profile

Adobe Illustrator

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

April 15, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

[Adobe Illustrator CC] is not used widely across the company. There are a number of us in the Training and Development department who use it to create graphics that are incorporated into eLearning lessons and videos that we produce. I have used it to create 2d graphics, icons, and logos.

Pros

It allows you to create vector graphics that can be manipulated as you need.
It provides the ability to create professional looking graphics.
You can manipulate fonts in many ways.

Cons

The pen tool takes practice, and is not intuitive for some people.
There are MANY features that may be overwhelming for a beginner.
You need to also use Photoshop to create gifs, versus only using Illustrator.

Likelihood to Recommend

[Adobe Illustrator CC] is perfect for creating images that range from basic "flat" graphics to more complex 3d graphics using gradients, shadows, shading, etc. It is perfect for logo design and novel graphic creation. It also includes the ability to incorporate and manipulate text. I have used it to work with image files, although that is not its main purpose.

Eric Batson

Instructional Design Specialist at Capital Group | American Funds (E-Learning, 5001-10,000 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

View profile

Best-in-class vector program

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

December 31, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The local college that I work for uses Adobe Illustrator CC as one of the core training softwares in their bachelor in graphic design program. The software in only used in the communication studies department. Adobe Illustrator CC allows students to gain a comprehensive knowledge of an industry-standard design software that is used worldwide.

Pros

Adobe Illustrator CC is the best software to create corporate identity designs because of its use of vector. Users can create a design and then scale it to any size without loosing image quality. This is especially important for designs that would have multiple uses like a logo.
Adobe Illustrator CC has a variety of tools that allow the user to manipulate lines and shapes into great design creations. These tools all complement each other and help the user create their vision efficiently.
Adobe Illustrator CC is the best software to create designs that are scalable. This is possible because it is a vector-based software.

Cons

Adobe Illustrator CC's interface can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming. A redesign of this interface to have a more inviting user experience is needed.
I would like to see a downloadable version of Adobe Illustrator again. Ever since Adobe decided to switch to a subscription-based model, some customers have decided to use alternatives.
Adobe Illustrator CC does not intergrade with images fluently. It would be nice to see an improvement where vector and raster images can work more efficiently together.

Likelihood to Recommend

Adobe Illustrator CC is best suited for designers and illustrators who want to develop a concept from a sketch to a final design. The main benefit here is that this design can now be scaled to any size without loosing quality. This makes the design more versatile and adaptable to various print formats. It is usually the industry standard software for creating brand identities for most advertising agencies.

Verified User

Professional (Education Management company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience