Frequently we designers and production folk need to get our hands on vector versions of company logos. Mostly, it's for assembling presentations or design layout options. But also for final files going to print or web. If you are not able to get the logos directly from somebody at the various companies or corporations, you need to find your own resources. There are a few on-line resources that I've used or have heard about. There's also one trick that I've used to scavenge vector logos.
Here are the resources and the one trick.
On-line Resources:
Brands of the World - http://www.brandsoftheworld.com
This is the one with which I've had the most luck. You register for free and have access to a vast library. The search is quick and the results are clearly displayed and easy to download.
Seek Logo - http://seeklogo.com
This one is very clean and straightforward AND seems to have a library of vector logos as vast as Brands of the World. You can also register with this site, but it doesn't seem as though it is required to download the logos.
La Logotheque - http://www.lalogotheque.com
I'm not a big fan of this site, but it's an alternative if you strike out at the other sites. The logo library is not as vast as the other two listed above. It is also a very cluttered site that makes it a bit overwhelming to focus on what you are looking for.
The Alternative Trick:
Pulling a Vector Logo from a Company PDF
This one has worked for me 95% of the time. What I do is to go to the company website, usually the corporate level site, look for an annual report, newsletter, news release or some such official corporate document. This has also worked for me when looking for product logos. Usually, the parent company will have product logos in their annual report or similar document. Most of the time these document layouts are created using vector logos.
Download and view one of these PDFs to see if the logo you need is on any of the pages. If it is, open the PDF in Adobe Illustrator. If it is a multi-page PDF you will be presented with an 'Open PDF' dialog box that will allow you to click through thumbnails of the pages so you can open the specific page you need.
Once the page with the logo is open, click on it or view in Outline mode to see if the logo is vector. Copy the logo, then paste into your layout.
The title of this blog is a bit tongue-in-cheek. I've heard this phrase from a few people along the way. The fact is, is that production is not easy, but it can be easier, hopefully, if you follow this blog and put some of the tips and tricks to practice. I will focus on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, with some flavoring of InDesign. On occasion, I will delve into other Adobe Creative Suite apps, and maybe a Microsoft Office tip or two. Submit your e-mail below to receive these posts by email.
Nice blog David!
ReplyDeleteThe company PDF trick is my favorite method. Another tip is to use the Advanced Search feature on Google. Enter the company domain in the "site or domain" field, click on pdf for the "file type" and then I leave the rest of the fields blank. The search results will then show all of the pdfs from their website.
Awesome tip Chris! I tried it and it works like a charm. Thanks!
Delete