AI logo vs. a designer's logo: what you're missing

You type a few words, click, and a few seconds later you have four nice designs. It sounds like magic, and for a first idea it may well be enough. The trouble starts when you want to print the logo on a business card, put it on a shop window or send it to the printer.

A picture isn't a logo yet

AI generates an image made of pixels, in other words a raster. It looks fine on Instagram, but blow it up to a poster or billboard and it starts to fall apart. A real logo is drawn as a vector, from points and curves, so you can scale it up as much as you like and it stays sharp.

Colours for screen and print

A screen glows, paper doesn't. The bright colours of an AI image turn dull in print, sometimes into completely different shades. That's why a designer prepares logo colours for the web (RGB), for print (CMYK) and, if needed, exact Pantone shades too.

A logo doesn't have to be the prettiest picture. It has to work everywhere your clients see it.

Typos and fonts

AI still struggles with text. Letters merge, go missing or multiply, and the font can't be traced anywhere. When you want a flyer or website in the same typeface, there's nobody to supply it.

Want to see the difference for yourself? In the Try it section on the home page, you can switch from an AI logo to one made by a professional.

What a designer should deliver

When you have a logo designed, you should end up with a package that covers your website, print and advertising without having to ask for anything more:

• The logo as a vector: SVG, PDF or AI
• PNG with a transparent background for the web and social media
• Colours in RGB, CMYK and Pantone if needed
• Variants: colour, black, white and simplified
• A simple logo manual with fonts and usage rules

To wrap up

AI is a great helper for inspiration. But a logo your business will use for years, on business cards, on the car and on the website, is better left to a person who also thinks about what comes after the click.