Designing logos with xara

**behzad** · 10 April 2008, 03:04 AM

I would like to know once you design a logo in xara what is the best way to have it reproduce for illustrator format as well?

What export to use and method to have the same logo accessible and presentable in illustrator, so that if someone wants it in adobe format?

**steve.ledger** · 10 April 2008, 07:10 AM

....it depends

If your logo is simply spot colours, then .AI or .PDF usually work fine (with a couple colour space caveats)

But as soon as I start using Xtremes unique vector tools, I always run into some issues because Illustrator or CorelDraw simply cannot understand them in the same way.
Often it's best to export as .PDF from Xtreme to show the customer. If it's a digital print, then it will be RIP'ed anyway - so you can always export directly from Xtreme as a raster and at the size (resolution) required.

Of course, all of the above can very dependent on many other things.

Experimentation is usually the key.

**Albacore** · 10 April 2008, 08:47 AM

The usual way is to export your work as a PDF as Steve states. Any special effects used in Xara will be rendered as a raster so it will not be able to be edited in AI if that is the plan but if it is going to print there should be no real problems. From experience place any text in the top most layer before export. Since thee introduction of V4 I have to not taken to printer which is going to happen tomorrow. I am going to take 2 versions one with text changed to shapes the other just left so that it could be edited by the printer and we will see the result certainly opening a PDF in AI has worked text coming through without hassle with just the occasional glitch with some fonts breaking up into lines of text after removing the clipping mask.

**behzad** · 10 April 2008, 11:09 AM

Thank you guys, I have been doing print from xara for a while now and it is great. The case here is when a client wants their logo in illustrator format to own, then what?
They don't have xara and pdf has issues.
I guess I am answering myself here to go in and import it as pdf into illustrator and again make adjustments.

Until the day Xara can have a descent import export of illustrator files.
I really don't understand why that has not been worked on?

**willdean** · 10 April 2008, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by behzad

Until the day Xara can have a descent import export of illustrator files.
I really don't understand why that has not been worked on?

I'm not qualified to critique the Illustrator import/export, although I know it was languishing for a few versions, but I know what you mean.

I think if Xara was seriously after much of Illustrator's market, then they'd have gone for absolutely first-class interop with it - cf Excel vs 123, Word vs WordPerfect, and to some extent NT vs Netware.

Every time MS successfully went after an incumbent, they did it by offering excellent TWO-WAY interchange, key emulation modes, etc.

I expect this is the big hope for PDF, as everything converges on that.

**steve.ledger** · 10 April 2008, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by behzad

The case here is when a client wants their logo in illustrator format to own, then what?

They can own your output Xara PDF just the same - or do they want to 'edit' your work?
This is different from owning it isn't it?

Originally Posted by behzad

They don't have xara and pdf has issues.

They could always download the Xara trial

But you knew that

Originally Posted by behzad

Until the day Xara can have a descent import export of illustrator files.
I really don't understand why that has not been worked on?

Or better still, untill Illustrator can work with Xara files

But good luck...

**behzad** · 10 April 2008, 11:24 AM

Well some designers sell the rights to the client when they finish a logo.
That way they can do as they please. lets say a client buys a logo and then they want to print it on a t-shirt or a van that way they always have the illustrator file.

For other print related work I don't give original files only pdf.
But I have also heard that they can edit pdf and make it their own too. Just like we can import pdf and edit and resave.

**raynerj1** · 10 April 2008, 12:56 PM

If the logo has been designed to be simple it should transfer to any media easily. That is the main reason to keep it simple. if the artwork in the logo is rather complex, then you might have to rebuild it to look the same but made out of many more simpler shapes. For instance, A 256 step blend instead of a fade from black to white.

I have found that you can recreate almost any of the neater xara effects by using blends.