Free Logo Software for Graphic Designers
Downloading the Best Freeware Applications for Designing Logos
Aug 16, 2009
The first decision for a Graphic Designer looking for free logo software, is to decide what kind of software they really need. There are a couple of generic types of design applications that lend themselves to the production of logos and brand devices.
The first type are image editing applications such as GIMP or Paint.Net, that are designed to work on raster image files. These are largely used by Graphic Designers for editing and enhancing photos, but can also be used for producing graphics.
It's not unusual for Designers to favor their chosen image editing software for the production of all their graphic devices because they're most comfortable with the way that it works, however this isn't the ideal free logo software.
The second group of design applications are vector line drawing applications and these are far better suited for the design and production of logos. This is because a logo device could be used in a wide range of ways, from being placed in the banner of a website through to being displayed on the side of a hot air balloon. Vector line graphics can be resized infinitely without any loss of image quality, but raster images start to deteriorate very quickly when increased in size.
Choosing the Best Software for Designing a Brand Device
The best free logo software for a Graphic Designer to select will come down partly to personal taste. Some of the choices are developed by the open source community, but the commercial business Serif also offer a free logo software option.
Inkscape
The first and arguably best known of the free logo software currently available is Inkscape. This is a vector line drawing application that has been under development by the open source community for some years, producing what is now an accomplished design application.
This is the Open Source alternative to the industry vector line application that is Adobe Illustrator, in the same way that GIMP is seen as the free alternative for Adobe Photoshop.
Scribus
Strictly speaking Scribus is a desktop publishing application, however the software can produce scalable SVG graphics that are ideal for producing brand devices, so for users familiar with Scribus it could be the perfect choice of free logo software.
Serif DrawPlus
Unlike the other free logo software mentioned here, Serif DrawPlus is not an open source application, but it is however offered for free in one version. This is basically an earlier version of the software that is no longer for sale as it has been superseded, but it still offers many powerful features for the design of logos.
Graphic Designers who find the free version of DrawPlus well suited to them, may be tempted to upgrade to the latest full version.
All of these free logo software applications offer all the necessary features for designing professional quality logos that can be used in a wide range of applications. The one that a Graphic Designer chooses will be down to personal choice and experience.
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