A helpful tool or damaging to your brand?
With the rise of greater technology available to businesses and designers, there are more and more tools streamlining the way we design. One innovation which has come on leaps and bounds after the last couple years is “auto vectorisation tools“. A software designed to convert flat (raster) images into scalable vector graphics with minimal effort.
These tools can be incredibly useful for a variety of projects, but are they a good option for reworking old logos? While they offer speed and convenience, they often fall short when compared to manual vectorisation by a professional designer.
The benefits of auto vector tools
Adobe Illustrator’s Image Trace, Vector Magic, and multiple online platforms have made converting low quality designs into vector graphics easier than ever. For good reason too.
These tools can process an image in seconds, saving time compared to manually tracing and refining the design. They provide a quick way to scale old logos without needing advanced design skills.
Applying polish onto “blown out” designs, many tools can remove background noise, smooth out jagged edges, and improve overall clarity. Even more so if it is replicating simple elements composed of basic shapes and clean lines.
Despite this advantages, auto vectorization tools often struggle when dealing with complex or aged logos.
The limitations of auto vector tools
The biggest issues using Image Trace can be dealing with a loss of detail. Logos with intricate designs, textures, or gradients often can’t be translated leading to your brand losing some personality.
Auto tools can also misinterpret curves, angles, and proportions, leading to distorted results that will require manual correction to bring the design back to life.
Possibly the greatest weakness with auto vector tools is the poor handling of typography. While the human eye can read flattened and degraded fonts auto tools struggle to accurately recognize and vectorize text. Fonts in old logos frequently need to be manually matched or recreated in a similar vain to AI generated images.
Hopefully this helps highlights the pros and cons of using auto vector tools allowing you to take the best approach for your business.
A restyle or a redrawn logo
Having a vector version of your logo is essential, but sometimes a simple redraw isn’t enough to unlock your brand’s full potential. A thoughtful restyle can make all the difference in strengthening your visual identity.
Doveleigh Care approached us with their existing logo, which had deteriorated over time, making it difficult to use across different formats due to the lack of a scalable vector version.
Open to both a redraw and a potential restyle, the client wanted to retain their recognisable brand while ensuring they had a more versatile and professional logo moving forward.
While initially pleased with the hand-drawn vector, we explored ways to enhance the design further. By simplifying and modernising the logo, we created a cleaner, more scalable version that maintains the original charm while offering greater flexibility across various platforms.
Does your brand need a refresh?
Do you feel that your logo is holding your business back or is no longer a good representation of your company?
With nearly two decades in crafting brand identities and logos we can help with vectorising existing designs through to creating fresh new design concepts for your business.
We also provide a free, no obligation logo review service, breaking down your branding and providing a constructive and helpful health check of your logo.
