Illustrator: preparing to deliver a logo

Question

I'm working on a logo that the client is going to print with transparent background for putting as a watermark on photos and other materials and i'm making another format for a stamp of 40x40mm.

I'm creating the logo in Illustrator and I have few questions:

1) Should i convert the text in shape using the option Create Outlines before preparing the file for printing? I would prefer to avoid giving the font to the client, so i guess this is the option to go for?

2) After i've finished the illustration should i use the option Expand the Appearance and Flatten Artwork to flat down all the design elements? Is it better for print purposes?

3) I used clipping masks to create the logo. Do i need to do anything before preparing the file for print?

I would appreciate your help, please keep your answer as simple as possible i'm not an expert about printing :)

Answer 1

Be aware: It's a good idea to retain a "master file" containing live type and un-expanded art for you in case it's needed in the future. Don't provide the "master" to the client. But you keep it in your files for your use.

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1

Yes. Whenever possible and feasible convert type to outlines for client delivered files. I post "possible and feasible" because it's not logical to convert a 20 page InDesign file to outlines, However, for logo work you should really always convert to outlines for your final production files. The client shouldn't ever need any fonts to use their logotype. (This also, takes care of the legal issues regarding sending someone font files).

2

This somewhat depends upon the art. In most cases I do everything I can to expand, flatten, and merge all artwork for a logo. There are a couple of reasons I do this. #1) It makes editing more difficult. The more difficult the file is to edit, the more it will discourage the client altering it. Since a logo shouldn't ever be altered beyond set brand guidelines, ease of editing shouldn't be a concern from the client. I provide all brand requirements necessary. And B) in some cases expanding/flattening can help with things like screen redraw if you have very complex appearance items. It can also make output a bit more direct (speedy). Flat artwork generally takes less postscript to output. Not like you'd really notice and this is really kind of minor, but it certainly won't do any harm to expand things.

3

Completing #2 will generally remove clipping masks if possible. If it doesn't, then they shouldn't be a problem in terms of production. I, personally, like to remove as much complexity from logo files as I can. So if that means I need to manually go in and remove a clipping mask and redraw a shape or something, I will. This is really more a matter of preference. There's no absolute technical reason you need to remove clipping masks in Illustrator -- there's more a concern about what is being clipped. Hopefully it's not a raster image for a logo, that would just be bad in many ways. *Clearly, the image you posted doesn't have rasters, so no worries there.

The big thing you can do to make a client happy with logo file delivery is to ensure you provide proper file formats. There are a few questions here with suggestions on that:

• Logo Pack - What should I include?
• What file type should I use for a logo when exporting from Adobe Illustrator?
• What are the best practices for providing a client with brand assets?
• Industry standard file format deliverables for logos?
• How do you package a final logo design for a client?

Answer 2

1. Yes. Generally it is good practice to convert your text to outlines when delivering logos. The client shouldn't need to do any editing on the actual logo artwork, so no reason to deliver with editable text. Also no reason to deliver the font file either, unless they require it for other purposes too. It is however a good idea you keep an editable version in your own backup, its easier to make changes later if you need to.
2. Yes. It is advisable you Expand Appearance and Group all the pieces of your logo into a single layer and a single group, to rule out possible print errors. Flatten layers before delivery.
3. Clipping Mask should be fine. Make sure your file color mode is CMYK. Check if the gray bits are the same CMYK code everywhere. If you are using any strokes, you should convert these to shapes via Main menu > Object > Path > Outline stroke.
4. You should also deliver an additional white-only version (where everything is white). If they apply this over photos in batch (possibly via Bridge or Lightroom), a white watermark is more common and probably more visible (see below).