Illustrator

Illustrator from Adobe Inc. is an industry-standard vector graphics software popular since the late 1980s. Ninety percent of creative professionals, including graphic designers, digital artists, and professional illustrators, use Adobe Illustrator. They make a living creating brand logos, typography, or artwork for digital media, ads, album covers, clothing, video games, publications, and more.

Want to master Illustrator? 

Adobe Illustrator Course Highlights 2024

Platform	Course Details	Certification
Adobe TV / Creative Cloud	Beginner-level hands-on tutorials, downloadable samples	None
Adobe Official Website	Paid courses, CertPREP Practice Tests, Adobe Illustrator BrainBuffet eCourse and Practice Test	Adobe Certified Professional in Graphic Design & Illustration
Udemy	Nearly 600 courses (6 to 30 hours), all skill levels, taught by top instructors - Daniel Scott, Lindsay Marsh, etc.	Course completion certificates
Coursera	Specialisations and project networks for intermediate users (UI/UX designers, graphic designers)	Specialisation certificates from international universities
Skillshare	Short courses for various skill levels focus on software tricks	Course completion certificates
YouTube (Envato Tuts+, Saul Bass, Laura Coyle, GFXMentor, Glitschka Studios, Dansky)	Free introductory videos, suitable for both beginners and intermediates	None

How to Learn (And Get Certified w/) Adobe Illustrator

You can find many online Illustrator courses. In-house experts offer training and certificates in Adobe Illustrator online on the company website through Adobe TV of Creative Cloud. These are beginner-level, hands-on tutorials you can begin or follow using the app on your desktop or laptop, with downloadable samples.   

Other than that, Adobe also offers an official certificate. That is the Adobe Certified Professional in Graphic Design & Illustration Using Adobe Illustrator. The experts mention that the student needs to complete it by having 150 hours of learning and completing an integrated 50-minute exam. 

To learn Illustrator from the official website and earn an Adobe certificate, check the paid courses and CertPREP Practice Tests. One of the site-recommended courses and paid tests is the Adobe Illustrator BrainBuffet eCourse and Practice Test. 

The other way to master Illustrator is to find suitable online courses from Udemy, Coursera, and Skillshare. These courses are taught by top instructors and universities, and thousands of learners have excelled in their creative careers. 

Udemy courses on Adobe Illustrator vary in skill level. The platform offers nearly 600 courses covering the vector graphics app through six-—to 30-hour training. Check out instructors like Lindsay Marsh, who has some bestselling courses. Another is Daniel Scott, an Adobe Certified Trainer, who has a wide range of courses outside Udemy on Bringyourownlaptop.com. Taking 

Skillshare offers a diverse range of courses on improving your Adobe Illustrator skills. These courses are generally short and great for learning the tricks of the software. 

Coursera offers a variety of Adobe Illustrator-related courses through specialisations and project networks. These are broader specialisations suitable for intermediate UI/UX designers, graphic designers, etc. Expect California Institute of the Arts, Michigan State University, University of Colorado Boulder, etc., to offer some in-depth and related Illustrator courses. 

Another free way to learn is through YouTube, the Envato Tuts+ channel. This one has great introductory videos for learning from scratch. Similarly, there are plenty of other YouTube channels to learn tips and tricks, including Dansky, Glitschka Studios, and more.  

Where To Find Adobe Illustrator Courses Online

Illustrator Course List	Why Take It
Adobe Illustrator CC - Essentials Training Course on Udemy	Get the latest training on Illustrator without prior experience. It covers everything, making it a go-to course for 115,461 students. Daniel Scott from BYOL teaches it.
SpeedUp & Streamline Your Design Workflow in Adobe Illustrator on Skillshare	To smoothen your Illustrator workflow, check out this useful online Adobe Illustrator class taught by Maja Faber.
Graphic Design Specialization on Coursera	This is more of an applied course that strengthens your understanding of typography, imagemaking, composition, etc. It is ideal for beginners in graphic design and works better as a supplementary course.

Things to Master in Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is primarily focused on vector-based designs. It is used to create complex illustrations, but there is much more to it. Though it has quite a steep learning curve, the following areas should be on your learning checklist. 

Basics of Digital Drawing 

This includes learning how to create simple shapes like rectangles, circles, and lines using the basic shape tools. You'll also learn how to use the Pen tool to draw more complex shapes and curves. You can do this with the Bezier Game to get a hang of the Pen tool. 

Working with Text 

Illustrator has powerful text tools that allow you to add text to your designs and style it in various ways. You'll learn to work with different fonts, adjust text size and spacing, and apply creative effects to your text.

Creating Illustrations 

One of Illustrator's main uses is creating illustrations and digital artwork. You'll learn techniques for drawing characters, objects, and scenes using the various drawing tools and brushes.  

Working with Colours and Gradients 

Illustrator offers a wide range of colour options and tools for creating gradients. You'll learn how to choose and apply colours, create custom colour palettes, and use gradients to add depth and dimension to your designs.

Editing and Transforming Shapes

Once you've created shapes and illustrations, you'll learn how to edit and transform them using tools like the Selection tool, Direct Selection tool, and the various transformation options (scaling, rotating, skewing, etc.).

Layers and Organisation

As your designs become more complex, you'll need to learn to organise your artwork using layers. This will help you keep your work structured and make it easier to edit individual elements.

Exporting and Formatting

Finally, you'll learn how to export your Illustrator designs in various formats (such as PNG, JPEG, SVG, and PDF) for use in different projects, whether for print, web, or other digital media.

What Will Make You a Successful Illustrator?

Like any other software, Illustrator may take some months to perfect. That’s why it is essential to take courses successively. But only when you perfect one thing can you continue with the next. 

Technical proficiency in Adobe Illustrator is required, but a thorough understanding of the fundamentals, including composition and colour theory, is more important. 

And most of all, is PRACTICE. Try to develop your own unique style. For that, you can go for Illustrator Challenges Projects on Behance. Try contributing to those and compare your work. Create your portfolio along the way. 

Careers where Adobe Illustrator is Required

Here are some of the professional industries where knowledge of Adobe Illustrator is handy. 

Category	Description
Graphic Design	Graphic designers rely heavily on Illustrator for creating logos, icons, illustrations, print materials (brochures, flyers, posters), and other visual assets for branding and marketing purposes.
UI/UX Design	Illustrator is commonly used by UI/UX designers to create wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes for websites, mobile apps, and other digital products.
Illustration and Digital Art	Professional illustrators and digital artists use Illustrator to create detailed illustrations, character designs, concept art, and digital paintings for various industries, including publishing, advertising, entertainment, and more.
Textile and Fashion Design	Illustrator is often used by textile and fashion designers to create patterns, prints, and designs for clothing, accessories, and fabrics.
Product Design	Industrial designers and product designers use Illustrator to create technical illustrations, product renderings, and diagrams for product development and marketing purposes.
Web Design	While primarily used for creating graphics and assets, Illustrator can also be utilised by web designers for creating scalable vector graphics (SVGs) for use on websites and web applications.
Animation and Motion Graphics	Illustrator's vector-based artwork can be exported and used in animation and motion graphics projects, particularly for creating logos, icons, and other graphic elements.
Digital Marketing	Digital marketers use Illustrator to create eye-catching graphics for social media, advertisements, email campaigns, and other online marketing materials.
Education and Training	Illustrators and graphic designers working in the education sector may use Illustrator to create visual aids, educational materials, and instructional graphics.

Following are the most popular Illustrator Colleges in India. Learn more about these Illustrator colleges (Courses, Reviews, Answers & more) by downloading the Brochure.

Following are the most popular Illustrator UG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these UG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the most popular Illustrator PG Courses . You can explore the top Colleges offering these PG Courses by clicking the links below.

Following are the top exams for Illustrator. Students interested in pursuing a career on Illustrator, generally take these important exams.You can also download the exam guide to get more insights.