Do I have to outline or expand strokes when making a logo?
When I use an ink brush for example, should I expand or outline the stroke or can I leave it if I want to?
Answer
My general workflow for both Illustrator and Photoshop is a two file workflow.
- 1 file for my records which contains all the layers, effects, appearance settings, etc in tact and is not flattened and everything is as “live” and editable as it can be. This allows me to return to the file later and more easily edit anything which may need changed. I keep this file in the client archive. The client never sees this file.
- 1 file for the client which is expanded, flattened, merged. etc. Editing for this file is not a concern. The concern is to save a file as universally usable as possible. Clients typically should not need to edit files. However, they may need to utilize the file in multiple production environments. So create a file that is as absolutely simple as possible is beneficial.
Illustrator files are not much different than creating something like a digital painting in Photoshop. When you work in Photoshop, you create layers, add styles, etc. But when you’re ready to provide a file to the client you save as a jpg or tiff which flattens all the layers and merges all the styles. That’s all the client needs. Yet you retain the .psd for you to edit again later if needed. The same style workflow for Illustrator works well for me.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Mooona , Answer Author : Scott