Adobe Illustrator vs Figma

Intuitive logo creation. Adobe Illustrator is a top-notch logo maker that is suitable for creating vector logos. Moreover, it has some features typically available in photo enlargement software, so you can scale images without degrading their quality: you can stretch a logo in two clicks to the size of a huge billboard or, on the contrary, make it miniature and place it on a ballpoint pen. Such feature is truly invaluable, as simple vector logos don’t slow down the loading of web pages.

Whether you build laconic logos on modular grids, or create complex drawings from scratch using references – this program can easily cope with both tasks. In fact, you can create even detailed logos in Adobe Illustrator.

Draw flat-illustrations of any complexity. While preparing this Adobe Illustrator vs Figma comparison, I was delighted to learn that this program is unmatched when it comes to creating flat-illustrations. From simple objects to more complicated pictures with elaborate details – you can create any flat-illustration here.

You can optimize your work in the program: group shapes, view an image in outline form without filling, and automatically replace specific colors. The program is also optimized for drawing tablets, and you can use brushes for most tasks. Brushes resemble those in Photoshop, but instead of raster lines, you get vector alternatives.

Rich library of drawing tools. The range of instruments is amazing – there are tools for distorting and warping images, for creating a 3D image, transparency effect tool, pencil sketch effect, industry-standard sets, style sets, symbols, and paragraphs. The latest versions have professional strokes, an improved outline definition system, a bristle brush effect, and a simplified process of creating shapes.

Quick export. You can export a single object or an entire artboard as files of various sizes and formats with just one click. This feature is great for preparing objects for mobile devices and websites. It saves designers from repeating manual export operations, allowing them to spend more time doing creative tasks.

More dynamic shapes. The powerful “Shape” tool allows you to quickly create vector shapes. Most shapes are dynamic. In other words, these shapes can be dynamically adjusted without changing the tool. To customize a shape, you need to use shape control widgets or controls available in the “Transform” panel.

To make the work with shapes as convenient as possible, the developer has simplified the bounding box. Polygons retain their dynamic shape properties even after changing the original dynamic shape (scale, skew, redraw, etc.).

Joint work on layouts. Similar to Google Docs, Figma allows working on a document as a team: you can give access for viewing and editing to your team members and work on the layout in parallel. There will appear cursors of different colors on the screen denoting different designers. This way, different people working on a project can better understand the context. For example, a designer develops a prototype of an application, and a UX copywriter writes texts for the interface directly in Figma. 

Free tool for individual users. If your team consists of no more than two designers and you don’t need a library of components, then you can use Figma for any number of projects for free. You only need to pay for the software when you add additional designers to a project, or when you need additional features such as a content library or endless file version history. 

Presentation mode. When you give a user a link to a project to view it in a browser, or a user views your project from his/her Figma version, he/she can see what you see. Thus, you can present your project without using streaming video services such as Skype, etc. Just get in touch via any messenger and give a link to the presentation of a project. That’s a really time-saving feature, so consider it while comparing Adobe Illustrator vs Figma.  

Create a grid with ease. Figma has a Grid Layout panel that doesn’t yet exist in other programs. Using it, you can create a grid of any complexity in several moments. Therefore, you can create an unlimited number of grids in one layout, make grids rubbery or static, and paint each grid in a different color.

Prototyping. Figma allows you to make a clickable version of a website or mobile app, creating multiple screens. You can test and customize all elements: buttons, pop-up menus, animated and modal windows. All screens are arranged on one page. You don’t need to switch between windows. You create connections and see how an interface looks in reality.