<< Part 6: Working with Logo TextPart 8: Saving Your Logo >>

Logo Design Studio Pro Guide – Part 7

Working with Taglines

Logo Design Studio Pro includes creative taglines that allow you to add marketing catch-phrases to your logo as text that you can modify to meet your needs. Taglines can be found in a slide-out pane to the left of the logo canvas; simply move your mouse pointer over this tab to slide it out. Once the pane is out, you can keep it open permanently by clicking the pushpin icon at the top right of the pane. If the Tagline tab does not appear to the left of the logo canvas, you can add it by clicking the Taglines button found in the View menu tab. This pane will display the available taglines in a scrollable list. Click one of the taglines to select it; this will highlight the tagline. Move your mouse cursor over to the work canvas; it will change to a crosshair (+). Move the crosshair to where you want the tagline to appear, then click on the canvas to add it. The slogan will appear on the canvas as solid text (text without any special appearance effects of its own) and can be edited or converted to a Bezier shape.

Working with Layers

Each time you add an element (object, shape, or text) to the canvas, Logo Design Studio Pro assigns it to its own layer. Each time you make changes to an element, you are also making changes to the layer on which that element resides. You can select one, several, or all the layers in your project, allow or prevent changes to the layers, hide them from the canvas display, or control the order in which they are stacked on top of each other or how they are aligned with one another.

Selecting Layers

Logo Design Studio Pro gives you three ways to select layers on your logo canvas: 1. With your mouse Click the Select button in the Shapes section of the Insert menu, then click on any layer with your mouse to select it. Once selected, the layer will be surrounded with a set of sizing handle dots. To select more than one layer, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click on each layer you wish to select, surrounding it with a set of sizing handles. To deselect a layer, click on a blank portion of the canvas. The sizing handles will disappear from around the selected layer(s). 2. From the Layers Dialog You can also select one or more layers by using the Layers dialog on the right slide-out pane. Click the Layers tab on the right sidebar to display the Layers dialog, which lists the layers that belong to each active logo canvas. Check the box in front of one of the layers listed under the canvas currently displayed. The corresponding layer element will be surrounded with a set of sizing handles. To select additional layers, check the boxes for those layers. To deselect layer(s), uncheck the boxes in front of the layer(s) you wish to deselect. The sizing handles will disappear from around the corresponding layer(s). 3. Select All Layers You can select or deselect all the layers on the displayed logo canvas at once by using the options under the Select All option button in the Editing section of the Home menu.

Choose Select All to select all the layers at once. All will be surrounded with sizing handles.
Choose Select None to deselect all the selected layers. The sizing handles will disappear.

Displaying and Modifying Layers

Logo Design Studio Pro lets you decide whether or not to allow changes to a layer and also whether or not to display it on the logo canvas. You do this with the controls in the Layers section of the Home menu. Locking and Unlocking Layers Use the options under the Lock option button to permit or prevent changes to selected layers or all layers on the logo canvas:

Select Lock to prevent changes to one or more selected layers on the canvas.
Select Lock All to prevent changes to any of the layers on the canvas.
Select Unlock to permit changes to one or more selected layers.
Select Unlock All to permit changes to all of the layers.

Hiding and Unhiding Layers

Note: Once locked, a layer cannot be hidden from view. Use the options under the Hide option button to hide or unhide (display) selected layers or all layers on the logo canvas:

Select Hide to hide one or more selected layers on the canvas. The selected layer(s) will still be present, but will not be visible.
Select Unhide to display one or more selected layers presently hidden from view. The selected layer(s) will become visible.
Select Hide All to hide all the layers on the canvas from view. The layers will still be present, but the canvas will appear blank.
Select Unhide All to display all the canvas layers, including those previously hidden from view. (This does not include layers completely covered over by other layers; to make those layers visible, move the covering layer back with the options in the Arrange section of the Home menu.)

Note: If you wish to hide all layers except one, first select the layer you wish to remain in view and lock it. Then, select Hide All to hide all the other layers. You may also select the layer, select Hide All to hide all the layers, and then select Unhide to make the selected layer visible again.

Arranging Layers

Logo Design Studio Pro lets you stack selected layers on top of or under other layers, group them, or align them horizontally or vertically with respect to each other. You do this with the options in the Arrange section of the Home menu.

Stacking Layers

Use the options under the Front and Back option buttons to place layers on top of or beneath one another.

Select Bring Front to place a layer on top of all other layers. The logo element on this layer will appear on top of any other element on the canvas when dragged over the space occupied by another layer, except for a subsequently created logo element.
Select Bring Front 1 Layer to place a layer immediately on top of the layer currently stacked above it.
Select Move Back to place a layer beneath all other layers it currently overlaps. New layers dragged over it will appear on top of it.
Select Move Back 1 Layer to place a layer immediately beneath the layer currently stacked under it.

Grouping Layers

To group two or more layers into a single unit, first, either click on each layer while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard or check the box in the Layers slide-out pane in front of each layer you want to include in the group. Then, select the Group option under the Group dropdown button to group the layers together. The grouped layers will be encased by a single set of white sizing dots. To ungroup the layers, select the Ungroup option under the Group dropdown button. Each layer will once again have its own sizing dots. Note: When grouping layers in an object you wish to move elsewhere on the canvas, it is best to use the Select All option in the Editing section to make sure all of its layers are selected at once. Otherwise, you may unintentionally leave a few unselected layers behind when you move the object.

Aligning Layers

Use the options under the Align option button to position layers horizontally or vertically with respect to each other so that their elements are lined up evenly.

Select Top to align the layers so they are aligned evenly at the top. The lower element(s) vertically will be raised to be in line with the highest element.
Select Bottom to align the layers so they are aligned evenly at the bottom. The higher element(s) vertically will be lowered to be in line with the lowest element.
Select Left to align the layers so they are aligned evenly at the left. The rightmost element(s) will be moved leftward to be in line with the leftmost element.
Select Right to align the layers so they are aligned evenly at the right. The leftmost element(s) will be moved rightward to be in line with the rightmost element.
Select Absolute Center to align the layers so they are aligned on top of each other, with the center of each layer directly over the center of the layer below it.
Select Vertical Center to align the layers so they are centered along a common vertical axis.
Select Horizontal Center to align the layers so they are centered along a common horizontal axis.