Chapter 5. Brushes, Symbols, and Masks

Take a moment and think about the true strength of what a computer offers to a designer. Is it fancy drawing tools? Is it cool special effects? Is it the speed at which you can create art? Maybe. But that's all on the surface. In truth, you may find that a designer can draw something with a pencil and paper in half the time it would take to draw it using a computer. The real benefit of using a computer to a designer is that once they have created a design on a computer, they can edit it at will. When you're working with a deadline, it's far easier to make a small edit to a file than to have to redraw the whole design from scratch.

As you build files in Illustrator, you'll find that there are always several ways to accomplish a particular task. Your job is to find the most efficient way to create the art you need, which doesn't necessarily always mean the fastest way. You might be able to create two identical Illustrator files: in one, the file is huge, takes a long time to print, and is difficult to edit or update; the other is created using different features or techniques and results in a leaner, cleaner, and more editable file.

You already know about groups, layers, live effects and graphic stylesall of which you can use to build more efficient objects. In this chapter, you learn to take advantage of other features like brushes, symbols, and masks. By using these features, you will make your files more efficient and easier to update, which can mean the difference between being home in time for dinner with the family or another all-nighter at the office when a deadline is near.