A research-driven look at how designers actually use Illustrator outside traditional print workflows — from UI experiments to icon systems — and where technical limits quietly push them to other tools.
For many designers, Adobe Illustrator is forever linked to:
But in real studios and agencies, Illustrator often sneaks into spaces it wasn’t originally built for:
Sometimes it works surprisingly well. Other times it fights you with:
This article looks at Illustrator’s non-print life — where it’s still useful, where it’s holding teams back, and where modern tools like Figma quietly took over.
Before Figma and Sketch, many studios (maybe including yours) tried to design websites directly in Illustrator.
.ai.Some teams still use Illustrator for:
From qualitative interviews with small studios:
However, as soon as you treat Illustrator like a serious UX tool, the limits show:
There’s also a subtler issue: Illustrator projects for web are usually designer-centric, not team-centric. Once the lead designer moves to another tool, the .ai files become archives instead of living systems.
On paper, Illustrator should be the perfect SVG factory:
In practice, SVG export is one of the most complained-about areas in mixed design–dev teams.
<g> wrappers and clipping masks, especially after complex operations.Developers often report spending time:
Interestingly, internal surveys in small studios show a pattern:
So Illustrator still plays a key role — just not as the final word in the pipeline.
When Illustrator exports bitmaps (JPG/PNG) for web or social, it reveals another limitation:
color and profile handling is more opinionated than flexible.
Common issues:
For print, this is manageable — most studios have strict CMYK workflows and proofing.
For web and app graphics, however, designers increasingly prefer:
Illustrator can handle surprisingly large files, but performance drops when:
Symptoms include:
In contrast, tools like Figma or Sketch are deliberately optimized for interface-level complexity:
A quiet pattern emerges in studios:
Despite these limitations, Illustrator remains uniquely strong in several non-print areas:
.ai as the source of truth for icons, even if they export via other tools later.Motion designers often:
.ai supportHere, Illustrator isn’t pretending to be a motion tool — it’s a vector hub feeding a different discipline.
Complex infographics, dashboards for annual reports, or product explainers are often:
The mix of precision, typography control, and layer management still beats many newer tools in this specific niche.
Short answer: No — not realistically, not at scale.
Longer answer:
But modern teams need:
That’s why most studios now structure their toolstack like this:
“Illustrator still sits at the root of many assets — just not as the main place where screen-based products are designed and maintained.”
Adobe Illustrator remains essential for:
But when you push it into:
…its limitations start to feel like friction:
The healthiest workflow today treats Illustrator as a specialist workstation:
“Illustrator is still where many brands are born — just not always where they grow up.”
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