How to Use Symbols to Update Artwork Quickly in Illustrator

Learn how to use symbols in Illustrator to create instances of artwork that can be customized individually but still be globally updated.

Tony Harmer Tony Harmer

In this Illustrator how-to, Tony Harmer shows off how to put symbols to work in Illustrator. He uses a dynamic symbol to duplicate artwork that can be customized individually but still be globally updated. He then applies symbols to existing instances to change details.

Subscribe to the CreativePro YouTube channel for more helpful design tips!

More Resources To Master Adobe Illustrator

CreativePro Week is the essential how-to conference for creative professionals who design, create, or edit in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Featuring over 30 expert speakers and 75 sessions and tutorials, CreativePro Week offers five days of in-depth training and inspiration, all in one place. No matter your skill level, you’ll learn techniques and best practices you can start using immediately to improve your productivity.

LEARN MORE

Members get a special discount on registration! Sign up today.

Bookmark
Please login to bookmark Close

This article was last modified on August 29, 2025

This article was first published on May 12, 2021

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Loading comments...
Illustrator symbols
ad

Recommended for you

Article

How to Make and Adjust Drop Shadows in Illustrator

Learn how to easily add a drop shadow effect to your vector objects in Illustrat...

Article

Adobe Unleashes Creative Cloud 2015

This week (June 15) Adobe unleashed the latest version of Creative Cloud: Adobe...

Article

5 Awesome Illustrator Techniques

Learn 5 ways to work faster and get better results in Illustrator