How to Change Capital Letters to Lowercase in a Vector Logo
Learn how to convert all-caps logo lettering to lowercase, why live text, outlined paths and raster images need different approaches, and what fonts and permissions involve.
Contents
The short answer
Whether you can switch a logo's capital letters to lowercase depends on how the lettering is stored in the file. If the wordmark is still live, editable text, most vector editors can change the case with a menu command or by retyping. If the letters have been converted to outlines, or if the logo is a raster image, there is no case setting to change. The lowercase version has to be rebuilt with the original typeface or redrawn by hand. Before editing, check that you have the right to modify the artwork, its fonts and the brand it represents.
First, identify what kind of lettering you have
A filename or extension such as .ai, .eps, .svg or .pdf tells you very little. Any of these formats can hold live text, outlined vector paths, an embedded raster image, or a mix of the three. To find out what you have, open the file in a vector editor and inspect the lettering.
- Live text: you can place a text cursor in the word and the editor shows a font name. The case can be changed directly.
- Outlined text: each letter selects as a shape with anchor points, and no font is listed. The case cannot be changed as text.
- Embedded raster image: the lettering selects as one rectangular image, and zooming in shows pixels. It is not editable vector artwork.
- Raster preview: some files show a flattened preview image while the editable content is missing or stored elsewhere. Editing the preview changes nothing about the artwork.
Converting all caps to lowercase when the text is live
Check how the capitals were produced before you retype anything. Sometimes the letters are typed in lowercase or mixed case and displayed as capitals by an All Caps or Small Caps setting in the character or type options. In that case, turning the setting off brings back the underlying letters. Typing the word again is unnecessary and could introduce errors.
If the capitals were actually typed as capitals, use the editor's case conversion feature. Adobe Illustrator, for example, includes a Change Case command under its Type menu with lowercase, uppercase, title case and sentence case options. Other editors offer similar commands, sometimes as extensions. Where no command exists, select the text and retype it in lowercase. Menu locations differ between applications and versions, so check the documentation for your software.
After converting, review the result rather than assuming it is finished. Spacing, kerning pairs and overall width often change, because lowercase letters have ascenders and descenders that capitals lack. Some logos also need deliberate exceptions, such as a proper noun or an initial capital.
When the letters are already outlined
Outlined lettering consists of shapes, not characters, so no case command applies to it. You have two realistic options:
- Rebuild with the original font: identify the typeface, set the word again in lowercase, match the size, tracking and any custom adjustments, then outline it again if the delivery file requires that.
- Redraw the letters: if the lettering was custom-drawn or heavily modified, a designer has to create matching lowercase forms by hand.
Shrinking or reshaping the existing capitals will not give you lowercase letters. Lowercase forms such as a, e and g have different structures from A, E and G. Some display and logo typefaces have no lowercase glyphs at all, or they map lowercase keystrokes to capital or small-capital forms. If the original font works this way, a true lowercase version would need a different typeface or custom drawing.
When the logo is a raster image
A PNG or JPG logo, or one placed inside a vector file as an image, has no editable letters. Painting over pixels rarely gives a clean result. The dependable route is to recreate the wordmark as vector artwork in lowercase, either with the identified typeface or by redrawing. Automatic tracing can produce vector paths, but the paths still spell out capitals and usually need cleanup. Tracing does not change the case.
Fonts and permissions
Retyping lettering in its original typeface requires that typeface to be installed and licensed for your use. Font licenses vary, and some limit use in logos or in distributed files. Check the terms of the specific font license; this article cannot tell you what yours allows.
Being able to download a logo file does not mean you may change it. Changing the case of a wordmark alters a brand's identity, and logos are often protected as trademarks. Unless the logo belongs to you or you have permission from its owner, check the brand guidelines or contact the owner before making or publishing a lowercase version.
Delivering the updated logo
Once the lowercase version is approved, it is common practice to keep an editable master with live text for future changes. Delivery files usually have the lettering outlined, so the logo displays correctly on systems that do not have the font. Label the two versions clearly so nobody later mistakes the outlined copy for the editable one.
Gaps in this guidance
No specific logo, file, typeface or software version was given for this article, so the steps above are general principles, not instructions tested on a particular file. Exact menu names, font license terms and trademark status all depend on your situation and should be checked against the relevant documentation or rights holder.