Digital artwork takes many different forms. As an aspiring designer you’re probably familiar with a few. Vector art is one type of digital art that is found in both the creative and business worlds. Whether you’re exploring design for an artistic outlet or you plan to build a career as a graphic designer, mastering vector graphics is an essential skill.
Vector design is most notably recognized for its flawless scalability. As a designer, you’ll enjoy the versatility of vectors, easily adapting your art for different mediums ranging from full-scale billboards to pocket-sized flyers in print mediums and even smaller in digital mediums.
Here, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide on vector design to help you get started. This complete guide to vector graphics covers the technology and application of vector art, giving you the information and core concepts that you need to start designing with vector graphics.
Vector art is everywhere–taking up visual space in both the digital and physical worlds. It's a creative medium favored by artists as much as it is a practical medium favored by web designers and illustrators. Because vector graphics have evolved alongside computer technology, they still are just as relevant today as they were in the 20th century.
Vector graphics offer designers the freedom to scale without limits. The technology behind vector graphics uses mathematically defined elements for consistent scaling, rendering an image that is always clear and free of distortion.
Vectors are commonplace in technical fields like graphic design, media, and advertising. Businesses use vectors for logos and imagery in their branding kits. Media companies use vectors to create illustrations for graphic novels, animated shows, and video game elements.
And marketing professionals use a variety of vectors to illustrate important information about the products or services they are promoting. You've probably seen thousands of examples ranging from infographics and charts to logos and illustrations.
Let's dive in head-first with a full understanding of vector art as a medium, starting with a clear explanation of what it is, how it works, and where it is often used. While most designers will routinely encounter vector graphics, there are some jobs or roles where vectors are the medium of choice. Read more about vector art to get familiar with this asset.
Read MoreJourney further into the world of vector graphics by exploring the history of how art and mathematics came together to solve a fundamental design problem. The origin of vector graphics dates back further than you might realize, yet it's more relevant today than ever. Trace the history of vector graphics through the evolution of technology to become a prominent element in modern design.
Read MoreVector art is a common fixture in everyday entertainment media. Digital tools and vector file formats help bridge the gap between art and digital media technology, bringing collaboration and efficiency to the creation process. You can find vector art across pop culture, from comics and graphic novels to gif animations and covert art. This article gives a glimpse into the widespread use of vector art in pop culture.
Read MoreVector art plays a significant role in branding and marketing products and services. The seamless scalability of these files makes it easy for businesses to put their message almost anywhere, including building signage, business cards, and social media. Take a look at the different businesses and industries that put vector art to use, giving you an idea of where your design career can take you.
Read MoreVector graphics are compatible with many different output formats. These images can be printed on large format printers for traditional billboards and building signage. Or they can be fed through digital embroidery tools and sewn onto apparel. The unique thing about vector graphics is that they're equally suited for digital and physical products, making it easy to use technology during the design process. Here, we'll look at a few examples to provide some inspiration for your creative projects.
Read MoreThe possibilities with vector graphics are limited only to your creative imagination. There are many paths to choose, and early in your design career, you will make choices that will shape your specific path—starting with the level of technical proficiency that you put with your creative skills. Next, we'll dive deep into the technical skills required to work with vector graphics.
As a designer, working with vectors will require a design program. While these images can sometimes be manipulated in a simple text editor, only the tools in a functional vector software program will provide the creative support you need to design. Unfortunately, not all vector software is equal. Let's examine some of the most popular vector software options and learn what makes each unique.
Read MoreFrom choosing your path to honing your craft, there are limitless possibilities to build a career in the world of design. This article takes a behind-the-scenes look at how other successful designers have navigated the journey. As you take your next steps, find a little inspiration to get the ball rolling.
Read MoreThe journey of a vector illustrator isn't as linear as you might imagine. Some artists begin with traditional paper mediums and transition to vector illustration while others embrace the digital medium from the get-go. Either way, creative skills and natural talent transfer easily. This article explores the tools that artists need to transition to a digital medium with vector illustration.
Read MoreCreating vector art can be a profitable career path that doesn't have to look like a traditional 9-5. While Vector artists can land full-time employment gigs with full benefits at large media and marketing companies, just as many prefer the freedom of a freelance artistic career. Here, we discuss how artists make money from vector image assets ranging from side hustles to celebrity-status careers.
Read MoreNow that you have a good understanding of what vector graphics are, you're probably already thinking about what you can do with vector software like CorelDRAW. Luckily, creative inspiration is all around us so all you need to do is give it a try. This post will give you a few pointers so that you can jump right in and get started designing with vectors.
Read MoreYou likely already have a handle on the artistic side of creating art, so here, we'll focus a bit more on vector art's technical side. Vector illustrations are created in a software program like CorelDRAW. As a designer, you’re probably familiar with image editors. Creating vector graphics is really as simple as learning a new technique with familiar programs.
The designs are made up of a series of points and mathematical equations and are stored as a text-based file. These equations give vectors their lossless scalability, making them a practical design choice for projects of all sizes. Getting a handle on the fundamentals of vector graphics will help you understand when, where, and why to use vector image assets.
Vector graphics are stored as a data file that contains a series of points and corresponding mathematical equations. Together, these data sets identify the lines and shapes that form the image. As the values are changed, the equations force all values to remain in proportion, thus creating perfect scalability that yields a crisp, clear image without distortion. In this article about how vector graphics work, we dive deeper into those details.
Read MoreIt's easy to focus on all the positives that vector graphics bring to the table. There are times when a vector graphic is the best choice, and there are times when it might be better to consider using an alternative. Experienced designers understand the importance of choosing the right format for the job. This piece lays out the pros and cons to give you a solid background for making this decision in your own projects.
Read MoreAcross the board, digital images are categorically either raster or vector images—the key difference between the two lies in how the image's data is stored. Raster images are common and, in some cases, may even be necessary. Look at how the two compare from a functional design perspective and understand when and how to use each.
Read MoreVector tracing, also known as vectorizing, is a software feature that turns raster images into vectors. It’s one of the primary methods designers use to transform paper and pencil drawings or photographs into vectors. Vector tracing features are part of most design programs, including CorelDRAW. Here, we'll break down the process of vectorizing an image.
Read MoreWorking with vector graphics can be a powerful skill in any designer's repertoire. This blend of art and math produces impressive, versatile designs perfect for many projects. Learning the technology used to create vector graphics is just the first step. Designers also need a functional handle on digital image file types and how each works to make the right design choices for each project. Other image types like bitmap images may be more common overall, but vectors have a very well-carved out niche in the design world, making them a must-have skill for any designer. Vector graphics have shaped how we create modern graphics destined for the internet, and they have streamlined animation art. They've opened the door to a new digital medium for creators, finding applications that are both functional and artistic.
Scalable vector graphics, or SVGs, are a universal vector format adopted by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3). In many ways, the SVG file format helped create a better web experience for users by enabling well-designed, visual websites to load faster across multiple devices. As a designer, mastering the SVG file format is essential to creating designs that work well on any screen. Read more about the SVG files in this piece.
Read MoreWhile an SVG might be the official open standard, they aren't the only vector file type in use today. Big influencers in the graphic design world like Adobe and CorelDRAW each maintain a proprietary file type for use with their software. And most printing presses still rely on older file formats, so you'll need some experience with all the major vector file types to round out your design skills. Let's look at the most common types and where you'll find them.
Read MoreThe skills needed for a successful graphic design career go far beyond any natural talent or creative inclination that you might possess. The lines between art and technology are increasingly blurred in today's technology-enabled world. Vector graphics are a design element that can be found all around us. Vectors are an art form powered by technology that have found uses in both digital and print design. This guide thoroughly examines how designers use vector art, including a look at the technology and an overview of key information to help you develop a solid understanding of when and how to use vector graphics.
As you work through this series, we'll cover additional graphic design skills to help new designers succeed. But first, let's start with a closer look at vector graphics in this first article in the series: What is Vector Art?
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