What does the term vector art mean?

What is a vector graphic? A vector is a graphic that is made up of paths, angles, and shapes that are on a mathematical grid. There are no pixels within a vector file which is why graphic designers often use this file type when designing logos, branding assets, and other elements.  

Some benefits of vector graphics

  • Vectors are scalable and won’t lose their clarity. So even if a logo was scaled to fill an entire billboard the graphic would still appear clean and would not get pixelated or blurry.  

  • Vectors are easier to edit

  • They are commonly used in the screen printing process

  • Vector graphics can be compressed to a smaller sized files without losing image quality

  • They can be designed in Pantone colors or other color types, which helps eliminate confusion on specific colors

Some common vector file types would be: .AI, .EPS, .SVG, and .PDF. The PDF must be editable though, so if the logo was truly created in a vector-based program it should be vector.

 

What is a raster image? Raster files are images built from an array of square bits, or pixels. The more pixels that are in an image the higher resolution the image is, the bigger the file size. A good example of a raster image would be a photograph… or I always think of Mario from Super Mario Brothers. He looks like he’s built from a bunch of blocks (or pixels)!

 Some benefits of raster graphics

  • Shows richness in details & color gradations in photos

  • The files can be saved in many different formats that are easy for most people to view since a design program is not necessary to open a bitmap file type

 Some common raster file types would be: .BMP, .TIFF, .GIF, .PNG, and .JPEG.

Unfortunately, if a graphic wasn’t created in a vector-based software it can’t be converted to a vector without some extra work. For example, if a logo was created in sketchbook (a raster-based program) but it’s saved as an .AI file it’s still a bitmap/raster image. If you’re ever in question of a PDF graphic, you can try the zoom test! Zoom in A LOT on an image and if it starts looking pixelated or blurry, it’s a raster image and not a vector. I hope this information was helpful and even you can’t find a vector file of your logo, no need to worry, the BBP team can still help you design some RAD swag!

 
Troy Mandery