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Vector art is a type of digital art that uses mathematical formulas to create shapes and colors. Unlike raster art, which is made of pixels, vector art can be scaled up or down without losing quality or detail. Vector art is often used for logos, icons, illustrations, typography, and other graphics that need to be crisp and clear.

In this blog post, we will explore the basics of vector art, how it differs from raster art, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of using vector art.

Raster vs. Vector Art

Left: from Procreate (Left) Right: from Vectornator (Vector)

Raster art is the most common type of digital art. It is composed of tiny squares called pixels, which have a specific color and location on a grid. Raster art can be created with various tools, such as digital cameras, scanners, paint programs, and photo editors. Raster art can produce realistic images with smooth gradients and textures.

However, raster art also has some limitations. One of the main drawbacks of raster art is that it is resolution-dependent. This means that the quality and size of the image depend on the number and density of pixels. If you try to enlarge a raster image beyond its original size, it will become blurry and pixelated. Similarly, if you try to reduce a raster image too much, it will lose detail and sharpness.

Comparison of raster file and vector file. When zooming, raster file (Procreate) show the details of pixel. But vector file (Vectornator) doesn’t have the details of pixel.

Vector art, on the other hand, is resolution-independent. This means that the quality and size of the image do not depend on the number or density of pixels. Instead, vector art uses mathematical formulas to define shapes and colors. These formulas are called vectors, and they can be manipulated with various tools, such as drawing programs and vector editors. Vector art can produce crisp and clear images with smooth curves and edges.

However, vector art also has some limitations. One of the main drawbacks of vector art is that it is not very good at reproducing complex images with gradients, textures, shadows, and other effects. Vector art can also be more difficult to create and edit than raster art, as it requires more precision and skill.

Why is vector art important?

Vector art is important for several reasons. First, it allows designers to create crisp and clean graphics that can be easily edited and modified. Vector art can be manipulated with tools such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, which offer a variety of options to change the color, shape, size and style of the elements. Vector art also supports transparency, gradients and patterns, which can add depth and dimension to the design.

Second, vector art is versatile and adaptable to different media and platforms. Vector art can be exported in various file formats, such as SVG, EPS or PDF, which are compatible with most web browsers and applications. Vector art can also be converted to raster art if needed, but not vice versa. Vector art can be used for web design, print design, animation, video games and more.

Third, vector art is efficient and economical. Vector art files are usually smaller than raster art files, which means they take up less storage space and load faster on the web. Vector art also saves time and money when it comes to printing, as it does not require high-resolution images or special printers. Vector art can be printed in any size or quality without affecting the appearance or cost of the final product.

In conclusion, vector art is a powerful and practical form of graphic design that offers many benefits and advantages over raster art. Vector art is important for creating professional and attractive graphics that can be easily customized and adapted to different purposes and contexts.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Vector Art

Vector art has some advantages over raster art, such as:

• Scalability: Vector art can be scaled up or down without losing quality or detail. This makes it ideal for logos, icons, illustrations, typography, and other graphics that need to be resized for different purposes and platforms.
• Editability: Vector art can be easily modified and customized with various tools and effects. You can change the shape, color, stroke, fill, opacity, alignment, rotation, and other attributes of a vector object without affecting the rest of the image.
• File size: Vector art usually has a smaller file size than raster art because it uses less data to store the image information. This makes it faster to load and transfer online.

Vector art also has some disadvantages over raster art, such as:

• Complexity: Vector art can be more complex and time-consuming to create than raster art because it requires more precision and skill. You need to use specific tools and techniques to draw vector shapes and paths accurately.
• Realism: Vector art is not very good at reproducing realistic images with gradients, textures, shadows, and other effects. Vector art tends to look flat and simple compared to raster art.
• Compatibility: Vector art may not be compatible with some devices or applications that do not support vector formats. You may need to convert your vector image to a raster format before you can use it in certain situations.

Conclusion

Vector art is a type of digital art that uses mathematical formulas to create shapes and colors. It differs from raster art in that it can be scaled up or down without losing quality or detail. Vector art has some advantages and disadvantages over raster art depending on your needs and preferences.

If you want to learn more about vector art or create your own vector graphics, you can use various tools and resources online. Some of the popular vector drawing programs include Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Inkscape, Affinity Designer, Sketch, Figma, and Vectr. If you have  devices, there is a free vector app named “Vectornator”. This app is low learning curve. You will be master of vector art with this app easily. You can also find many tutorials, courses, books, blogs, podcasts, videos, and podcasts on vector art online.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand what vector art is and how it works. Thank you for reading!