Graphic Design Questions:
Answer:
Images VS. Vector Graphics
When learning about graphic design, it’s essential to understand that images are made up of pixels, whereas vector based graphics are made up of paths. Vector graphics are able to be used at larger sizes without losing quality or resolution. In graphic design, the main difference between vector graphics and images is that vector based graphics aren’t made up of pixels. Instead, they are made up of paths.
The paths, which can be triangles, lines, squares and other geometrical shapes, are categorized by start points and end points (also referred to as control points or nodes). Think of an x and y diagram: the specific points have their own position on the axis, which then controls the path’s direction. The paths can also be assigned different features like fill, stroke color, thickness and shape.
Advantages & Disadvantages with Graphic Design
Since vector graphics are not made up of pixels, those particular graphics can be sized differently than regular images. Vector graphics have a lot of advantages over regular images, the most important being that they’re scalable. In graphic design lingo, this means that they are resolution independent. If you’re still lost, their size can basically be adjusted without altering your design.
So, if you need your image to be bigger but you don’t want to worry about ruining resolution, you can. However, if you wish to create imagery that’s realistic with graphic design, you are not going to get it with vector graphics because photographs can not be used as vector graphics. Due to this, vector graphics are closer related to illustrations rather than realistic imagery. While there are plenty of benefits with vector graphics, a big downside of using them in graphic design is that they can’t portray the tones of a photograph.