Graphic Design Questions:

  • Can I use images from the Internet for graphic design use? If not, where can I go to get free stock pictures?

  • Can I use Microsoft Word or Publisher for graphic design?

  • How will I receive my graphic design project once it's finished?

  • I want to design a logo for my company. How does that process work? Will I be charged more if I want revisions made to the graphic design or reorders? Does J.M. Field Marketing have client references?

  • In graphic design, what’s the difference between high resolution and low resolution images?

  • Is there a specific timeframe on graphic design projects at J.M. Field Marketing?

  • What is graphic design and why should I use it for my business?

  • What's required before working on my graphic design project?

  • What’s the difference between CMYK color and RGB in graphic design?

  • What’s the difference between vector based graphics and images in graphic design?

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.

Graphic Design Services Images and Vector Graphics

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.

What’s the difference between vector based graphics and images in graphic design? was last modified: February 24th, 2015 by Kara