What's the vector, Victor?
Thursday, April 30th 2009 @ 12:55 PM (not yet rated)
or, the difference between vector files and bitmap files.
When you have your logo designed by a professional logo designer, there are several benefits besides the obvious ones (like professionalism and originality.)
A professional logo designer will supply your finished files in several formats, each of which is intended for a different use. This may end up saving you money in the future.
If you only have your logo in a bitmap format like JPEG or GIF, then you cannot enlarge the image without losing quality. A GIF image, which was probably originally designed for a website, looks pixilated (blocky) if it is enlarged for use on a poster or an ad.
That's because bitmap images are made up of pixels, which are tiny blocks of varying colours. This is great for photographic images that are not meant to be enlarged, for example on a website. If your logo is in GIF format, the pixels don't show when the image is viewed at its original size, but when you enlarge the logo, the pixels are enlarged (see below).
Vector images on the other hand are not constructed with pixels. They are made up of lines, curves, and filled shapes and can be enlarged and reduced to any size without losing quality (see below).
www.toprankedsites.co.nz
Vector formats are mainly used for printed material, and include:
- .cdr (CorelDraw format)
- .ai (Adobe Illustrator format)
- .eps (Encapsulated PostScript)
Bitmap formats include:
- .jpg or .jpeg (Good for photographs and images with many colors.)
- .gif (Good for website logos and images with limited colors. Supports transparency.)
- .png (Good for website logos and photographs. Supports transparency.)
- .tiff (Good for printed photographs and images with many colours.)
I design logos using a vector format from the start, with Adobe Illustrator, then convert the finished logo into various other options. So if you have your logo designed by A-line Graphics, rest assured that you will receive both vector files and bitmap files. See examples of my work at www.designmealogo.co.nz
Re-published from my website/blog at www.alinegraphics.co.nz/whats-the-vector-victor/
