Vector graphics

A vector graphic is built from lines, curves and shapes that are described mathematically. It has no fixed size: whether business card or building facade, the graphic always stays perfectly sharp, because it is recalculated for every size.

This makes vectors ideal for logos, type, solid shapes and technical drawings. They are created in programs such as Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW or Inkscape; typical file extensions are .ai, .eps, .pdf and .svg.

Worth knowing: a small raster image (for example a logo from the internet) cannot be turned back into a sharp vector file afterwards. If you want to print a logo large, you should have it as a vector.