{"id":912,"date":"2012-06-25T06:07:27","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T06:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adviceinteractivegroup.com\/blog\/?p=912"},"modified":"2012-06-25T06:07:27","modified_gmt":"2012-06-25T06:07:27","slug":"why-businesses-should-own-their-logo-artwork-raster-art-vs-vector-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/why-businesses-should-own-their-logo-artwork-raster-art-vs-vector-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Businesses Should Own Their Logo Artwork: Raster Art vs. Vector Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

I help to set up online properties for a lot of local clients in the service industry, as well as national clients that carry a high level of brand recognition. In working with these two different types of clients, I often have to work through some graphic design obstacles when it comes to visual branding. I find the main difference between local and national clients is the access to and\/or lack thereof company logo artwork. Cue \u201cDramatic Squirrel<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Most national clients, even on the franchise level, have access to a marketing storehouse of some nature from the \u201cmother ship\u201d where they can retrieve approved advertising materials for use locally. This includes all branded versions of the company logo and maybe even detailed instructions on how to use them.<\/p>\n

On the other side is the little guy, the local client who often relies on the graciousness of those within their six degrees to help jump start owning their own business and being their own boss. The issue is the local business owner is so busy assembling the big picture to start making money, no one is watching out for the tiny details like owning your business logo and artwork in vector format. In most cases, clients don\u2019t know they\u2019re missing some of these details until years later.<\/p>\n

I am really tackling two issues in this post and from here on out I\u2019m mainly speaking to small local businesses and those who design logos for them. You larger, national companies with big marketing departments, someone\u2019s got you covered. You can check out now.<\/p>\n

Own Your Business Artwork<\/h3>\n

In my experience with local businesses, when I ask for a company logo from a client, I receive a 200×75 pixel .JPG at 72 dots per inch (DPI). In the common tongue, that means \u201cpractically worthless outside of an email signature attachment.\u201d Much of the time, the logo I\u2019m given is something the client right clicked on with their mouse and saved to their computer from the upper left hand corner of their website.<\/p>\n

To be clear, I am not here to poke fun but to educate. Let me into your six degrees for a few minutes and trust me when I say, \u201cIf that\u2019s all you have, you don\u2019t own your business artwork.\u201d I understand there is a lot of intellectual property, copyright, and proprietary jargon that might get thrown around by Internet marketing and design firms when they speak with local businesses. I think we should get off the high-horse for a second and think about the business that has trusted us to provide them with a service and\/or product. Give them their product. Don\u2019t withhold full access to it by providing them with a \u201cpractically worthless\u201d version of what they paid for when they commissioned the product.<\/p>\n

Local businesses: please make sure your logo is designed in vector format and that you obtain all of the files and fonts used to create your logo.<\/em><\/strong> This is the most important statement I will make in this post.<\/p>\n

Raster Art vs. Vector Art<\/h3>\n

In order to understand the statement about obtaining a vector format of your logo, one needs to understand a little bit about why it is so important in the first place. What is the difference between a vector version of my logo and a raster version of my logo (what I get sent from a client\u2019s website)?<\/p>\n

A raster image<\/strong> is a set of dots in grid format where each pixel is one dot of the set. A raster image, often called a bitmap, is resolution dependent.\u00a0This means as the grid of pixels grow in size, each individual pixel becomes larger and more visible distorting the image the larger it is stretched.<\/p>\n

Each individual square (dot\/pixel) is visible as the image is stretched and the true nature of the way the image is formed through colored square pixels is illuminated. A business logo needs to be scalable without the loss of clarity for any type of medium. Raster images can only be scaled so far before the image is no longer discernible.<\/p>\n

A vector image<\/strong> is a made up of curves, points, and lines that create geometric shapes (paths) through a mathematical equation. Vector graphics are not made up of a set number of pixels like a bitmap and this allows vector artwork to be infinitely scalable with no distortion.\u00a0Below is artwork I created in a vector art program called Adobe Illustrator.<\/p>\n

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\"Weyland-Yutani<\/p>\n

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A logo for any purpose should almost exclusively be created using a vector program. Walk out the door or fire any graphic design individual or company who tells you otherwise. They don\u2019t have the expertise you deserve or require.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing is half the battle!\u201d<\/h3>\n

The cartoon G.I. Joe would conclude every episode with a lesson for its viewers often relating to something that happened in the story. A character would conclude the lesson with, \u201cAnd knowing is half the battle!\u201d<\/p>\n

Raster images are not bad. In fact, they serve a very specific purpose that vector art does not. However, raster programs should not<\/em> be used for the creation of your business logo, an item that needs to be infinitely scalable. Here is a short list of instances for which each type of artwork should be used.<\/p>\n