How to Incorporate Vector Graphics into Your Website

How to incorporate vector graphics into your website

When it comes to making a great website that is going to attract users and keep them coming back again and again, graphics have a critical role to play, and one way you have of ensuring that graphics work to their full effect is to incorporate vector graphics into your website. 

When you are looking at websites, you will see two different types of image being used. One is raster images and the other is vector images. A grid of pixels is used to define raster images, with a raster image file incorporating information setting out where each pixel should be placed and what color each pixel should be. Web raster formats include the popular bitmap (.bmp), JPEG (.jpeg), GIF (.gif), and PNG (.png) formats. In contrast to raster images, algorithms are used to define vector images. Each vector images file includes definitions on shape and path that a computer uses to determine what the image should look like on screen. 

Now that you know what vector graphics are, how might they be of benefit to your website? 

Scalability: Ask anyone who has knowledge of working with vector graphics, and scalability is almost sure to come up as part of the conversation. In fact, there is a case to be made for saying that the scalability of vector graphics is their greatest advantage. Indeed, it is possible to scale vector graphics to whatever size you wish and not have to compromise on the quality of the image. This makes vector graphics ideal for use with images that have to be resized to suit different contexts, so that the design in question does not end up being limited to a single use. For example, if you have a company logo that you want to use across your website, but at different scales to match with the layout of a particular web page, then using vector graphics would be highly advantageous. 

Lack of distortion: With vector graphics, it is easy to enlarge images without distorting them in the process. Contrast that with what happens when you use something such as bitmap images, which take on a jagged appearance when enlarged. A website has to look professional, and in visual terms, nothing says unprofessional like a blurry image does.  

Easier re-editing: A website is an ongoing project, whether it is in the first stages of development or is already up and running. Modifications have to be made at every stage, so it is good to know that in the case of a vector graphic the individual components can be easily manipulated or re-edited. This means that if you have to edit a vector graphic then the entire design does not have to touched, just the component in question. Imagine the time that you save if corrections have to be made to an image design. Re-editing can be done to include such things as color, fill and outline.

Small is sometimes better: Vector graphics come in small files, and it is a lot easier to transfer smaller files. In the case of images to be used on a website, easier transfer means they are also easier to load, and for anyone viewing your site, vector graphics are easier to view because you do not have to wait a longer time to see the full image. 

Use in animations: Vector graphics are clear, so they are great for using in animations. As has already been discussed, the use of mathematical values rather than stored pixel values makes vector graphics cleaner and smoother to view, and this applies just as much to animation done using vector graphics technology. One of the most commonly employed vector animation software packages is Adobe Flash, formerly known as Macromedia Flash. There are other vector formats available for use, one of which is EVA (Extended Vector Animation), an Internet-based format widely used in Japan. If you can incorporate animation into your website, it is a great way of attracting users and is a great substitute for heavy text content that can make a website seem cluttered and difficult to navigate. 

Using the SVG format, website developers can create powerful vector graphics. SVG is a XML-based language for marking up graphics, rather than content. A significant advantage of SVG is that the text in vector images is accessible, which, in turn, benefits SEO. The quickest way of embedding an SVG is to use a so-called <img> element, and the only thing you have to do is reference the element in the ‘src’ attribute, which is the URL of the external script file. Another option available to you in terms of embedding an SVG file is to open it using a text editor, and then to copy and paste the file into an HTML document. This process is sometimes called inlining SVG, or putting an SVG inline. If using this method, you need to ensure that the SVG code snippet starts and ends with tags <svg> and <svg>, with nothing outside of them. The scalability and open-source nature of SVG has made it very popular indeed, especially in terms of its use on mobile platforms.  

Website developers and IT professionals in general are always on the lookout for tools that make their work faster and more efficient. When it comes to using vector graphics on a website, one tool that is extremely useful is Dreamstime. A leading supplier of stock photography and digital imagery, Dreamstime is always moving with the times and has evolved to include high-quality vector graphics, professionally designed and easy to download. Using a supplier such as Dreamstime is great if you do not have the resources or expertise to work on creating vector graphics by yourself, or in-house at your business. 

You have likely heard it said many times that appearances are important, especially in business. Your website should be impactful from a visual perspective, offering high-quality images. Using vector graphics is one way of ensuring a striking visual impact for your website and getting users of the site to engage.