Examples of Vector vs Raster Graphics: 3 Practical Examples for Digital Artists

Let’s start with one of the best examples of vector vs raster graphics: branding.

Imagine you’re designing a logo for a coffee shop. That logo has a long, busy life ahead of it. It needs to appear:

• Tiny in a website header
• On social media profile images
• Printed on menus and loyalty cards
• Huge on a storefront sign or billboard
• Embroidered on staff uniforms

If you create that logo as a raster file (like a JPG or PNG) at, say, 1000 × 1000 pixels, it might look fine on a website. But blow it up for a 10-foot-wide sign and the edges turn into fuzzy stair-steps. That’s pixelation in action.

Create the same logo as a vector graphic (SVG, AI, EPS, or PDF with vector data), and it scales cleanly to any size. That’s because vector art is built from math: points, lines, and curves defined by equations. Your coffee cup outline is a curve, not a collection of tiny squares.

This logo scenario is one of the strongest real examples of vector vs raster graphics:

• Vector logo: Stays sharp at any size, easy to recolor, easy to tweak shapes.
• Raster logo: Fixed resolution, can blur when enlarged, harder to edit cleanly.

Professional brand guidelines almost always require a vector master logo for this reason. Even when you export a PNG for the web, the source file is typically vector.

Meanwhile, think about product photos for that same coffee shop: latte art, pastries, interior shots. Those are classic raster territory. Photos contain millions of subtle color variations and textures. Vector tools can’t realistically capture that level of detail without becoming absurdly complex.

So in this first example of vector vs raster graphics, you get a simple rule of thumb:

• Logos, icons, and flat graphics → vector first.
• Photos and realistic imagery → raster always.

If you’re curious about how file formats work under the hood, the Library of Congress has a useful overview of digital file formats and preservation practices: https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/

2. Social media graphics vs digital painting: examples of vector vs raster graphics in your daily workflow

Now let’s move into something most artists and creators do weekly: social media content.

You’re making a graphic for Instagram announcing a sale on your prints. It includes:

• Text ("20% off this weekend")
• Your logo
• A background image of your artwork

This is one of those mixed real examples of vector vs raster graphics in a single piece.

The text and logo are perfect as vector elements:

• They stay crisp even if you resize the layout for different platforms.
• You can export separate versions for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube thumbnails, and email headers without losing sharpness.

The background art, however, is likely raster, especially if it’s a digital painting or a scan of a traditional piece.

Here’s how most pros handle this kind of hybrid situation:

• Build the layout in a vector-based tool (Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, Figma).
• Place the raster artwork as an image layer.
• Keep the text, shapes, and logo as vector objects.
• Export final graphics as high-resolution PNG or JPG tailored to each platform.

This gives you the best of both worlds: vector clarity for type and logos, raster richness for art.

Digital painting: a textbook example of raster graphics

Digital painting in apps like Procreate, Photoshop, Krita, or Clip Studio Paint is almost always raster-based. You’re working on a pixel grid, often with pressure-sensitive brushes that simulate traditional media.

A digital portrait at 3000 × 4000 pixels might look stunning on screen and print beautifully at 10 × 13 inches, but if you try to blow it up to a wall-sized mural without planning ahead, you’ll hit the resolution ceiling.

This is another core example of vector vs raster graphics:

• Raster painting: Perfect for soft shading, textures, blending, and realism.
• Vector illustration: Perfect for flat colors, clean lines, and infinitely scalable shapes.

If you like flat, poster-style art with bold shapes (think modern flat illustration or minimalist icons), vector might be your friend. If you love painterly strokes, skin textures, or atmospheric lighting, raster is where you’ll live.

For a deeper dive into how digital images work at the pixel level, the U.S. National Park Service has an accessible introduction to digital imaging concepts used in cultural heritage work: https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html

3. Print posters vs app icons: 3 practical examples of vector vs raster graphics in 2024

Let’s walk through three very current, practical examples of vector vs raster graphics: 3 practical examples that mirror real 2024 workflows.

These aren’t abstract—they’re exactly the kind of projects you’ll see in freelance briefs, studio jobs, or your own portfolio.

Example 1: Event poster for print and digital

You’re designing a poster for a music festival. The client wants:

• Large printed posters for venues
• Smaller flyers
• A digital version for the website and social media

You build the main layout in a vector program. The festival name, date, and sponsor logos are all vector. You import a raster photo of the band and maybe a textured background.

When the client comes back and says, “We also need a banner for the stage,” you can scale up the design without redoing the typography or logos. You might need a higher-resolution band photo, but the vector components are future-proof.

This is one of the best examples of vector vs raster graphics working together:

• Vector: Type, logos, layout elements, geometric shapes.
• Raster: Band photo, grunge textures, scanned art.

Example 2: App icons and UI graphics

Modern app design is full of real examples of vector vs raster graphics.

App icons, especially in iOS and Android ecosystems, often start as vector artwork. Why? Because icons must look sharp across a range of screen densities and sizes—from small notification icons to large app store previews.

Designers create icons in tools like Figma, Sketch, or Illustrator as vectors, then export multiple raster sizes (PNG or WebP) for different devices. If the platform supports SVG, even better: the vector data can be used directly.

Inside the app, you’ll typically see:

• Vector-based UI elements: Buttons, icons, arrows, and interface shapes.
• Raster-based content: User photos, illustrations, textures, background images.

This is a clean example of vector vs raster graphics in product design: vector for the interface skeleton, raster for content and atmosphere.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) maintains the SVG standard used for many vector icons on the web: https://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/

Example 3: Print-on-demand merch in 2024–2025

Print-on-demand has exploded in the last few years. If you’re uploading designs to services like Redbubble, Printful, or Teespring, you’re living inside another of the most practical examples of vector vs raster graphics.

If you create a vector-based T-shirt design—say, bold typography and simple flat illustrations—you can:

• Scale it to different shirt sizes, posters, stickers, and mugs.
• Easily change colors for different product lines.
• Export crisp files for both small stickers and large wall art.

If you upload a low-resolution raster design, you’ll quickly run into warnings from these platforms about print quality. You’ll see recommendations like:

• Minimum 300 DPI (dots per inch) for print
• Specific pixel dimensions for each product

In 2024–2025, more platforms are starting to accept vector uploads (like PDF or SVG) for certain products, because it gives them more flexibility to scale and adapt designs. But raster still dominates for photo-based merch and painterly art.

This is where understanding these examples of vector vs raster graphics can literally affect your income. A vector master file can save you from redoing artwork every time a new product size is added.

More real examples of vector vs raster graphics you’ll actually encounter

Beyond those 3 practical examples, here are more everyday situations where the choice matters:

Maps and diagrams
Subway maps, infographics, flowcharts, and technical diagrams are almost always created as vector graphics. They need to be readable at multiple sizes and often repurposed for print and web. A subway map as a tiny raster image becomes unreadable when enlarged; as vector, it stays sharp.

Web banners and hero images
Hero images on websites often combine raster photos with vector overlays: text, buttons, and shapes. Designers keep the layout in vector tools and export the final mix as raster for performance. This hybrid approach is another everyday example of vector vs raster graphics working together.

Fonts and lettering
Fonts themselves are vector by nature. When you type text in any design app, those letters are vector shapes until you rasterize them. Hand-lettered logos are often redrawn as vector so they can be scaled and edited cleanly.

Technical illustration and CAD
Architectural plans, engineering diagrams, and CAD drawings are vector-based. They rely on precise measurements and must scale from on-screen views to large-format prints without losing clarity.

These real examples of vector vs raster graphics all point to the same pattern:

• If it needs precision, scalability, and clean edges → think vector.
• If it needs rich detail, texture, and realism → think raster.

How to choose: a simple decision framework for artists

Instead of memorizing file format charts, ask yourself three quick questions when you start a project:

1. Will this need to be resized a lot?
If the answer is yes—logos, icons, diagrams, UI elements—start in vector. You can always export raster versions later.

2. Is the artwork photo-like or painterly?
If you’re doing portraits, landscapes, concept art, or anything with soft gradients and textures, raster is your home.

3. Do I need to edit colors and shapes frequently?
Vector graphics make it much easier to tweak shapes, recolor elements, and adjust layouts without destroying quality.

When in doubt, sketch however you like, then:

• Convert clean line art to vector if you need scalability.
• Keep complex shading and textures in raster.

The U.S. National Archives offers guidance on digital image quality and resolution for preservation, which lines up nicely with how designers think about raster quality for print: https://www.archives.gov/preservation/digital-preservation

FAQ: common questions about examples of vector vs raster graphics

What are some everyday examples of vector vs raster graphics?

Everyday examples include vector logos vs raster product photos, vector app icons vs raster user avatars, vector infographics vs raster background textures, and vector fonts vs raster screenshots of text. Road signs, subway maps, and technical diagrams are classic vector examples, while digital paintings, smartphone photos, and scanned artwork are classic raster examples.

Can I turn a raster image into a vector graphic?

Sometimes. You can use tools like Adobe Illustrator’s Image Trace or Inkscape’s Trace Bitmap to convert high-contrast, simple raster images (like logos or line art) into vector shapes. But this works best when the source is clean and not too detailed. Converting a detailed photo or complex painting into vector usually produces messy results and huge file sizes.

What’s an example of when raster is better than vector?

A realistic digital portrait is a perfect example of raster winning. The subtle blending of skin tones, hair texture, and lighting is much easier to achieve with raster brushes. Vector tools can mimic some of this, but they’re slower and less natural for painterly work.

What’s an example of when vector is better than raster?

A company logo that needs to appear on everything from mobile screens to building signage is a clear example of vector being the better choice. The logo must stay sharp and editable at any size, and vector handles that effortlessly.

Do I have to choose only one format for my projects?

Not at all. Many of the best examples of vector vs raster graphics are hybrid projects. You might draw a character in a raster app, then place it into a vector layout for a poster. Or you might design a vector logo and then texture it in a raster editor. Modern workflows are about using each format where it’s strongest.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: vector is about scalable shapes, raster is about detailed pixels. Most real examples of vector vs raster graphics: 3 practical examples or thirty of them—will always fall somewhere along that line. Once you start noticing which is which in the wild, your file format choices get a lot easier, and your work looks better everywhere it shows up.