Graphic designers often use software that lets them work on vector graphics. The graphic design software listed here is are tools that let you create and work on vector graphics.
Some of the software listed is free and some of it is paid. It is possible to use free software to create and edit vector designs, but you will want to use and will probably have to go with some paid software or paid versions of the software if you are working for a company or with other graphic designers.
Vector files allow you to create vector graphics, which can be resized up or down without losing any of its resolution. Vector graphics are great for logos, icons, banners, infographics, UX and UI designs, etc.
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe’s Illustrator is a vector graphics software that can be bought by itself, or as part of the Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of software.
Illustrator allows you to create and edit vector graphics. Adobe Illustrator has a sidebar that is on the left of the screen that includes the toolbar.
Some of the tools include the following: a Selection tool, a Direct Selection tool, a Pen Tool, a Curvature Tool, a Shape Tool, a Paint Brush and Pencil Tool, a Type Tool, a Rotate Tool, an Eraser and a Scissors Tool, a Shape Builder Tool, a Gradient Tool and a Mesh Tool, an Eyedropper Tool, a Width Tool, a Blend Tool, an ArtBoard Tool, a Zoom Tool and more.
You can also access some of the tools by using the menu at the top. Adobe Illustrator also allows you to work with layers.
Adobe Illustrator is specifically great for making vector graphics that are meant to go on the internet. For example, logos, icons, infographics, etc.
The learning curve for learning how to create and edit vector graphics is very low. You can begin to create logos, icons and other vector designs in a very short period of time.
Obviously the more focus and time that you put into getting better at using Illustrator, the better that you will be.
One big advantage of using Adobe Illustrator if you get it as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud is that all of the apps work together seamlessly. For example, you can go back and forth from Illustrator and Photoshop, then take your Illustrator files and import them into InDesign.
Adobe Illustrator is available on both Mac and Windows computers. It also has a app available for iPads.
The price for Abode Illustrator is $20.99 as a stand alone product, and offers a free 7 day trial. You can also get Illustrator as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite of software for $54.99 per month on a yearly subscription.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a graphic design tool that allows you to work on vector graphics and raster graphics.
Affinity Designer allows graphic designers to create vector designs such as logos, icons, illustrations, print projects, UX and UI designs, wireframes and more.
Affinity Designer is considered by many to be a cheaper alternative to Adobe Illustrator and is compatible with multiple formats including: PSD, PDF, SVG, JPG and more.
Affinity Designer’s tools include pencil tool, vector brushes tool, shape tool, Boolean operators and non-destructive compounds tool, multiple strokes and fill tool, point transform tool, transparency tool, advanced color tool, fill tool, color picker tool, corner tool, multi-node select, align and transform tools, Bezier drawing tool and the node tool.
Affinity Designer is available on Macs and Windows computers. Affinity Designer is also available on iPads.
The price for Affinity Designer is $54.99 for the Mac and Windows platforms. The price for the Affinity Designer app for iPads is $19.99.
Corel Vector
Corel Vector, from the CorelDraw suite of graphic design software, lets you create and edit logos, icons, brochure layouts, UX and UI designs, wireframes, illustrations and more.
Corel Vector lets you create vector graphics for the internet, but is best suited for print designs, for example, creating vector designs for signs and automobile wraps because of its advanced printing options.
There is typically more of a learning curve when using CorelDraw because most graphic designers are more familiar with Photoshop, and using Illustrator is very similar to using Photoshop.
Corel Vector has tools that include libraries (shapes, icons and illustrations), symbols (your created symbols), color tool, inspector panel (let’s you resize and rotate objects), effects tools, the drawing tool, pen tool and Bezigon tool to create shapes, the text tool, transform tools, grouping tools and more.
Corel Vector supports the following file formats: PNG, JPG, SVG and PDF.
Corel Vector is web based.
Corel Vector is available for a year subscription price of $99, and is currently offered at a discounted price of $69. It has a 15 day free trial.
Sketch
Sketch is a vector graphics editor that is primarily used for designing interfaces, wireframes and prototypes and is also great for producing icons.
Sketch designs are saved in a .sketch file format, but this file format is supported by other popular design software such as Adobe’s Photoshop and Illustrator software programs. You can also save your files in other file formats such as PNG, JPG, TIFF, WebP, and more.
Another great thing about using Sketch is that you can share your files online.
You can try Sketch free for the first 30 days, with no credit card needed. After that, Sketch has two pricing plans. The two paid plans are the Standard plan and the Business plan.
The Standard plan is $9 per month for every user or $99 a year paid upfront. The Business plan is $20 per month for each user and is paid on a yearly basis.
The Standard plan lets you access all of your documents and projects, version histories, shared libraries and allows for an unlimited amount of viewers. If you use the Mac version, you can collaborate in real-time between other users to work on components, prototyping and layouts.
With their Sketch’s Business plan, you get everything that you do on the Standard plan, plus single sign-on, unlimited cloud storage, invoice-based billing, technical support via Live Chat, priority support, dedicated customer success manager and security reviews.
You can use Sketch by going to its website, and can also be downloaded to Macs. It also has an iPhone app that allows you to view documents, design prototypes and mirror designs as you edit them on your Mac.
SketchPad
Sketchpad is a free browser based graphic design editor from Sketch.io, so it is available on any computer.
You can create designs and save them to .JPG, .PNG, .PDF, .SVG and .sketchpad file formats.
The toolset includes: select tool, crop & resize tool, line tool (and different line tools and brush tools), shape tool, fill tool, clip art, text tool and vector fill tool.
Sketchpad also lets you connect to your Google Drive.
Canvas X Draw
Canvas X Draw is a vector graphics editor that is great for creating and designing technical illustrations such as icons, business cards, flow charts, menus, flyers and more.
Canvas X Draw has an auto trace module, which allows you to easily convert raster images into vector illustrations.
It also lets you blend multiple colors, cut paths between two points and add curved or straight lines to create illustrations and to create customizable templates.
You can use the Ink Dropper tool to match, mix and blend any colors and to control the hue and saturation levels.
Canvas X Draw is available on Windows and Mac computers.
You can pay for a 1 year subscription for $99 or you can pay $299 to buy that version of Canvas X Draw outright.
Vector Magic
Vector Magic is a graphic design software that converts JPG, PNG, GIF Files to PDF, SVG, EPS Vector files.
Vector Magic automatically analyzes the uploaded images, traces them and vectorizes them in full color. It also provides a checkered pattern, which allows you to flatten the image to other colors.
You can also pan and zoom images and review and edit them manually as well as view the original picture with the vectorized image either side by side or from a top view.
You can upload, vectorize and preview as many files as you want for free, but you have to pay to be able to download the vectorized files.
You can either pay a monthly subscription price of $9.95 to get access to their browser-based “Online Edition” in which you will have unlimited use. Or, you can pay a one time fee of $295 for their stand-alone desktop application.
Conclusion
As a graphic designer, you will probably use one or more of these vector graphic software tools to create and edit vector graphics of all kinds.
As a graphic designer, you will probably also want to create a portfolio website to showcase your work. If you are looking for web hosting for your portfolio website, you can find a cheap web hosting service at websitehostingcouponcodes.com.
Hopefully this article has helped you choose one or more vector graphic design software programs that are right for you.
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