What is a vector and why are they used?

This is a fairly simple one compared to some of our other posts. SVG means scalable vector graphic and its the scalable bit we want to focus on. It means it can go to any size without losing quality. A photo you take with your phone or even one of those old school camera things will be a certain megapixel image. Try and scale it up and stick it on the side of a building and it will eventually go pixelated.

Why?

Its because it is a specific amount of pixels at its maximum dimensions. The latest iPhone 16 that came out 5 minutes after the iPhone 15 has a 48 megapixel camera. The maximum size you could print one of its images is probably something like 10 feet wide. Impressive.

Back to the SVG's

So how do they work? How do you get those MASSIVE banners at football matches that cover the entire pitch? SVG's work off a mathematical equation rather than pixels so they are never a defined set size. Imagine a straight line within Illustrator. You aren't looking at it being the pixels on your monitor, its some nerd maths in the background calculating that it can go as big as you could possibly think.

The banners above are enormous and therefore the football badges needed to be SVG's in order to print to that size. So what might have been a graphic back in the day will now be designed in illustrator as an SVG for this very purpose. Once it's done, it's done. And you can scale it to any size!

What else can you do in illustrator?

Loads. But we'll publish some more guides another time. For now, getting started with the basics is key and using the correct tool for the correct job is the most important lesson. It can seem daunting to get started with all the various buttons and options, but everyone starts somewhere...