One of the best ways to create designs without the need for an expert designer is by using stock vector illustrations. These types of illustrations, which come in vector format, allow for easy manipulation, enabling you to resize them without losing quality.

Hence arises its importance, as sometimes when we search for illustrations for commercial or personal use, they are not editable since they are not in this format, which leaves many clients with only one option for their designs, when with vectors, you can play around in different ways.

Lately, this type of format has become the favorite of many people who don’t have full knowledge or only have basic knowledge about design, allowing them to make them more personalized. Therefore, in this article, we will guide you through the world of stock vector illustrations, how to use them, and what characteristics they have compared to other formats.

Characteristics of Stock Vector Illustrations

Stock vector illustrations offer the advantage of being crafted from uncomplicated shapes and paths, encompassing circles, squares, triangles, lines, and curves. These components can be easily created, adjusted, and merged, allowing the generation of intricate and compelling forms with minimal data. Utilizing simple shapes and paths not only facilitates the maintenance of a uniform style but also helps in avoiding unnecessary details that may clutter your artwork (Raheem Jam)

There are several advantages that make stock vector illustrations the preferred choice of designers. Their scalability, versatility, and consistency are just some of the features that make this type of format so acclaimed and widely used in the world of graphic design. These are the main characteristics of stock vector illustrations.

• Scalability: Vector illustrations are based on mathematical equations rather than pixels, allowing them to be scaled to any size without losing quality. This scalability makes them versatile for use in various design projects, from small icons to large banners or billboards.
• Editable: Vector files are typically created in software such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW, allowing designers to easily edit and customize them to suit their specific needs. Elements within vector illustrations can be manipulated, resized, recolored, and rearranged without sacrificing quality.
• Versatility: Stock vector illustrations cover a wide range of subjects, styles, and themes, making them suitable for diverse design applications. Whether you need icons for a website, illustrations for a presentation, or artwork for a marketing campaign, you can find vector graphics that match your requirements.
• Consistency: Stock vector illustrations often adhere to a consistent style or theme, which helps maintain visual coherence across different design elements within a project. This consistency can enhance the overall aesthetic appeal and professionalism of a design.
• Accessibility: Stock vector illustrations are widely available from online marketplaces, stock image websites, and graphic design platforms. Designers can easily browse through catalogs of vector graphics, select the ones that best fit their needs, and download them for immediate use in their projects.
• License Options: Stock vector illustrations are typically offered with various licensing options, allowing designers to choose the appropriate license based on their intended use. Common license types include royalty-free licenses, which permit unlimited use of the illustration for a one-time fee, and extended licenses, which provide additional usage rights for a higher price.
• Time-saving: Using stock vector illustrations can save designers time and effort compared to creating illustrations from scratch. Instead of spending hours drawing or designing specific elements, designers can quickly find ready-made vector graphics that meet their requirements and incorporate them into their projects.
• Quality Assurance: Stock vector illustrations are often created by professional artists and designers, ensuring a high level of quality in terms of design, composition, and technical execution. This quality assurance can give designers confidence in the visual appeal and effectiveness of the illustrations they use in their work.

Trends in Stock Vector Illustrations

These characteristics and trends allow for displaying diagrams, company logos, geometric figures, fonts, and icons. It’s also possible to handle complex images, digital photos with different color and brightness values (IONOS, 2020). Additionally, one of the most used programs for stock illustrations is Adobe Illustrator. Terry Rajaram considers it the ideal software, except for stock illustrations intended for web use, where working in SVG format is better. Therefore, now we will tell you where these vectors can be used and the types that exist.

Types of Stock Vector Illustrations

Icons and Symbols

Icons are known as small graphical representations of objects, concepts, or actions, often used for navigation, user interfaces, or informational purposes. In this case, when using the vector type, the characteristics of this format come into play. An example of this is the “Mega Vector Icons Pack” in which you can modify the stroke, change the color, combine, and mix.

Backgrounds

Here are included patterns, textures, or designs that serve as a backdrop for other elements in a design, such as website backgrounds, presentation slides, or social media graphics. Vectors in backgrounds allow for personalized use regarding the colors and elements within the design. An example of this is the “Creative Vector Backgrounds, Textures & Elements” package. The shapes, textures, and colors included in this package can be combined, creating unique designs beyond the basics.

Characters

One of the advantages of vectors is their modifiability. There are illustrations that catch our eye and we want to use them in designs, but sometimes their size doesn’t fit the design’s measurements. In this case, the vector format allows for a wider variety of characters, such as illustrations of people, animals, or fictional characters that can be used to add personality or convey a message in a design. An example of this is the “Geometric Illustrations Pack“

Objects and Elements

Several objects, shapes, and decorations can be used to embellish a design or illustrate specific concepts. In stock vector illustrations, objects and elements are considered the most versatile and varied, as they can be found in thousands of categories. Additionally, various tools in editing software like Illustrator allow for the creation of other figures by combining individual objects. A package that allows for the use and creation of shapes is this “Esoteric & Occult Vector Symbols Pack” This package of esoteric geometric figure elements can be used in various designs, such as T-shirts, illustrations, glasses, banners, posters, etc.

Text and Typography

Pre-designed letters, fonts, or typographic elements that can be incorporated into designs for headings, titles, or textual accents. In vectorized typography, you can work letter by letter, allowing for font combinations. This can be practical for posters or illustrations where different styles and sizes are needed. The “Vintage & Futuristic Display Fonts Bundle” is a well-organized package containing 14 unique display fonts delivered in regular font files as well as vector files featuring a variety of typographic designs including retro/vintage, futuristic, Japanese, label, art nouveau, and others.

Uses of Stock Vector Illustrations

Web Design

Vector illustrations are frequently used in web design to create icons, buttons, banners, backgrounds, and other graphical elements. They help enhance the visual appeal of websites while maintaining fast loading times and scalability across different screen sizes.

Vector graphics add style and design to websites. They’re a great option because no matter what size screen someone is viewing your website on, your vector art will adjust itself and not become distorted (Talia Cohen, 2022)

Graphic Design

Vector artwork is art that’s made up of vector graphics. These graphics are points, lines, curves, and shapes that are based on mathematical formulas (Adobe). Graphic designers use stock vector illustrations to create logos, branding materials, brochures, posters, flyers, business cards, and other marketing collateral. Vector graphics allow for easy customization and manipulation to fit the design requirements of different projects.

User Interface (UI) Design

Icons and vector illustrations play a crucial role in UI design for websites, mobile apps, and software interfaces. They help users navigate and interact with interfaces more intuitively, conveying information and functionality effectively.

Presentations

Stock vector illustrations are commonly used in presentations for business, education, or public speaking. They help visually communicate ideas, concepts, and data in a clear and engaging manner, making presentations more impactful and memorable.

Advertising

Vector illustrations are used in print and digital advertising campaigns to create attention-grabbing visuals that promote products, services, events, or causes. They can be incorporated into advertisements, banners, billboards, social media posts, and other marketing materials.

Motion Graphics and Animation

Vector illustrations are often used in motion graphics and animation projects for videos, commercials, explainer videos, tutorials, and multimedia presentations. They can be animated to add movement, depth, and visual interest to storytelling and visual communication.

Another important use I’ve found for stock vector illustrations is their frequent and easy handling in T-shirt designs. We often come across ready-made T-shirt designs on the web, which cannot be edited. Despite the designs being very good, they create barriers in terms of creativity.

As we have mentioned several times throughout the article, stock vector illustrations allow for modification, so they can be a positive strategy for T-shirts. A few days ago, I was thinking about designing some T-shirts, but I wanted to make them more personalized. So instead of looking for a ready-made design, I preferred to search for illustration vectors and organize my ideas, also choosing the fonts, the background of the design, etc. It is worth mentioning that all these elements must be in vectors to be adjusted to any desired size.

An example of stock vector illustrations on T-shirts can be seen in this bundle “Vector T-Shirt Designs, Trendy Editable Illustrations & Print Ready” Each illustration comes with a separate Ai and PDF file, 100% vector shapes, as well as a high-resolution transparent PNG version, 5900px x 7500px, print-ready at 300dpi, so you can add them to your collection.

Likewise, we share with you other bundles with which you can grow your collection of stock vector illustrations.

Bundles to Grow Your Stock Vector Illustrations

Sacred Geometry Vector Symbols Pack – AI, PDF & PNG Files

This is a collection of sacred symbols featuring 100 designs in editable vector format in AI and PDF, compatible with Illustrator and Photoshop. These vectors are not outlined; they include strokes along with the basic shapes that each design is comprised of, allowing you to decompose and customize all the designs in infinite ways. They are scalable, allowing you to resize, add/remove elements, change color, create shapes, etc.

50 Anime T-Shirt Designs Pack – Print Ready Files & Editable Vectors

This collection of illustrations features an anime-themed merch with 50 anime t-shirt designs showcasing various characters from popular anime shows and media. It includes high-quality full-color prints that you can add to your design portfolio and offer them to your PoD clients right away.

These designs come in a source PSD file, organized and layered for easy customization. You can modify colors, resize, add, and remove elements according to your preferences. This personalized experience, along with the anime theme, allows clients to choose what they want in the designs, learning to play with vectors and create the ideal design.

Kids Illustrations & Patterns Pack, Vector Sources & Use

This collection features over 5000 illustrations, patterns, and design elements with children-themed designs, perfect for creating children’s clothing, posters, kids’ products, and room decor. Each design comes in AI and EPS10 format, compatible with Adobe Illustrator and any vector editing software. It also includes large, ready-to-use PNG files in high resolution.

From simple lines and arrows to detailed illustrations and lettering, this collection can be applied to a wide range of projects, from apparel design to prints such as cards, gift wrap paper, children’s books, and much more!

Vector Badge & Sticker Templates Pack, AI & EPS Source Files

This package consists of vector badge and sticker templates, including 460 designs, delivered with vector fonts that can be modified according to your preference. They are provided in AI and EPS format so that you can work with them in editors like Illustrator, and include a ready-to-use version of each design that can be dragged and dropped into your compositions. It also includes a free font used in the designs, so that it can be modified without altering the style of the template.

Mobile Game GUI Kits Bundle

This package features over 1500 mobile game GUI assets from 14 kits for different types of games, including Math games, Word games like Scrabble, Tile matching games, and others. These vectors are editable, with a variety of premade screens for immediate use and can be modified as needed to fit your design requirements.

Additionally, it includes 290 vector design files in AI and EPS formats with ready-to-use screens and artboards featuring characters, buttons, frames, tables, bars, menus, backgrounds, environment elements, tiles, trees, and more.

Vector Vintage Drawings & Engravings

This package features vintage-style engraved illustrations with a wide variety of designs and themes, including over 1975 drawings from 25 collections such as animals, plants, anatomy, diagrams, Renaissance portraits, Greek mythology, birds, fish, industrial machinery, among others.

These files are delivered in AI, EPS, and PDF vector formats, as well as high-resolution transparent PNG. They are suitable for logo composition, t-shirt designs, print templates, and can be implemented in commercial and POD projects.

T-Shirt Design Cartoons Pack  Vector Designs & Print Ready Files

This collection of cartoon character for t-shirt designs features over 20 colorful characters, 100% original illustrations as well as illustrations of characters from popular media such as TV shows and video games. They come in vector font format that can be recolored, resized, and modified as desired without losing image quality, including a transparent PNG file for high-resolution printing.

Engraving Illustrations Pack – 1000 18th & 19th Century Style Vector Illustrations

This package features vintage engraving-style illustrations with a diverse collection spanning over 15 image categories, including various ornaments like laurels, frames, borders, coats of arms, heraldic images, figures, people, animals, vintage objects, and more.

They come in EPS format, allowing for easy resizing and recoloring without losing image quality, which enables them to be exported with transparent backgrounds. They include PDF and Ai files as well as high-resolution PNG files with transparent backgrounds, suitable for printing at 300 dpi. These illustrations are perfect for vintage poster design, t-shirt designs, printables, and more.

Colorful Cartoon Characters Pack – 300 Vector Cartoon Designs

This collection features colorful cartoon characters with 300 awesome designs sporting a consistent design style that you can use to create compositions for all sorts of purposes, from t-shirt design to branding, print templates, web comics, children’s coloring books, restaurants, and more.

The package includes each cartoon character in full color, with EPS vector source files that you can customize to your liking: resize, change colors, create compositions with multiple characters, or use as standalone designs for t-shirt stamping, avatars, print templates, etc. The pack also includes files in PDF format as well as large JPG raster images, with dimensions of 5000x7000px.

Flat Vector Illustrations Pack – 160+ Isolated Scenes

This is a bundle of flat vector illustrations featuring over 160 unique isolated scenes covering 40 different themes, each delivered with 100% vector source files that you can fully customize or use directly in your projects. Ideal for web and mobile design, as well as app screens, web illustrations, posters, and more.

With this package, you’ll receive AI and EPS vector fonts that you can modify with Illustrator and other vector editing software like Inkscape and GIMP. It also includes niche-specific specifications with themes such as SEO, e-commerce, marketing, teamwork, social media, etc.

In conclusion, we can say that the use of stock vector illustrations is a strategy that can help both designers and non-designers execute projects more easily and quickly. It’s important to consider the types of illustrations you want to use, such as typography and elements, as the idea of vectorization is to blend with other elements for coherence and balance in the design.

Zainab Aftab (2024) asserts that good design leaves a positive impression on your target audience. Design visuals are essential for effectively capturing the attention of your audience. In addition to graphic design, these types of vectors can be used for commercial purposes and establishing brand identity, branding, advertising, etc. As these are creations that must be built from scratch. This enhances both the user’s visual experience and their recall.

Finally, we hope that the recommended products meet your satisfaction and that you can enjoy these collections by taking risks and creating new projects that suit your taste, whether it’s for your personal brand, the company you work for, or personal projects.