What Are Digital Graphics?

A digital graphic is an electronic image that combines text and pictures to improve a website’s look and appeal to users. 

But, it’s rarely as simple as that. 

If you are curious to find the answer to the question “what are digital graphics and what can you use them for”, we are here to help.

This article will cover everything you need to know so you can start implementing them in your marketing campaigns. 

What is the Purpose of Digital Graphics?

Digital graphics are a great way to effectively get a message across, whether your target audience is high-profile clients or everyday customers. 

Here’s what you can use digital graphics for:

To Educate 

Digital graphics are quite popular in education because they help readers and students better understand the topic through visualisation. You can use them in PDF books, online courses and virtual classroom materials and setup. 

Digital graphics aren’t limited to school-like environments. These handy visuals can help your colleagues better understand your presentation and are also useful as health and safety posters in the workplace.

To Advertise 

Still, digital graphics are, arguably, the most widely-used in the advertising world, and now more than ever, in digital marketing. If you need something to make your YouTube thumbnail or cover stand out, a good graphic designer can help you get there. The same applies to billboards, posters, and even warning signs. 

But, why is digital graphics advertising important in marketing strategies? For one, graphics grab attention, they elicit emotions, and entertain, all of which helps users engage with your content and improve the images and feelings associated with your brand. 

That’s why newspapers frequently use flashy covers for their magazine editions to attract more readers. It’s also the reason why many people like comics.  

To Inform 

Digital graphics that combine text and photos can inform and give directions. Signs and placards can help people find their way around a building or a complex, and remind them of the proper protocol they need to follow in certain situations, such as a wildfire or an earthquake.

Brochures are another example of graphics that provide information. They can have a powerful impact on readers, but only if they’re effectively designed.

To Entertain 

Last but not least, digital graphics are used to entertain and elicit a sense of escape from day to day life. For instance, a gaming logo design is intended to capture the attention of players and entice them to take a closer look at the game. In a similar fashion, mobile game app designs strive to appeal to their targeted audience by highlighting things that they know players are interested in, thus encouraging them to continue playing.

Types Of Digital Graphics

There are two types of digital graphics. 

Vector Graphics 

Vector graphics, often known as vector drawings, is the method of creating visual images from geometric shapes based on mathematical formulas. Both designers and illustrators nowadays  prefer vector graphics over the alternative (raster graphics) because they are scalable. This means that a vector image will not lose any quality and resolution.

Vectors also use less storage space than raster files, because they are mostly made up of curves and flat colours.

Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Sketch, Affinity Designer, and Inkscape are some of the best software for vector art. 

Raster Graphics

Raster images, also known as bitmap graphics, are visuals that are made of small squares called pixels. They can be saved as.jpg,.bmp,.tiff,.png, or .gif formats.

A raster image’s file size is dictated by the picture’s size, which is defined by the number of pixels in the photo. This implies that a picture with a size of 1280×720 resolution will have 921,600 pixels. This in turn means they carry a lot of data, demand big file sizes, and can be hard to work with, even if you own one of the best devices for web design. Fortunately, picture compressing techniques and algorithms have already been developed to overcome this issue.

Unlike vector images, if you crop  or try to scale a raster image, it will lose its quality and look jagged and pixelated, which is a deal breaker for most designers.

Final Words

Compared to graphics, digital graphics are quicker to create and can look more professional. Plus, they are easy to share online and with other people.

On the downside, they can easily be lost if a virus attacks your computer and the software used to work with digital graphics can be expensive. What’s more, there is a learning curve involved with digital graphics, but if you are willing to get started, they can be a fantastic addition to your campaign or product.