When choosing images for a logo or any design on a project, most people typically just go with pixel based images since they appear as more “Photogenic”. But actually, there are some major differences that most people miss.
If you plan on designing any digital artwork, it’s important to understand the difference between the 2 types: Pixel/Raster images and Vector images.
Pixel and Raster Images
Pixel
The idea of pixel was to create a photograph using a grid-based system of colors and tones. These are called “picture elements”, which are the building blocks of all digital artwork, simple or complex. Pixels on monitors are collections of Red, Green and Blue points of light, combined with Brightnesses to create what is called “RGB” color model.
Raster
Similarly, Raster/rasterization is the process of turning non-pixel based image into a digital pixel-based image. When comparing pixels to vetor graphics, we are talking exclusively about raster graphic pixels, not the pixels that your monitor displays.
Pixel-based images are also called Bitmaps and they’re made up of thousands of itty-bitty pixels or dots. Each pixel/block can store a different color and the overall pattern makes up the image on your screen. That’s why sometimes when we try to enlarge a photo, it gets blurry. And these are the usual .JPEGs, .GIFs, .PNGs files that we normally use.
Vector Images
Vector images on the other hand, are basically paths/objects created by math calculations. The points (primitives) that these vectors make are a combination of lines, curves, and polygons on an algebraic grid. They operate independently of image resolution as they can be stretched and blown up without losing qualty.
Simple logos, icons, typography and cartoons/illustrations usually are best in Vector because they have a lot less information and they load a whole lot faster. When you have a pixel-based image, you can convert them into Vector by using tools like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and many more. These are exported as .SVGs, .AIs, .PDFs, and .EPS.
Conclusion
The important distinction here is that pixels exist in the more literal space whereas vectors exists in a mathematical space. Pixels are all equal size and have a predefined position (just try to zoom in on one and you’ll see that those blocks will start to show), and Vectors exists as points on the math grid and doesn’t have any limitation (try to zoom in on a vector image and you’ll notice that the image and colors don’t change as it gets enlarged.)