Last summer was a busy one in our family, with a wedding for one daughter and the arrival of a new baby for another. As a result there were parties and celebrations throughout the season. Which meant invitations, thank you notes and other similar items were required.
Our bride has always been the artsy one in the family — and thrifty to boot. She decided to create her own wedding stationery needs, starting of course with the right graphics. Wanting to ensure she was not stealing someone else’s work she went to iCLIPART.com , a site offering royalty-free images at great prices. She quickly found the perfect illustrations, ones that suited her black-and-white theme, her personal style and the level of taste expected.
Whether you’re a graphic designer or a grandma working on a special family memento, the right image is obviously a great place to start. For novices, however, if using an image isn’t going to be as straightforward as one hoped it can seem intimidating. For instance, there are times when a transparent background is required, and while a png may have one, depending on how the artist created the image, a jpg will always have a background colour.
Only with vectors, a graphic that can be altered without any loss of quality, is transparency of background guaranteed. The issue then, however, is that in order to open these types of files one needs image editing software. And while professional programs (like Adobe Creative Suite and CorelDRAW) are quality products providing tools to work one’s own magic on an image, they can be rather expensive for hobbyists.
The good news is there are free options online for those for whom such an investment just wouldn’t make sense. Here’s a great site with some examples:
I Love Free Software 5 Best Vector Graphics Editors
While it’s possible to find an image that won’t require editing, with a little work, creativity and imagination you can open the door to a number of other possibilities. Be fearless. Have some fun and create a new spin on your favourite.
