Clipart, also known as clip art, is a pre-made illustration that you can easily add to your artwork. There are many websites that offer clipart for free or paid, and downloading it is pretty easy.
Clipart is great for both digital and printed materials. And it can be used for a variety of purposes such as marketing and education. There are actually many advantages to using clipart in your design or project you are working on.
In this article, I would like to discuss what clipart is and the five great advantages of using it.
Let’s dive right in!
What is clipart?
Clipart is a ready-to-use graphic design element. It can be used as it is or placed as an element to create a whole design. It is like one ingredient of a dish you are thinking to make for dinner (ex: pepperoni on a pizza).
Decades ago, clipart was created by people physically cutting illustrations out and clipping them on to publications. (See: This Wikipedia entry about clipart.) With technology evolving, you can conveniently download clipart online. However, we still use the term “clipart” today, although we no longer need to physically clip the art on to another piece of paper.
Thanks to the internet, It is so much easier to obtain clipart nowadays. There are so many websites that provide paid and free clipart. Just image search on Google, and you will find any kind of clipart. The selection is enormous. If you would like to know how to download images, visit my post below.
How to download free images from the internet and find where they are stored.
You can use clipart in so many ways—from school assignments to desktop publishing and printed publications. The possibility is endless!
What clipart is used for?
I made a list of examples of where you can use clipart. However, if you know more ways to use clipart, send me a comment. I would love to know.
- Web sites
- Social media posts
- Blogs
- Presentations
- YouTube video, Tiktok, Reel…
- Newsletters
- Posters
- Flyers and brochures
- Invitations
- School projects
- Party decorations, classroom decorations…
File format for clipart
When you download clipart from a website, you might have to choose the file format. There are many file formats that exist nowadays. However, PNG, JPG (JPEG), SVG, and EPS are common file formats for clipart.
Would you like to know more about Image file formats? Visit my post: 13 Common Image File Formats and When to Use Them. ⬇︎
PNG and JGP (JPEG) file formats
PNG and JPG (JPEG) formats are raster graphics. Raster graphics are made up of pixels which are the smallest element of a picture represented on a screen. The quality of the raster image depends on the resolution. So if you enlarge the image, it may look jaggy like the illustration below. Raster graphic is suitable for photographs and complicated illustrations.
SVG and EPS file formats
SVG and EPS file formats are vector graphics. Vector graphics are created by using mathematical equations. So you can change the size of the elements without losing quality. Vector graphics are suitable for icons and logos.
However, the EPS format is for Adobe Illustrator. So unless you use Adobe illustrator, avoid EPS. There is also another Adobe illustrator format called AI. Some websites offer this format.
Every website offers clipart in different formats. Among them, PNG and JPG are the most popular file formats. If there isn’t SVG in the choice of file format, you can still use PNG or JPG. Just keep in mind that the quality of the image is affected when it is enlarged.
Things you should know before using clipart
It is easy to obtain clipart from the internet. However, the important thing is to check if you can use the image you find on the internet legally. Usually, the websites that provide clipart have a page to explain the usage of their images. For example, Pearly Arts states our image usage policies on the License page and Privacy Policy page.
Those are the things you should check out:
Copyright issue—check if you need permission to use the image or not. The public domain clip art is free of copyright restrictions. If you would like to know more about copyright for images, visit this site: https://www.copyrightlaws.com/legally-using-images/
Attribution—be sure whether or not attribution is required. If so, read the instruction on how you should attribute the artist. Creative commons has an example of image attribution.
Commercial use— Usually you should not use clipart for resale purposes. Unless it is stated in terms of usage or terms of condition that it is free for commercial use. You obtain additional usage rights from the publisher or the artist.
What are the advantages of using clipart?
- The visual effect on the marketing materials—Clipart can make posters and flyers more attractive. Clipart also can be used for presentations and newsletters to send clear messages to people about what the presentations or newsletters are.
- Simply, it saves so much time by not having to create illustrations yourself.
- Great QUALITY clipart is available. If you are a poor artist or just don’t have enough time to create your own illustration, clipart is a fantastic option for you.
- FREE clipart options—I believe this is pretty important for some people, especially if you are a small business owner or individual with a tight budget. Instead of hiring a professional graphic designer or paying for expensive stock images, look for free clipart on the internet. You will find a wide range of options to choose from at no cost.
- It is easy to use and adaptable—You can copy and paste, insert, or upload to most applications and online design tools. Usually, clipart comes with transparent background so you can add it to your design right away and resize it for your convenience.
- Huge selections from paid and free websites to download. Well, we at Pearly Arts are one of the websites which provide FREE clipart.
Clipart is a graphic design element that can be used by itself or with other design elements. There are a variety of ways of using it and many advantages to utilizing free clipart. It can make your design more engaging. It saves so much time by not making it by yourself. It is ready to be added to your design.
With millions of free and paid clipart on the internet, if you are not an artist or, simply have no time to make your own, clipart is the way to go.
