Composition vs. Vector Design

March 15, 2018

One thing I have struggled with as a designer is were to start when beginning a design.

I think there are two major avenues you can go down when beginning a design. Composition or Vector. Composition design leans more on a photo realistic design with text overlayed on top of the design. Vector on the other hand is exactly what it sounds like. Solid colors with clean straight lines.

A lot of modern logos and designs have been using the vector style. In an age where minimalism is popular people have been connecting with those simple designs. Infographics utilize this style to convey complex information well.

Examples of Vector Design

I see composition design used more for mediums like movie posters and magazine adds. These designs connect to people in a more tangible sense. Using real images taken from different places combined together to make one cohesive image.

Examples of Composition Design

I would not say that one style is better than the other. I have my preference and that is mostly based on my skill level and education. Each style has its advantages when it comes to creating a feeling in someone. But it is really up to you as a designer to choose which would the project benefit from.

Recently I have worked on brands for some summer camps our youth ministries are hosting. When talking with the youth pastor he had some good insight for the different camps. One was for a high School Winter camp, and the other was for a middle school summer camp. He helped me by explaining how high school camps are usually more intense spiritually,since the students are more mature. Because of this I wanted to use a composition design yo portray a more professional and serious tone. Middle school camps rely a little more on fun elements to get the students engaged,and that is were the connections happen. So for this I wanted to use a vector design to be a little more fun and laid back. In the end this design had a comic book feel to it.

Link to Behance Project
Link to Behance Project