I love your Photoshop'd logo...

Said no graphic artist, ever.

I'd like to address a recurring conversation I seem have with my clients, and that is the difference between Raster graphics and Vector graphics and why you should always demand both from your design professional.

Raster graphics are simply put, a grid of pixels. That selfie you snapped of you and your shiny new cruiser on the seawall is made up of thousands of little squares each containing information on the colour it is supposed to display. This can allow for very rich detail and precise editing as each pixel can be adjusted to your hearts content.  

The pitfall with a raster graphic is it's limited scalability. For instance, your designer just sent you a JPG of your fancy new logo and it looks stellar on your LinkedIn profile, but blow it up for a banner at your topping off party and every pixel's perfectly square shape and sharp corners will become glaringly apparent.  

Vector graphics, on the other hand, are based on mathematics.  A vector is defined as the path between two points. Vector graphics are essentially a series of points and the paths between them. As such, these graphics are infinitely scalable. Your vector logo is going to look as crisp on that 50ft billboard as it does on your business card. 

The advantage vector graphics have is that your designer can scale the artwork to an appropriate size and then convert it to raster if necessary to reap the benefits of both formats. Raster graphics, however, cannot be simply converted into vectors. They would need to be traced and recreated leaving room for error and subtle differences. 

If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.  - Red Adair

So, why should you care? 

Well, to put it bluntly, time and money. That's why. Well....that and you'll also be salvaging the hairlines of design/print professionals across the board.

Empowered with your new-found knowledge on the subject, you should always seek out a design firm who provides you with both raster and vector formats for your logo/artwork. While this may cost more initially, you won't find yourself  waiting (and paying!) for yet another designer and/or another design fee at the next print shop to reverse engineer your artwork when scalability becomes an issue.