Images+&+Visuals

Designers develop images to represent the ideas their clients want to communicate. Images can be incredibly powerful tools of **communication**, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous experience. For example, you know that a chilli is hot, and this knowledge in combination with the image creates a visual pun. All image files can be categorized into two kinds, Vector-based files and Bitmap-based

The two differ in the way computers analyze their content. Vector-based images
 * Each element is defined mathematically by the computer.
 * Vector-based files are more suitable for illustrations that require precise measurements.
 * They ** are also easily scalable ** due to their mathematical nature. However, the vector-based file format has its drawbacks as well. It is not good for displaying photo-realistic images such as a photograph because images of this type generally do not contain well-defined shapes and curves.
 * File names for vector-based images usually consist of extensions such as *.EPS, *.AI, *CDR, or *.DWG.

Bitmap-based images
 * Do not rely on mathematical formulas to define their various elements.
 * Each bitmap-based image is mapped into a grid. The size of the grid is based on the image's resolution. For example, a bitmap-based image of 1 inch x 1 inch with a 600 dpi resolution would be defined by a grid of 600 x 600 pixels.
 * A bitmap-based image is like a mosaic of pixels with each pixel holding a specific color value.
 * Bitmap-based files are more suitable for photo-realistic images that require complex color variations. T
 * hey are, however, ** not easily scalable ** because each bitmap-based image is mapped to a non-flexible grid.
 * If a bitmap-based image were to be enlarged, it would lose its sharpness.
 * All edges within the image would appear to be jagged.
 * File names for bitmap-based images usually consist of extensions such as *.PSD, *.JPG, *GIF, *.TIF, or *.BMP.

In general, bitmap-based files require more computer memory for file storage than vector-based files. The former contains all information for every single pixel of the image while the latter contains only the defining mathematical formulas for each element within the image.