What Is Clip Art? File Formats, Usage, Rights and Downloads.

So, clip art – what is it exactly, what are the file formats and what does one use it for?…

The clip art is a pre-made image or a collection of images, used to illustrate or support some type of information electronically or printed. The most common file types are Bitmap and Vector, and licensing rights vary.

Brief Clip-Art History and How It Came To Be

Okay, so here is the thing, clip art as we now know it (cool and simple digital art illustrations) actually comes from a long long time ago pre-computer technology.

The word comes from cutting (clipping) out images from prints and using them again in other, totally new publication projects! Kind-of collaging, you can say.

It was such a wide-spread practice, that there were even special clip books that you could buy full of illustrations ready to be “clipped” and used again in your own stuff.

“Dover Clip Art Series” is an example of what such clip books look like (yes, they are still being sold!):

Pretty fun, right??

And then, Apple Macintosh came along and blew everyone out of the water with their mass-produced personal computers. That’s when the true fun began!

• In 1983, the first library of professional clip art was introduced.
• In 1984, the consumer started having the possibility to use clip art technology due to the invention of desktop publishing.
• After 1986, desktop publishing created a massive need for clip art, and MacPaint provided the ability to edit and use such clip-art for the first time. Remember that bad boy? 😉
• In 1996 Microsoft Word included clip-art as a part of their installation, but then they ended their support for these files in 2014.

The rest is history!

Of course, there were other awesome people and companies who had a role to play, but I won’t bore you with details about each year.

So, let’s keep going.

What File Format Is Clip Art?

I guess the original format is print. And although it was common to cut out clip art from printed stuff and use it for your new stuff – that’s old news.

Some people still do it (and it sounds like fun), but the common way of clip art now is the digital world. And the 2 most common file formats in clip art are bitmap and vector.

Think of them as the big opposites – one small and static, and the other big and stretchy.

Bitmap Format Clip Art

The bitmap file format is made out of a bunch of pixels. They are your usual little squares that are either colored or black and white. This file format is often referred to as “rasterized” as well. This clip art has a specific size, and if you try to make it larger – you will get a pixelated image.

Like, have you ever tried stretching a small image file inside of Photoshop and then got upset because the quality is lost? That’s because the bitmap file has a certain number of pixels, and by stretching it, you are asking your computer to generate what’s not there. Sucks, I know.

These files are your typical JPEG, PNG, GIF, etc.

To see them in action, open a 200x200px image and stretch it out to A4 paper size – now that’s a piece of art you weren’t expecting!

Vector Format Clip Art

The Vector file format is a totally different story in its entirety. You see, the art is created not by “filling pixels with color”, but rather by geometric modeling. It’s a fancy word, but it simply means using one of the 7 elements of art – line (link to an article that covers different line types).

So these lines, points, curves and polygons are made out of data, not out of pixels, so there is no size restraint!

Meaning, the same 200x200px illustration will look incredible, even when stretched out to billboard size!

Here is a visual representation of the two side by side zoomed in:

File formats are SVGs and my favorite Adobe EPS.

If you have ever used Illustrator – you were working in the vector file format. Now, it doesn’t mean that if you bring a photo in Illustrator it becomes vector – nope. Remember, this file format lives and breathes on geometric modeling!

So knowing this info, if you ever need to buy or create a proper clip art – think about the limitations of each and the size you might need the work done in.

What Is Clip Art Used For?

So, now that you are a Pro at Clip Art History and understand it 100% (not really though, but you probably know more about it now than 99% of the people) – let’s talk usage.

If you are an artist reading this, it’s important to know what clip art is most commonly used for so you can design the most popular and profitable clip art you possibly can.

Here goes.

1. Presentations.

Whether it’s a business meeting presentation or an all-nighter assignment you did for a school project – clip art will help. It will support the information you share, help showcase points you can’t quite explain and make your presentation more enjoyable to listen to.

2. Infographics

They are these long images that have a lot of information in a neat little package full of words/numbers + clip art.

Just like the one I created for you below :
( pssssttt…save it to your Pinterest board! :> )

3. Magazines and Books

Magazine articles and school books often use clip art for navigation, information and aesthetic purposes.

4. Mobile App Icons

Betcha didn’t know those are sorta clip art too!

6. Branding

That logo with a fancy graphic or the little character that represents it – clip art.

7. Seasonal Occasions

Postcards, banners, flyers, invitations, etc. often use clip art.

Remember that Valentine Card you got last year? (If not, don’t worry. I didn’t get one either).

You know that the human heart doesn’t actually look like this, right??
Well, that’s symbol clip art for you.

Is Clip Art Public Domain/ Royalty Free?

Yes and No. Clip Art can be public domain, and it can be royalty-free, but if you are not sure, it’s safe to assume it isn’t.

Public Domain is when the rights to a particular creation have been expired, fortified, waived or inapplicable. A.K.A. no intellectual property rights apply, so you can use it as you wish.

Royalty-Free is basically when you can use the clip art without paying. But, some limitations often apply so read the policies carefully. Some allow the use for personal, education and non-profit + for-profit use, and others limit. Or ask you to mention the source where you got the image.

And other times, you might just have to buy a full commercial license, if you are planning to profit from the items that use the clip art.

I am by no means a master of licenses, so do read the policy/ rules or whatever else you can find on the website where you search for clip art before using it.

Where To Download Clip Art?

Okay, so now that you read everything (kudos to you for doing so and getting educated a bit) – where does one actually get clip art?

>> 1. My favorite place for getting free vector clip art or illustration is Pixabay.com

You can use all of the found creatives there for pretty much anything.

Note the “pretty-much” in the last sentence and read their license here.

>> 2. Another cool place is FreeSvg.org and their license is CC0 1.0 Universal, which you can read about here.

>> 3. And if you are looking to buy some unique clip art that is not used by many people, I love CreativeMarket for that.

They have some reeeeeeeeally insane packages of 3,645 items + like this one.

+ Every Monday they pick 6 products (fonts, clip art, illustrations, templates, etc.) and give it away for free.

I’m serious! The only catch is that these 6 items are only available for 7 days, and then they are replaced by new ones.

So, if you are in need of some clip art, check out these 3 sites and I’m sure you’ll find just what you are looking for! 🙂

Final Words

I hope that this article answers your question of what is clip art. I bet you now know the 2 most common clip art formats, and how to find out whether clip art is public domain, royalty-free or mixed rights.

Have any other art questions you would like me to answer?

Comment down below and let me know!