Logo, Web and print designers, as well as Adobe Illustrator users in general, will find the following free vector art sites to be a great resource, and a huge time-saver. Before you start squacking about “real designers don’t use clip-art,” consider that you don’t have to use the artwork as a whole. I often times use small pieces of the artwork found on these sites as logo elements, highlight graphics in brochures, etc. Because they’re vector, they’re easily manipulated and customized. None of these sites actually create the vector art. Instead they simply do the searching for you and put it all into one easy place. Because of that, you’re likely to notice that many of these sites feature the same artwork. Don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re all the same. Most of them feature artwork not found on the other sites listed. Bookmark the sites and check back often, as they’re constantly updated with free vector art. As always, check for a license or other stipulations before using commercially – though most allow it. QVectors: Site is searchable, offers ratings, and easy to download artwork. QVectors also has a blog, listing even more resources.

Vecteezy: One of the first truly great free vector art sites. A large collection, easy navigation and clearly defined license descriptions make Vecteezy one of the best. Dezignus: A massive collection of vector art. This site can sometimes be a pain when downloading files, as they appear to be saved all over the Web. But it’s worth the effort. Vector4Free: Another site with a huge collection of vector art. I like this site because it offers large preview images, is easily searchable, and the license is clearly marked on the download page. VectorTuts – Freebies: Not only does VectorTuts offer a great collection of tutorials, but their freebies section has some very high-quality and useful vector art. DragonArtz: Not a flashy-looking site, but has a nice collection of vector art. This is another one of those sites that doesn’t host its own downloads, so you’ll be visiting separate download sites to get the files. Vectorss: A nice clean layout, search and tagging, and easy to download files make Vectorss a great resource. I’ve come across some vector art here that I’ve not found on other similar sites. VectorValley: I recently highlighted this site here on The Graphic Mac, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It offers a nice clean interface with preview images that pop-up when you mouse-over the thumbnails. VectorStock: While VectorStock doesn’t have a large collection of vector art, it does contain vectors not found on other sites. Definitely worth checking every so often. Designious: This site offers a small collection of vector packs, along with a larger collection of artwork you can purchase for a nominal fee. FreeVectors: A pretty decent collection of free vector art, with download links right on the home page. You’ll definitely find things you won’t see on other sites, though most of their offerings are flat line-art and simple illustrations. 123 Free Vectors: A categories drop-down menu on the home page makes finding what you’re looking for easy. Another site that offers unique vectors not found on many other sites. Vector Portal: Boasting over 2 million downloads, Vector Portal has a large collection of stock vector art, including a nice collection of logo objects and background templates that work great for PowerPoint presentations. TutorialBlog: Though the collection isn’t huge, it does offer some unique artwork – including a nice collection of vector shapes you can use in Photoshop as well as Illustrator. I hope you find this collection of free vector art resources as useful as I do. One can never have too many pieces of vector art, in my opinion. Download it all and back it up on a DVD for future use!