When most people think to create a portrait, Illustrator isn’t the first program that comes to mind. Photoshop, sure. Pencil and paper, definitely. Even paints or collage seem obvious. But Illustrator?

The truth is, though, some truly fantastic portraits have been created in Illustrator and other vector art programs. And the process can be as difficult or straight-forward as you choose to make it. Most designers seem to start out with a photo, though others have been created from scratch and may even be fictional characters with no reference image. In any case, the end results are fantastic, whether they’re kept a bit more abstract and two-dimensional or they’ve gone for a more realistic final result.

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Many people completely overlook business cards when starting up their new company, mainly due to the capabilities of social networking on the world wide web. However, traditional networking is still a very valuable source when looking for new customers and clients, and the best way to network in the “real world” is by word of mouth. In most cases family members, friends and other members of the public forget about new start-up companies (which is unfortunate), therefore they need something to remember you by. You guessed it: a business card.

If you want potential customers/clients to hold on to your business card, it needs to stand out from the crowd; it needs to be something special. This amazing compilation showcases some of the freshest die-cutting trends used in business cards – so get your thinking cap on and start designing your business card now. After all, it is likely the most powerful piece of card your company will ever see.

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One of the biggest uses of Illustrator has always been and most probably always will be logo design. All good corporate image design relies on a great composition and superb typography – this isn’t as easy as it sounds. It takes hours of sketching, hours of mocking and even hours finishing the final touches. To even get to that stage you need to know what you’re doing and do plenty of research into the industry to find out what works and what doesn’t for certain companies.

To help inspire you for your future logo projects we have compiled a collection of eighty stunning typographic logos. The logos are categorized into colors with some brief explanations on color meanings in logos. We want to know what your favorite logos are, so let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this post!

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Grab some vector Valentines inspiration to fill your winter days with a warmth and heart felt happiness. Rejoice in each moment of snow, frost, every breath of wind, the stars in the sky, and a lovers hand. Feast on this massive overload of lovely illustrations. Get inspired to create for this coming holiday.

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Science Fiction posters are quite often the most interesting – it gives designers great opportunities to experiment with things they don’t usually experiment with on a day-to-day basis, such as futuristic lighting and unusual compositions. This post showcases ninety-nine sci-fi movie posters in total, starting with The Lost World from 1925, right the way through to Disney’s Tron Legacy which is due for release mid-December at the end of this year.

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With World War II now more than sixty years ago, it’s easier to appreciate the propaganda posters of the era for their artistic merit. Allied posters of the age aimed to influence citizens to enlist in the military, buy war bonds, join the workforce, and sacrifice in ways that many people in the U.S., Australia, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere have a hard time imagining today. But the tactics employed in many of these posters and adverts were wildly successful in building national pride and support for the war effort, and today are cherished for their campy nostalgia and patriotic messages.

The posters below are the best of the best from the WWII era. Left out are many of the more offensive posters (of which there are plenty of examples). Looking through these can help give us a better understanding of what life during war-time was like a few generations ago.

Remember that propaganda posters were, in reality, sales tools. Their aim was to sell the citizenry as a whole on the war, and to get them to participate actively in the war effort in various ways. Study the motivational tools they use: pride, fear, patriotism, and a sense of duty.

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Snow covered landscapes, everywhere white fills the streets, and the sky. In the mean time; happiness and inspiration exist inside the human soul. Let’s look at a collection of vector, snowy worlds. This post is filled with both winter inspiration galore and resources to keep you busy during these winter months.

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Monkeys, chimps, apes, or any kind of knuckle dragging animal, as a group, are a fun illustration subject. There are numerous styles of primates on display here, from cute little baby monkeys, to personified overbearing macho apes, and all sorts of small and large monkey inspired vector art. Grab a zoo-full of monkey lovin’ vector illustrations from across the web!

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Supremo, java, cup of joe, espresso, macchiato, fresh ground, and more flavors of vector coffee illustrations than you’ll know what to do with. This collection is sure to get your eyes open and your morning going!

Some may prefer tea, or another hot beverage, but loads of artists find fresh brewed inspiration in a cup of the hot brown stuff. Take a look at a huge variety of coffee inspired illustrations and then take your shot at creating your own vector coffee design. There’s nothing like waking up to some caffeine enriched vector goodness! Let’s drink it down!

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Did you doodle on your Converse or Vans when you were in grade school – back of the class putting those sharpies to work? Go ahead, take that creativity and transform it into a vector masterpiece, and with practice learn to draw your own vector shoes, and even take those doodles and compose with them to create real shoes.

You can wear your vector masterpiece on your feet and let your vector sneaks do the walking. Let’s take a look at a truckload of vector sneaker inspiration, from raw sketched vector shoes to professional sneakers lovingly crafted from illustrative vector elements!

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