Gone are the days when striking visuals came with a hefty price tag. Now, the power to transform ideas into compelling graphics is just a click away. Thanks to the internet for this.
Everyone can use illustrations for their presentations, slide-show-style animated marketing videos, e-commerce websites, or social media posts, even when they have zero skill or experience in graphic design. With the user-friendly interfaces and extensive libraries provided by these 15 websites, turning a concept into a visually captivating reality has never been more accessible. Check out some Shopify blog examples that masterfully utilize illustrations for inspiration! They’ll show you how to leverage the power of visuals to tell your brand story and connect with your audience in a whole new way.
Whether you’re crafting a sleek presentation to captivate your audience, sprucing up your website to make it visually stunning, or adding a personal touch to your social media posts for that extra flair, these websites we’ve listed have got you covered. In the digital realm, the impact of visually appealing content extends beyond websites and social media. For instance, when creating a mobile app, the right illustrations can significantly enhance user engagement and overall app aesthetics.
Additionally, utilizing heatmap analysis tools can provide valuable insights into user behavior and interaction patterns, allowing developers to optimize the placement and design of these illustrations for maximum impact.
To delve deeper into this, check out our insights on creating a successful mobile app, where we explore key strategies for developing visually and functionally compelling mobile applications.
Wait, Are They Free Even For Commercial Use?
The word “free” can be too good to be true, especially when it comes to hand-made creations like illustrations and icons.
However, the beauty of these 15 websites listed here extends beyond their vast collections; they generously allow users to harness their creative potential for commercial purposes without draining their budgets.
Before delving into the world of vectors and icons, one might wonder, are they truly free for commercial use?
The answer is yes.
Many of these platforms not only offer a dazzling array of high-quality graphics but also provide licenses that grant users the freedom to incorporate these assets into commercial projects, be it for business websites, email newsletters, marketing materials, or even customer satisfaction surveys.
This means that whether you’re a small business owner, a startup entrepreneur, or a seasoned professional working on a client project, you can confidently adorn your creations with these graphics, knowing that you have the legal freedom to do so.
But, to make everything crystal clear and ensure you’re on the right side of licensing terms, it’s always better for you to check the specific licensing details on each platform.
While many of these 15 websites pride themselves on providing free resources for commercial use, nuances in licensing agreements can vary.
Taking a few moments to review the terms and conditions ensures that you navigate the creative landscape with confidence, understanding any potential restrictions or requirements that may apply.
Keep in mind that a quick glance at the licensing information can save you from any unforeseen hurdles down the road. It’s a small step that guarantees your peace of mind.
15 Websites You Need For Free Vectors and Icons
There are tons of awesome websites that you can rely on when you need a visual boost for your projects, and we’ve curated the ultimate list of 15 go-to platforms for free vectors and icons.
1) Vecteezy
Vecteezy can be such a useful resource for designers, illustrators, and anyone in need of high-quality vector images for their creative projects. This website provides amazing photography, videos, and even stunning vector illustrations.
There are tons of free visual resources to help you get your project faster, but if you want unlimited downloads with full commercial rights and no attribution required, you might want to join the pro version.
One notable feature of Vecteezy is its Vector Editor, which enables users to customize and modify vector graphics directly on the platform. This provides a convenient way to tailor designs to specific needs without the necessity of external design software.
2) Flaticon
In Flaticon, all vectors, icons, and illustrations are made by and for designers in PNG, SVG, EPS, PSD, and CSS formats. There are at least +21,600 SVG and font files based on vector icons optimized for web, iOS, and Android applications.
You can use all of their visual assets (including vectors and icons) for commercial purposes but are subject to their licensing terms and conditions. Flaticon offers licenses for its icons that allow you to use the content without crediting the author if you’ve purchased one of their Premium subscription plans.
Also, Flaticon provides an extensive collection of free icons in PNG format. While icons in other formats are available, a premium subscription is required to download them.
3) Icons8
Icons8 is another place to download vectors and icons hassle-free. If you ever need background music to complete your creative projects, this website has it, too. You can use the visual assets for free, with a note that there are some limited formats in lower resolution. You might also link to Icons8 when you use their assets without spending a dime.
There are also subscription plans for more accessible features. With the $21 monthly plan, you can download 100 icons and 25 vectors. Beyond that, each icon costs $0.20, and each illustration is priced at $0.80 after the subscription.
This pricing structure provides flexibility for users with varying needs to make sure that every user can access the resources you require at a reasonable cost.
4) Freepik
For some people who need quick vector and icon assets, Freepik can be their go-to tool. What makes it quite different from other vector and icon libraries is its comprehensive and user-friendly platform.
This website offers a vast repository of free and premium graphic resources, including vectors, icons, illustrations, and photos, catering to a wide range of creative needs.
Another distinguishing feature of Freepik is its versatility. Users can easily navigate through a diverse collection of high-quality visuals sorted into categories, making it convenient to find the perfect graphic for any project. Additionally, Freepik provides AI image generator features, allowing users to create images for marketing campaigns more efficiently. As the AI statistics reveal, about 69 percent of marketers have embraced the trend of generative AI arts. Freepik also stands out for its commitment to quality– just to make sure that even the free resources available maintain a professional and polished aesthetic.
5) The Noun Project
While the website branding itself has a monochrome concept, it has an icon for pretty much any prompt. Most of the visual assets are visually distinctive and improve the overall aesthetics of a brand, presentation, or website. There are over 5 million art-quality icons and free photos you can download in PNG and SVG formats for free.
With the NounPro pro version, you can download unlimited PNG and SVG icons without the need for attribution, making them royalty-free. But that’s not all – seamlessly integrate millions of icons into your workflow using our apps and plugins. Customize each icon effortlessly by tweaking its color, size, and rotation.
Plus, take your customization to the next level by adding a background shape and color that aligns perfectly with your design vision.
6) Pixeden
Pixeden is like your one-stop shop for awesome design and web goodies. Especially when you are trying to find your perfect mockup vector stock image, they’ve got top-notch graphic design templates and a bunch of other cool files.
Even for those newer to the world of graphic design, Pixeden provides a user-friendly experience, helping them navigate its extensive collection with ease. With a robust set of features, it functions as a sophisticated creative toolkit, supporting both seasoned designers and those venturing into the graphic design landscape.
7) Pixabay
Pixabay is a vibrant community of authors, artists, and creators sharing royalty-free images, video, audio, and other media. Some people know this website as a free stock image library, but it also boasts a treasure trove of thousands of high-quality icons and vectors that users can download at no cost.
Navigating through Pixabay’s extensive collection of icons and vectors is a breeze, thanks to its intuitive interface and robust search features. Users can easily find the perfect elements for their projects, whether it’s for web design, presentations, or any other creative projects.
8) VectorPortal
In VectorPortal, you have access to 30,000+ free vector images, illustrations, and backgrounds for both personal use and commercial use. For commercial use, you can use all the visual assets in the platform as long as you give proper attribution to the author.
The website itself is user-friendly and easy to navigate. With this vast amount of vectors and icons available, you can easily find something for your creative projects.
9) DryIcons
DryIcons provides more than 5,000 professionally made and high-quality vectors in 77 icon sets. For designers and developers looking for something cool to mock up, there are 1,700 vector graphics you can use in the platform. You can download all the virtual assets for free with credits.
Not only vector graphics, this website also provides tons of web templates and initially gives them away freely with their Free License. This gives priority to independent developers and coders, small design firms, and organizations.
10) DeviantArt
DeviantArt might be one of the most popular art-sharing platforms among artists and art enthusiasts. This is where artists share their works and get inspired.
Since it’s a well-known one, the visual library it offers is vast. There are more than 350 million pieces of art, including vectors and icons you can download for free.
With a variety of visual assets— from digital art to even traditional media, this website offers endless streams of art to browse and communicate with the community at any time.
11) Dribbble
Dribbble is a well-known website for mostly UX-UI designers. But this platform also has a library of vectors and icons available for free download. This website is basically a portfolio for independent artists or creative agencies.
Rather than a website for downloading vectors and icons, this website is a better place to get inspired. Since all of the visual assets are created by artists for their clients, if you want to download it and use it for free, it’s always better to give them credit.
12) FreeImages
You can explore FreeImages for an extensive collection of thousands of free and royalty-free vectors and visuals available in AI, EPS, SVG, and more.
Whether you’re in need of backgrounds, abstract vectors, or content related to animals, business, and banking, this website has got you covered.
Feel free to utilize our vectors for personal projects, including study assignments, home decor, t-shirt printing, and more, without the need for attribution. You can also employ these vectors for commercial purposes without worrying about copyright issues. This includes applications in slideshows, digital or printed documents, websites, merchandising, and more.
13) DrawKit
DrawKit has a massive collection of vector SVG illustrations. All are available in both free and premium options and ready for use in your upcoming projects. No attribution is necessary.
Whether you need hand-drawn 2D & 3D illustrations, vectors, icons, and motion graphics, DrawKit provides a diverse range of creative assets for your projects. All in one place. You don’t need to create an account to enjoy all the basic free plans.
But if you want more visual options, you can upgrade to the Pro plan. You will get unlimited access to Pro content and early access to the new content.
14) GraphicBurger
raphicBurger is known for providing a range of free design resources, including but not limited to PSD (Photoshop) files, vectors, mockups, UI kits, icons, and other graphic elements. These resources are intended to help designers save time and effort by offering pre-designed elements that can be customized for their projects.
UI kits are sets of pre-designed elements like buttons, forms, and other interface components that designers can use to create consistent and visually appealing user interfaces.
You can typically download the resources directly from the GraphicBurger website. The files are often available in formats such as PSD, so it’s convenient for designers who use graphic design software like Adobe Photoshop.
15) RawPixel
RawPixel offers a diverse and extensive collection of design assets, including stock photos, vectors, PSD mockups, and more. The platform is known for its visually appealing and high-resolution content.
This website operates on a freemium model, providing both free and premium (paid) content. Users can access a significant number of assets without charge, but there may be additional premium resources that require a subscription or one-time purchase.
It typically features a user-friendly interface with advanced search and filtering options. You can browse and search for specific types of content based on categories, keywords, or themes.
Wrapping Up
Free downloads for vectors and icons can be such a breath of fresh air for creative minds looking to add that extra spark to their projects without breaking the bank. These websites not only offer a treasure trove of design assets but also unlock a world of possibilities for artists, designers, and enthusiasts alike.
But, remember just because it’s free, it doesn’t mean that you can claim or redistribute these resources as your own. Respect the creators’ work, check the usage rights, and ensure your projects shine while staying on the right side of creative integrity.
Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email: andre@breadnbeyond.com
LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro
0 Comments