Complex vector work is a redraw, not a trace. Our illustrators rebuild the artwork by hand — or hand-draw it digitally — so that the geometry is clean, the shading is deliberate and the result holds together as vector rather than looking like a photograph pushed through a filter.
What we handle at this level
- Photographic references rebuilt as vector illustration
- Military, heraldic and heritage crests with heavy ornament
- Character, mascot and figurative artwork
- Highly detailed product and technical illustration
- Vintage engraved and woodcut style artwork rebuilt at full fidelity
Why a redraw instead of a trace
When artwork contains a photographic element, no amount of automatic tracing will produce something a client is happy to print. The shapes overlap chaotically, the gradients break into visible steps and the file becomes enormous. A human redraw produces fewer, better shapes, cleaner gradients and a file that scales and prints the way it should. It also means you can recolour the artwork later, which traced files almost never allow.
Included in every complex job
- A preview of the redraw before final delivery
- Two revision rounds
- Layered, grouped source files
- A simplified companion version optimised for small print sizes, at no extra cost
That last point matters more than it sounds. Complex marks that look excellent at 600mm fall apart at 15mm. We deliver a reduced variant built specifically for small applications, so one file does not have to be bad everywhere to be good somewhere.
Turnaround and pricing
Seven to fourteen working days depending on scope, with rush options available. Complex work is quoted individually after we have reviewed the reference. We will tell you honestly if a photorealistic or semi-photorealistic result is not achievable as vector, and what the alternative would cost.
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