Vectorvault turns Twenty

by Vectorvault | Feb 26, 2025 | Vector Art, Vector Artists

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Two decades of Vector Art

Twenty years ago, I was a different person. As an Associate Creative Director for a major experiential marketing company in Toronto, I was right where I was supposed to be. Designing advertising campaigns for Miller Genuine Draft International and pushing my own understanding of Adobe Illustrator. I was recently married to the girl of my dreams. We had bought our first condo in North York (the North end of the city). All in all life was pretty good. But I was restless. Searching for my true purpose and my place as a Canadian Digital Artist.

A vault for vectors

One night, well over 2O years ago I decided to collect all of my extra vector pieces. Icons and unseen logos. Mathematical illustrations and graphs. And images that I created along the way for simply the pleasure of it. I organized folders and started my own numbering system to make it easier to find vectors when I needed them. I did not know it at the time, but that catalogue swelled into a collection that transformed me from a vector enthusiast into quite simply, the fastest designer North of the border. I know this because I have been told this time and time again by clients and designers alike.

My secret has always been that I have a customized vector art toolbox and I know where everything is. So when a client describes a project, not only can I visualize what it should look like, I am already assembling it in my mind. I just pull together the right pieces and modify them accordingly.

The very nature of vector art is flexible and precise in ways that pixel based files simply cannot emulate. Once you begin to understand the principals of how you can manipulate vectors, anything is possible. Take it from me. I’ve been double daring clients to challenge me with puzzles since 1993. Vector art has always played a role.

One day, I told my wife that I wanted to create a secure repository for my collection and share it with others. What I needed was a vault for vectors. A vector vault. But more unique. A single word: Vectorvault.

The intersection of brand, persona & design philosophy

In 2005, I created vectorvault.com. If you’re interested in learning about the first 10 years, you can start here.

The second 10 was a journey that has yet to be articulated. But unlike the first decade, where I was feeding the brand. The second was a transformation of sorts. The designer and the brand began to merge into a digital art persona. The voice of this brand is me and the digital art created for it is also me. I decided to lean into that.

In 2021, Canada Council for the Arts made it official in recognizing me as a Canadian Digital Visual Artist. A designation that I wear with pride. Always have.

For the 20th anniversary of Vectorvault, I have reinvented the website from the ground up. With the help of Sonia Costa and her team at Sevens Creative, we’ve put some more muscle under the hood and a little more strategy into the structure. An improved experience that draws from 20 years of personally written posts about the world of vector art. In my 32+ year career as a Creative Director in Toronto, I have used vector art to my advantage. It’s accurate. It saves time and has incredible flexibility. I continue to pass those learnings on to the next generation of designers. Arming them for battle against the AI Art Super-bots.

Vectorvault has become my Master Thesis and love letter to the talented community who wield this digital art format. I am generous with my knowledge and I use my powers for good. I hope that earns me an interaction with you. Please express yourself and share with others.

*No artificial ingredients

AI Art is completely absent of soul. This is an undisputed fact. That’s the difference between this site an other design related publications. Where they have embraced the use of AI, we do not. We fight for the living. No Artificial Intelligence will be knowingly used to create anything on this site. Ever.