How to Avoid Rejection in Vectors: Composition
Composition is one of the most common reasons for rejection among Freepik contributors. The truth is that composition is a vast and generic concept, and it might not always be applied in the same way.
We’ve prepared this mini-guide on how to avoid rejection in vectors when there are composition issues. We also include some examples to understand this rejection reason better and manage to avoid it in the future.
First things first: what’s composition?
“My resources have been rejected due to composition, but I don’t know what it means”. We are aware that composition is a generic concept, and it might be applied differently in each case.
In general terms, we use the composition rejection reason when the vector file presents distribution or arrangement issues. For instance, when the elements have been arranged poorly and the composition isn’t balanced.
When it comes to quality, the composition is a must. Let’s go through some common composition mistakes in vectors to avoid rejection.
Common composition mistakes to avoid
Visual weight
Visual weight refers to the focal point in a composition, that’s to say, the place you want to attract attention to. So, visual weight is essential to create harmonious and symmetric compositions.
We might reject your resources if the visual weight isn’t balanced. But, how do you know it? It will always depend on the design’s concept and how you want to arrange elements.
However, we recommend placing main elements within a composition in the center of the design.
➡️ Let’s see a couple of examples:
Hierarchy and overlapping
All elements in your design must be balanced and harmonious. This is particularly important in design sets, where individual elements only make sense as a whole.
There are some features you need to pay attention to create visual harmony: size, orientation, alignment, position, and not-overlapping. Therefore, if your design doesn’t comply with these principles and the overall visual weight is unbalanced, we’ll reject your resources.
➡️ A glance at the following examples will help you:
➡️ Overlapping shadows are also a reason for rejection. If you add shadows to the elements in your design, make sure they don’t overlap. Each individual design should have its own space within the composition.
Incorrect cropping
Although cropping might seem easy to do when designing, you must be careful with this technique.
We can reject your design if it’s been cropped excessively, making it lose important details. When cropping, make sure it doesn’t affect the overall composition, and you don’t get rid of essential elements.
➡️ Let’s have a look at this banner. In the example on the left, the character’s body has been cropped out, while the design on the right allows us to see more of the composition.
➡️ This is also a great example of a poor cropping technique. We can spot the difference immediately, right? Although it’s a floral background, we can see very little of the flowers in the example of the left. They have been cropped out significantly.
Framing issues
Here we refer to the space surrounding the design. When this space is too little or excessive, it directly affects the composition’s frame, and we’ll reject the resource.
➡️ When you leave little space around the design, it looks like it cannot “breath”. The result is, thus, unbalanced and not appealing. Have a look at the following example:
➡️ But, if the space is excessive, it makes the main element lose details and look isolated:
Unwanted floating effect
Not adding shadows under the elements in your design may result in an unwanted floating effect. When creating a scene with different elements and characters, you must recreate the shadow under them. Otherwise, they’ll look like they’re floating.
➡️ We can see it in the following example. On the left, elements seem to be floating, while on the right, shadows have been applied correctly. Can you see the difference between them?
Typography
Typography is an effective technique for creating bold and interesting designs. However, it may become a disadvantage when applied incorrectly.
➡️ When adding typography to a design, make sure it’s consistent with the composition and can be appreciated. Avoid using the background color.
➡️ Also, typography mustn’t hide or eclipse other elements in the composition. Place the text on empty areas where it can be read and make sure it’s properly aligned.
That’s been it! Now you have plenty of information to start working on your vector files and optimizing them so they meet Freepik quality standards! If you want further information on reasons for rejection in vectors, check our support section.
If you came here but photos are your thing, find below another article covering the same rejection reason for photos:
→ How to Avoid Rejection in Photos: Composition
We can’t wait to see your amazing content!
