Festive Christmas designs are about to be at the top of your wishlist, as the holidays are coming soon. It's definitely time to start that holiday project and we've scoured the web for design resources to help you out – namely, free Christmas vectors.
You can find free vector art relatively easily online, but hunting out the good stuff is more tricky, and pretty time-consuming. Festive vectors tend to get even cheesier than usual so we've sifted through the rubbish to bring you 10 awesome free Christmas vectors that manage to be festive, but not twee. These jolly designs are perfect for creating seasonal patterns, backgrounds and much more.
If you're not in the festive mood and want something non-seasonal, have a look at out pick of top vector art (opens in new tab). Or, if you want to have a go at creating your own designs, check out our collection of vector art tutorials (opens in new tab).
01. Christmas Dragon vector art
We've included this vector design (opens in new tab) in honour of Edgar, this year's Christmas character offering from the John Lewis ad (here are our thoughts on that ad (opens in new tab)). Just cute enough not to be cheesy, and great as an 'inside' joke you're sharing with the nation, this little guy will be sure to spread some festive cheer.
02. Christmas Themed Sketchy Vectors
These doodles (opens in new tab) will brighten up a festive design, without looking twee. They've got a sketchy quality that'll bring a handmade effect to your Christmas project. A snowman, Santa and a robin are just three of the characters featured in this vector art.
03. Seamless Christmas vector pattern
If you're after a festive background pattern, look no further. This seamless vector design (opens in new tab) includes baubles, berries, stockings and bows, and is ideal for adding a festive vibe to your designs. Download it for free at VectorStock (personal use only). For an alternative seamless vector pattern, check out the bells'n'holly version (opens in new tab), also free for personal use.
04. Free vector Christmas icons
This vector kit (opens in new tab) is your one-stop shop for holiday icons. There are more 40 in the pack, including baubles, tree, snowman, Santa, Rudolph, snowflakes, candy canes and er... a duck. Download the set from Behance, and use them to your heart's content in all your personal and commercial projects.
05. Cartoon snow caps
If you want a simple way to make absolutely any image look incredibly Christmassy, all you need to do is cover everything in snow. And with this useful download (opens in new tab) of ready-made snow caps, you don't even need to draw it yourself; just pick out what you need and paste it in. This holiday vector art is free for personal use only.
06. Wooden toys
These delightfully crafty and folksy templates (opens in new tab) by Russian designer Anastasya Mutovina are designed for printing out and hanging from your Christmas tree, but their simple rustic charm makes them just as suitable for incorporating into your own festive designs. They come in both PDF and EPS format; check out Anastasya's Behance page (opens in new tab) for more festive vectors.
07. Doodle Christmas ornaments
These doodle icons (opens in new tab) have a delightful hand-drawn vibe, and we love the muted colour palette, too. They're free to download and use in your festive projects – just make sure you credit the original designer.
08. Christmas bells
Sick of red, green and gold? This holiday vector design (opens in new tab) has a more modern take on Christmas. Use them individually, or tile them in your festive designs. And of course, because they're vectors, you can make them red, green and gold if you really want to. This design is totally free for personal use. VectorStock has done a similarly classy design with stylised wreaths (opens in new tab).
09. Cartoony seamless pattern
This seamless pattern (opens in new tab) includes all the traditional holiday elements – Santa, gingerbread man, candy cane, baubles, trees, gifts – but with a bit of an edge. Download the stylised Christmas vector for free on Behance now.
10. Free Christmas vector background
This Christmas vector background (opens in new tab) is free to download from Vecteezy – you just need to make sure you add an attribution when you use it. The download includes an SVG file, making it ideal for use in web projects. All you need now is to find some suitably festive free fonts (opens in new tab) to add your Yuletide felicitations.
If you're designing for children, these sketchy vector characters (opens in new tab) are cute but not twee. They were designed a few years ago by Chris Spooner from Spoon Graphics, and you can download them for free in AI and EPS format. The pack includes a reindeer, snowmen, Santa, and some super-sweet penguins.
11. Retro Christmas ornaments
Need some baubles this Christmas? Then look no further than these classic Xmas bauble designs (opens in new tab), brought to you by FreeVectors. This retro design comes in AI, JPG and SVG format, making it nice and versatile. It's free to use with a credit. Kudos to the designer for shunning a traditional colour palette in favour of a surprisingly festive-feeling orange and teal.
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