SVG
Also known as: svg file, vector image, scalable vector graphics
SVG (.svg) is a vector image format that stores shapes as math rather than pixels, so it scales to any size without losing sharpness. For logos and icons it is usually tiny, but it is unsuited to photographs, which it cannot represent efficiently.
- Vector format — scales with no quality loss
- Very small for logos, icons, and line art
- Unsuited to photographs
Vector vs pixel images
Most image formats — JPEG, PNG, WebP — are raster: a fixed grid of pixels that blurs when enlarged. SVG is vector: it describes lines, curves, and fills as instructions, so it stays crisp at any zoom and prints at any resolution.
Because a simple logo is just a few shapes, its SVG file can be a fraction of a kilobyte — far smaller than a PNG of the same graphic, and it never needs a larger high-resolution copy.
Where SVG does not fit
Photographs contain millions of subtle pixels that cannot be reduced to clean shapes, so saving a photo as SVG produces a huge, impractical file. SVG is meant for icons, logos, charts, and line art — not camera images, which belong in raster formats.