img or svg

When you build a website, images are almost always a part of the package. From stunning hero shots to tiny icons, they bring pages to life. But when it comes to embedding them, you're essentially choosing between two fundamental approaches: displaying a static 'picture' via the <img> tag, or rendering a dynamic 'drawing' using <svg> code. While both ultimately show an image, they achieve it in vastly different ways, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

The <img> tag is the veteran workhorse of the web. It's designed to display raster images, which are essentially grids of pixels. Think of photographs, detailed illustrations, or anything captured by a camera – these are perfect candidates for an <img> tag, typically using formats like JPEG, PNG, or GIF. Raster images excel at capturing rich detail and complex color gradients, and they load quickly when optimized correctly. However, their pixel-based nature means they don't scale well; if you try to make a small raster image much larger, you'll start to see individual pixels, leading to a blurry or 'pixelated' appearance.

Enter SVG, or Scalable Vector Graphics. Unlike raster images, SVGs aren't made of pixels; they're described by mathematical equations that define lines, curves, shapes, and colors. This vector-based approach is revolutionary because it means SVGs can be scaled to any size – from a tiny favicon to a massive billboard – without losing any quality or becoming pixelated. They remain perfectly crisp and clear, no matter the resolution. SVGs are ideal for logos, icons, illustrations, charts, and anything that needs to look sharp across a multitude of devices and screen sizes. As a bonus, because they are essentially code, they can be easily manipulated with CSS or JavaScript, and are often smaller in file size than equivalent raster images for simple graphics.

So, when should you choose <img> and when <svg>? The choice largely boils down to the nature of your image. For photographs, complex artwork with subtle gradients, or anything that truly relies on pixel-level detail, <img> with a well-optimized JPEG or PNG is almost always the way to go. For crisp, clean graphics that need to look perfect at any scale – think logos, interface icons, line art, or simple diagrams – SVG is the superior choice, offering unparalleled flexibility, accessibility, and resolution independence. Understanding this distinction empowers you to pick the right tool for the job, ensuring your web content looks its best on every screen.

Related Keywords: Web graphics, Vector vs Raster