What Is an SVG Image and How Is It Used in eLearning?

SVG images are a developing format used to create lively graphics, icons, and logos on a range of courses. But what is an SVG image and how can you use it to enhance your eLearning?

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs)—also known as a vectorized image—have been in development since 1998 by the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. Major technology companies including IBM, Adobe and Microsoft were among those to make original submissions of the format. Since then, the specifications of SVGs have gone through several reinventions, including the incorporation of new HTML5 features and mobile profiles.

In their earliest form, the use of SVGs on the web was limited. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, criticized Internet Explorer for failing to accommodate the use of SVGs. However, the browser now provides some support for vectorized image use, while Google began to add SVG files to its search results in 2010.

Although SVGs are not as widely used as the more established JPG and PNG image formats, there is evidence to suggest that they are increasing in popularity and that they are used more by sites with higher traffic.

At a time when mobile phones generate more than 52% of worldwide website traffic, most types of mobile devices support SVGs. While not all authoring tools support the format, gomo does. In this blog, we take a look at some of the ways SVGs benefit eLearning programs.

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