🎨 SVGs can do more than you might think

The article on SVG animations has rekindled interest in the technical possibilities of SVG files – although the SVG format is as old as 3f8h.net / electronic publishing: 26 years old.

SVGs are not only scalable graphics that were originally developed for the Internet – they can be animated directly in the file, completely without JavaScript.
The animated SVG on the Unkey homepage shows this impressively, many other resources can be found at svgator.com or lottiefiles.com.

Technically, this works via SMIL elements such as <animate> or <animateTransform> as well as via CSS animations within the SVG. Modern browsers interpret these commands directly – without any external scripts. This makes animated SVGs particularly lightweight and flexible to use on the web.

But what happens outside?

How does Adobe InDesign and other layout programs react to such files?
What remains when printing – just a static image?
And above all: when do we print animated?

And anyway: is a SVG still a contemporary file format for publishing?

A sideways glance at lenticular images shows that movement has long been possible in print – analog, mechanical, but real.

Do you have your own experience with animated SVGs in InDesign or print? Write to us – we are curious.