When to Use CSS Gradients or SVG Backgrounds

Compare gradient CSS and SVG vector assets for responsive websites and interface decoration.

The essentials

Use CSS gradients when colors, angles and transitions can live directly in the stylesheet. Choose SVG when the artwork has specific geometry, repeating patterns or layered curves. Both can stay small, but large raster backgrounds should be compressed and given explicit dimensions.

Put the idea into practice

Experiment with these free tools. Review the generated code and adapt it to your own brand, user interface and accessibility requirements.

Keep improving your design

Test on desktop and mobile, check text readability, and keep your CSS and design tokens maintainable. Explore the complete ColorPremise tool library when you need another component or asset.