Free spiral vectors: SVG and PNG

The spirals, and how they differ

An Archimedean spiral moves out by the same amount on every turn, so its coils are evenly spaced: a rolled-up tape. A logarithmic spiral multiplies its radius by the same amount on every turn, so the coils open out faster and faster: a nautilus shell, a hurricane, a galaxy arm.

The golden spiral is the logarithmic spiral that grows by the golden ratio, about 1.618, each quarter turn. The Fibonacci spiral is its famous stand-in, built from quarter circles in squares of side 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and so on. The two are close but not the same: the Fibonacci spiral has a slight change of curvature at every join, and the golden spiral has none.

Cutting and drawing a spiral

A spiral line is one long, thin piece, which makes it springy once cut. In card that is the point: the disc design here cuts into a strip that hangs as a mobile. In vinyl, weed from the outside in and keep the line at least 1.5 mm wide. For a pen plotter, a spiral is a single stroke with no pen lifts, and in the editor’s Spiral style you can modulate one with a photo.

How to open the files

• Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
• Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
• LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
• Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
• Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions