Understanding your logo file formats [+ FREE cheat sheet]

Understanding your logo file formats can be confusing! The most important thing is having a beautiful, high-quality design that you can use to show off your brand. Right?

Have you ever found that your logo doesn’t look great when you send it to print, or it appears pixelated when you see it on your website and social media? Chances are the file format used wasn’t suitable for the specific purposes. There are various file types for a logo that we’ll cover in this guide. Cutting out the jargon and getting straight to the point to teach you everything you need to know about your logo. Whether you need to send files to your designer or want to use them yourself. By the time you’ve read this, you’ll be ready to show off your logo the right way!

Let’s keep things simple

All you need to know is why file types matter, what they are and when to use them. We’ll explore all of the best logo format files you’ll need to keep your brand looking consistent throughout all platforms.

Why do you need different logo file formats?

Some files are best for maintaining maximum quality, while others are best for having low file size or rich colours. The reason we need various files is that you want the opportunity to share your logo across different platforms without compromising quality. Each file doesn’t necessarily have pros or cons because each has its own, very unique purpose. They do different things in different ways, which is why we need them all.

What are the different file types for logos?

Now, this is where it can be a bit techy. There are only a handful of logo file formats needed for clients (which we cover further in this post). Nevertheless, it’s important you have an understanding of key files, to familiarise yourself with the terms and abbreviations. After all, you’ll most likely be managing these files in the long term.

Logo Format – JPG

Being one of the most used logo formats, JPG or JPEG files are perfect for maintaining true tone colours while being a relatively, small file size. Which is why jpeg logo files are commonly used on social media posts or profile images.

Logo Format – PNG

You’ll recognise a PNG as it has the option to be transparent. Making it perfect to place on your website or on social media graphics and having the freedom to choose any background colour or add over images. They also have the added advantage of maintaining image quality when resized. PNG files are generally larger, ideal for logos but not great for photographs.

Logo Format – AI

This is the main file type for Adobe Illustrator, where your logo is designed, referred to as a vector logo file format. Having the original logo in Illustrator is essential to make edits in the future.

Logo Format – EPS

Similarly to an AI file, an EPS file is best suited for editing and scaling a logo without losing quality. These two files are the ideal formats when handing over designs to a professional designer.

Logo Format – SVG

Finally, we have the all-rounder. An SVG is perfect for designers. This file type allows for editing, resizing and transparency. They are typically used for small icons but are great when used on websites as they maintain high quality no matter what the size and you can add code to change the colours.

Logo Format – PDF

PDF’s are great files to share your logo as they can be easily viewed by others on the internet. Meaning, you and others you share the logo with won’t need any advanced software to view your logo. PDF’s also maintain a higher standard of quality of logos than other file formats such as JPG’s.

What Logo File Formats are Best for You?

I know, there are a lot of different types of file formats. But, the thing is, you only need to use 2 or 3 and still be able to have your logo looking consistently perfect. You don’t often have much use for a native illustrator design file, and designers don’t really need JPGs for anything.

Logo File Formats for Clients

JPG and PNG are the 2 most common file formats you’ll need.

Logo File Formats for Designers

Your designer/developer, on the other hand, will additionally need an SVG file and the original AI file. Having the AI file gives your designer the ability to export your logo into the various formats covered previously.

What file formats to use for printing your logo or use online?

A logo is designed to be shared across multiple platforms, whether that’s on your professional website or a branded pen. But, each file format must be used for the specific purpose the logo will be used for.

Web/Digital

JPG, PNG and SVG are the best file formats for logos on the web. The right format will provide rich colours, transparent backgrounds and scalability to ensure they are perfect for any screen size. It’s important that all files are saved using the RGB colour format to provide the best colours on the web.

Print

The best file format for printing a logo will be AI, PDF or EPS. They have the highest resolutions meaning your logo will be printed to the highest standard. CMYK is the colour mode used for print logos.

Our favourite tool for exporting logos from Illustrator

When we design a logo for you, you’ll receive the full package with all the various file types needed to display your logo beautifully. We’ve been using Logo Package Express for Adobe Illustrator for the last few years and honestly, it’s saved us countless hours while providing a much more structured package of files for our clients.

We just can’t stop recommending this plugin so, designers, here’s our link in case you want to spend more time designing and less time exporting logo versions for clients – Logo Package Express.

For each visual brand identity we create the folder structure will look something like this:

Logo Files Cheat Sheet – Download the PDF here

As promised, a handy cheat sheet for your logo file formats. Giving you everything you need to know about your logo file formats, understanding when and where to use them for the best quality. Enjoy!

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