File Formats
Logo file formats: which one to use, and where
What logo file formats do I need?
Keep two kinds of logo file: a vector master and web-ready raster copies. Vectors (SVG, EPS, or PDF) scale to any size without blurring and are what printers and sign makers want. Rasters (PNG and JPG) are for screens, where transparent PNG is the everyday workhorse. If you only save one, save the vector; everything else can be regenerated from it.
Vector versus raster, in plain English
A raster file like PNG or JPG is made of pixels, so enlarging it past its native size turns it blurry or blocky. A vector file like SVG or EPS stores the logo as math, so it scales from a business card to a billboard with no loss of quality. That single difference is why a vector master is the most important file you own.
The practical rule: design or obtain your logo as a vector, then export raster copies from it whenever you need them for the web. Going the other way, trying to rebuild a crisp vector from a small PNG, is painful and often means redrawing the logo from scratch.
Which format goes where
Use SVG for the web wherever you can: it is tiny, infinitely sharp on every screen, and ideal for your site header and favicon. Use transparent PNG for places that do not accept SVG, such as many social profiles, email signatures, and document headers, exporting it at the size you need plus a larger spare.
Use EPS or PDF when a printer, embroiderer, or sign shop asks for vector artwork, because those are the formats their software expects. Avoid JPG for logos with flat color or transparency: JPG cannot hold a transparent background and can add blocky artifacts around crisp edges. Reserve JPG for photographic images, not marks.
The file kit to keep
Build a small, organized folder once and you will never scramble for the right file again. Keep the full-color vector master, a one-color black vector for stamps and single-color printing, a reversed white version for dark backgrounds, and transparent PNGs at a couple of sizes for everyday web use. A favicon-sized export rounds it out.
Name the files clearly and store them somewhere backed up. The most common avoidable disaster is a business whose only logo copy is a low-resolution image pulled off their own old website. A tidy file kit is cheap insurance against having to pay to recreate your own logo.
Quick checklist
What to look for
- Treat the vector as the master. SVG or EPS scales to any size; if you keep one file, keep this one.
- Use SVG on the web. It is tiny and razor-sharp on every screen, ideal for headers and favicons.
- Keep transparent PNGs ready. For social profiles, signatures, and documents that will not take SVG.
- Hand printers EPS or PDF. Sign shops and embroiderers expect vector artwork in those formats.
- Avoid JPG for marks. It cannot hold transparency and adds artifacts around crisp edges; keep it for photos.
Tools we like
Tools to act on this guide
Each slot below is reserved for a logo tool or service we would use ourselves. We are adding them as we vet them; nothing here is a paid placement.
Tool to export PNG, SVG, and PDF from a master file.
For users who only have a PNG and need a vector rebuilt.
Somewhere to keep the file kit organized and backed up.
Produces the small icon sizes a site and app need.
Questions