OK. So you have your new beautiful logo that perfectly represents your brand. You have all of the promised file types. It’s easy to go for the jpeg and call it a day, even though this usually isn’t the file you need. I’m going to outline the most common uses and the right file type here.
File Types
Vector And Raster Are Two Main File Types. Vector files have mathematically precise points, which means you can scale them to any size while retaining quality and resolution. Vector logo files include .ai, PDF, and EPS.
Raster files are pixel-based. When you scale up an image too much, it will lose quality and look blurry or you can actually see the blocks. JPEG, GIF, and PNG are raster image extensions.
JPEG (or JPG) - Joint Photographic Experts Group
JPEGs are probably the most common file type on the web, and typically what people use for letterhead and other business collateral. JPEGs are known for their "lossy" compression, meaning the quality of the image decreases as the file size gets smaller, or if the image is made physically larger on the page.
You can use JPEGs on the web, in Microsoft Office documents, or for projects that require printing at a high resolution. Paying attention to the resolution and file size with JPEGs is essential in order to produce a high-resolution end result.
PNG - Portable Network Graphics
PNGs are great for online use, such as web pages, but they are meant to be used for print. Although PNGs are "lossless," so you can edit them and not lose quality, they are still low resolution.
My favorite thing about a PNG is that you can save your image with a transparent background, meaning it can be placed on top of other images or backgrounds.
EPS - Encapsulated Postscript
An EPS is a vector file that produces high-resolution images for print. Many printers will ask for an EPS file.
PDF - Portable Document Format
PDFs can be viewed in high resolution on almost any device that has Adobe Acrobat. This is the best way to share logo designs during the design process. In addition, many online business card or stationery printers will ask for a print-quality PDF.
Please reach out with questions or even helpful insight or tips on anything I didn’t cover.
Check out my logo designs here.
