Logo files come in two families. Vector files (SVG, PDF, EPS) store the mark as shapes and scale to any size without losing quality. Raster files (PNG, JPG) store it as pixels and are fixed at the size they were exported. Send a vector to a printer, a PNG or SVG to a developer, and a correctly sized PNG to a social manager.
The formats that matter, and what each is for:
- SVG: vector, for the web. Scales perfectly, stays sharp on any screen, and can be styled in code. The default for developers.
- PDF or EPS: vector, for print. What a printer, sign maker or merchandiser expects to receive.
- PNG: raster with transparency. For placing the logo on coloured backgrounds and in documents.
- JPG: raster without transparency. Only where a solid background is fine and file size matters.
Alongside the formats you need the colour treatments: full colour, one-colour black for stamps and single-colour print, and reversed white for dark backgrounds. Format and treatment are separate decisions, and a complete hand-off contains both. If you keep only one file, keep the vector: every raster size can be exported from it, but a vector cannot be recovered from a PNG without redrawing the logo from scratch. That single file is the difference between owning your logo and owning a picture of it.
What is the difference between vector and raster?
A vector file describes the logo mathematically, as curves and fills, so it can be printed on a business card or a building and stay perfectly crisp. A raster file is a grid of pixels fixed at export, so enlarging it makes it blurry.
This is why the vector file is the one that matters most in a hand-off. Every raster size can be regenerated from it, but a vector cannot be recovered from a PNG without redrawing.
Which logo file should you send to whom?
| Recipient | Send them | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Printer or sign maker | PDF or EPS vector, plus a one-colour version | They scale it and may print in a single ink |
| Web developer | SVG, plus PNG fallbacks and hex values | SVG stays sharp at any density and can be styled |
| Social manager | PNG at the exact platform sizes | Platforms crop and compress; correct sizes avoid both |
| Merchandiser or embroiderer | Vector plus a one-colour version | Thread and vinyl cannot reproduce fine gradients |
| Someone making a document | Transparent PNG | Drops onto any background without a white box |
The mistakes that cost a day
Sending a JPG to a printer, because it arrives with a white box around the mark. Sending a screenshot of a logo, because it carries compression artefacts that show up enlarged. Sending only a full-colour file to someone printing in one ink, because they will make their own one-colour version and it will not match what you would have chosen.
Each of these is avoidable by handing over the full set once instead of answering file requests one at a time for a year. When you generate a logo with an AI logo maker, check that the export includes the vector and the colour treatments, not just a single PNG.
Every format, exported together
Primary, transparent, one-colour, reversed and vector, plus a README saying which file goes where.
Start free with 15 creditsOnce you have the formats, the next question is the sizes each platform expects, which is covered in favicon and social image sizes.
This is one piece of a complete hand-off. For the full list of what you should receive, see what a brand identity hand-off actually includes.
