Logo File Formats Explained: Which One Do You Need?

Almost every logo headache we untangle for new clients comes down to one thing: file formats. Someone has a logo, but it’s a single low-resolution JPG pulled off an old website, and now a printer, a signwriter or an embroiderer is asking for “the vector file”, and nobody knows what that means or where it is. Knowing which logo file format does what isn’t designer trivia; it’s what stops you paying to have your own brand redrawn from scratch. Here’s the plain-English version of what each format is, when to use it, and why owning the right master file matters more than the logo itself.

Vector vs raster: the one concept that explains everything

Every logo file falls into one of two camps, and understanding the difference solves ninety per cent of format confusion.

• Vector files store your logo as mathematical paths: points, curves and fills. Because it’s maths rather than fixed dots, a vector logo can be scaled from a business card to a building and stay perfectly crisp. This is your master artwork.
• Raster (or bitmap) files store the logo as a grid of coloured pixels at a fixed size. Blow a raster image up beyond its native resolution and it turns soft and blocky. Photographs are always raster; logos should not live as raster, only be exported to it.

The golden rule: design and store your logo as vector, then export the raster versions you need for screens. You can always make a PNG from a vector, but you can never reliably make a clean vector from a JPG.

The formats, one by one

Here’s what each common extension actually is and where it belongs.

• AI: Adobe Illustrator’s native vector format. This is the true editable master most designers work in. If you own the AI file, the logo can be edited, recoloured and re-exported forever.
• EPS, a long-standing vector format that nearly every print shop, signwriter and older system can open. Think of it as the universal “send this to a professional” vector file.
• SVG: vector built for the web. It scales perfectly on screens, stays razor-sharp on retina and 4K displays, and keeps file sizes tiny. This is the format your web developer wants.
• PDF: can hold true vector data, opens on virtually any device without special software, and is ideal for sending print-ready artwork or sharing a logo someone can place straight into a document.
• PNG, a raster format that supports transparency, so your logo sits cleanly on any colour background with no white box around it. The go-to for websites, email signatures and social media.
• JPG (JPEG), a raster format with no transparency and lossy compression. Brilliant for photographs, poor for logos: it cannot do a transparent background and degrades each time it’s re-saved.

Format-to-use cheat sheet

If you remember nothing else, keep this table to hand.

Which file do you actually send each person?

Different suppliers need different files. Send the wrong one and you’ll get blurry print, a re-drawing fee, or a flat refusal to start the job.

• To a printer (brochures, business cards, packaging): a vector PDF or EPS in CMYK. They print in four-colour process, so RGB screen files can shift colour unexpectedly.
• To a signwriter or large-format printer (fascia signs, vehicle wraps, banners): a vector EPS or AI. Signage is huge, so only vector stays crisp at that scale.
• To a web developer (website, app): an SVG for the logo itself, plus transparent PNGs in RGB as a fallback.
• To an embroiderer (uniforms, caps, workwear): a simple vector file with limited colours. They convert it to stitch (“digitising”), and fine detail or gradients don’t stitch well. Keep it bold.

CMYK vs RGB, and why transparency matters

Two technical points cause more real-world disasters than any other. First, colour mode. RGB (red, green, blue) is how screens make colour and is correct for anything digital. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) is how presses lay down ink and is correct for anything printed. A vivid RGB blue can print as a muddier shade in CMYK, which is exactly why printers ask for CMYK files, so what you approve is what comes off the press. A proper logo handover includes both versions.

Second, transparency. A logo saved as a JPG always carries a solid background — usually white — so dropping it onto a coloured website header or a dark email leaves an ugly box around it. PNG and all the vector formats support a transparent background, letting the logo float cleanly over anything. This single issue is behind most “why does my logo have a white square behind it?” emails we receive.

The “I’ve only got a JPG” disaster, and owning your master

The most common and most expensive problem we see: a business has been trading for years with nothing but a small JPG of its logo. It can’t be printed large, it can’t go on signage, it can’t sit on a coloured background, and it can’t be edited. When the original designer is long gone (or was a relative who “knocked something up”), the only fix is to pay to have the logo professionally redrawn as vector from scratch, effectively buying your own brand twice.

Avoiding this is simple. When you commission a logo, insist the handover includes the editable vector master (AI), universal vector files (EPS, PDF, SVG), transparent PNGs, both CMYK and RGB versions, and — crucially — full copyright transfer in writing so you legally own the artwork. Without that, you may be renting your own identity. Every project through our logo design service ships with the complete file set and full ownership as standard. For how this fits into pricing, see our UK logo cost guide.

What to do next

Open your logo folder right now and check what you actually hold. If you can only find JPGs and PNGs and no vector master (AI, EPS, SVG or a true vector PDF), you don’t yet own a fully usable logo, and the next time a printer or signwriter asks, you’ll be stuck. The sensible move is to either request your missing vector files from whoever designed it, or commission a fresh, professionally built mark that comes with every format and full ownership from day one. For the wider picture of building a brand the right way, our small-business logo guide covers the next steps.