Logo files and brand assets to ask your designer for

A logo designer should hand over more than one picture. At the end of the project, ask for a vector logo, ready-to-use image files, colour and one-colour versions, a version for dark backgrounds, a square icon, a short brand guide and, if your contract allows it, the designer's source file. Without these, you will struggle the first time a printer, a developer or a signboard maker asks you for "the logo file".

This post lists each file, what it is for, and what to check in your contract. Near the end is a checklist you can copy into an email to your designer.

Why handover matters

It is easy to accept a single PNG and think the job is done. Then a printer asks for a vector file, the website needs a transparent version, and a social media profile crops the logo badly. Each problem costs time, and sometimes a second payment.

Asking for the full set at the start, and writing it into the agreement, avoids that. It also makes it easy to change designer or agency later, because every file you need is already in your hands.

Vector and image file formats, and when to use each

There are two kinds of logo file. A vector file stores shapes and lines, so you can make it as large or small as you like without it getting blurry. A raster (image) file is made of pixels, so it looks sharp only at the size it was made for.

A few notes:

• SVG vs PNG. Use SVG on your website when you can, since it stays sharp on every screen. Use PNG where SVG is not accepted, such as many social platforms and document tools.
• PNG sizes. Ask for a large PNG (a few thousand pixels wide) and a smaller one. Make it transparent, so no white box appears behind it.
• JPG. A JPG cannot be transparent, so it is a poor choice for a logo. Ask for it only if a tool refuses PNG.
• PDF. Check that the PDF opens as a vector. Ask your printer which format they prefer before you order.

Colour, one-colour and dark-background versions

A logo seldom appears only on a white page. Ask for these versions, each as SVG and PNG:

• Full colour. The main version.
• One colour, black. For stamps, newspaper adverts, forms and anything printed in a single ink.
• One colour, white. For placing on photos or dark backgrounds.
• Reversed or dark-background version. The full-colour logo adjusted to read well on a dark colour.
• Horizontal and stacked layouts, if the logo has a name and a symbol. A wide layout suits website headers, and a stacked one suits square spaces.

Also ask for the colour codes. You need the HEX code for screens (for example the six-character code starting with a hash), and the CMYK values for print. Ask for the font names too, with the licence details.

The icon mark for social, favicon and app

Many places show only a small square: a social profile picture, a browser tab, a phone home screen. A full logo with a long name becomes unreadable there. Ask for a separate icon mark, which is the symbol or monogram on its own.

Request it in these forms:

• A square version with some space around the symbol, for profile pictures. Platforms often crop to a circle, so keep the symbol away from the edges.
• A favicon, which is the small image in a browser tab. Google says a favicon for Search must be square, and recommends it be larger than 48 by 48 pixels. Read the Google favicon guidelines (opens in a new tab) before your developer adds it.
• An app or home-screen icon, if you plan a mobile app or a web app.

A one-page brand guide

A brand guide is a short document that tells anyone using your logo how to do it properly. For a small business, one or two pages are enough. It should show:

• The logo versions and which one to use where.
• The clear space to leave around the logo.
• A minimum size, below which the logo should not be printed or shown.
• The colours, with HEX and CMYK codes.
• The fonts for headings and body text.
• A few things not to do, such as stretching the logo or changing its colours.

Without a guide, each person who uses your logo makes their own choices, and the result looks inconsistent. A guide also helps a new printer or developer work without calling you each time.

Source files and who owns what

The source file is the designer's working file. It lets another designer change the logo later. Some designers include it, some charge extra, and some keep it. Decide this before the work starts, not after.

Ownership and usage rights are matters for your contract and for the law of your country. This post does not state what the law says. Read your agreement, and confirm with a lawyer if the logo matters to your business. Ask your designer these questions in writing:

1. Do I own the final logo once I have paid in full, or do I only get a licence to use it?
2. When does ownership or the right to use pass to me: on signing, on final payment, or on handover?
3. Do I receive the source file? If not, can I buy it, and at what point?
4. Is the logo original, or does it use stock shapes, templates or fonts that have their own licence terms?
5. Are the fonts licensed for my use, including print, web and any app?
6. Can the designer show the logo in their portfolio or on social media? Can I ask them not to, or to wait until I launch?
7. Can I trademark the logo, and does the designer keep any right that would affect that?
8. What happens if I need changes later? Is there a fee, and who does the work?
9. Who is named as the owner in the final paperwork: me, my company or a partner?

Keep the written answers with your signed agreement.

A handover checklist

Copy this into an email to your designer, or print it and tick items off at handover.

LOGO HANDOVER CHECKLIST

Vector files (SVG and PDF)
[ ] Full-colour logo
[ ] One-colour black logo
[ ] One-colour white logo
[ ] Dark-background version
[ ] Horizontal layout
[ ] Stacked layout (if the logo has one)

Image files (PNG, transparent background)
[ ] Large PNG of each version above
[ ] Small PNG of each version above

Icon mark
[ ] Square icon for social profiles
[ ] Favicon for the website
[ ] App or home-screen icon (if needed)

Brand guide
[ ] Logo versions and where to use them
[ ] Clear space and minimum size
[ ] Colour codes: HEX and CMYK
[ ] Font names and licence details
[ ] Do and do not examples

Source and rights
[ ] Source file (Illustrator .ai, Figma or similar) or a written note on how to get it
[ ] Written answers to the contract questions
[ ] Final invoice marked as paid
[ ] Everything saved in two places, for example a cloud folder and a hard drive

Before you accept the handover, open each file yourself. Check that the SVG opens in a browser, the PNG has no white box, and the PDF stays sharp when you zoom in.

Where to go from here

Our brand design page describes the logo and brand work we do. Whoever you choose, ask for the checklist above in writing before you start.