Are You Making This Common Mistake With Your Logo?

Every small business has a logo because they know how important it is for their brand identity and image.

As a designer, I know some of the common mistakes that are made with logos and how to help small business owners to avoid them. One of the biggest (and often costly) mistakes that people make is thinking that JPEG or PNG format is good enough for their logo. These formats are fine for basic images but when it comes to your logo, they just don’t cut it. In fact, when I am presented with logos in these formats, I usually have to redraw them completely.

Let me explain.

You’ve had your logo for a while now and it’s on your social media graphics, your website, your email marketing etc. You would now like to extend your brand and add your logo to your work van, your uniforms, or a roller banner. Great! The only problem is that when you enlarge your logo for these items, the logo becomes pixelated, unreadable and quite frankly, awful. You are also stuck with a white background on a jpg that can’t always be removed easily.  I’m sure you’ll agree that this is not a good look for your brand!

Introducing the Vector Format

Vector graphics files store the lines, shapes and colours that make up an image as mathematical formulae.

When a logo is in vector format, this allows for the file to be resized without any limits, which is what you as a small business owner are looking for. Whether it is displayed on a business card or a huge roller banner, a logo in vector format will always display in high definition without any pixelation or loss of quality.  Vector format also allows you to make changes to the colours of the logo (within reason) and to use it on any colour background.

Vector graphics leave you so much flexibility when it comes to displaying your logo. Owning a logo in vector format will also save you a lot of time and money in the long run as any designer or print company will be able to use it without any redrawing being required.

Here is what happens when you try to enlarge a JPEG only logo –

Here is the quality of your logo in a vector format meaning you can use it in many creative ways:

Canva doesn’t support vector files

Many small start up businesses create their own logos using Canva. This online design tool doesn’t currently support Vector files. It will be fine for an online business which doesn’t need any print but you will get unstuck if you then want to use that logo anywhere else. Creating a logo in Photoshop will also not support vector. Typical vector file names are: AI, EPS and SVG.

Good designers always produce vector logos

So, the bottom line is NEVER just have a JPEG for your logo! A good designer will alway give you a logo as vector files as well as JPEG and PNG. You are paying for them to create an identity that you will use for many years to come and that will grow with your business. You need your logo to be the best quality it can possibly be and be versatile so it can be used on various items.

Once the final design has been approved, your vector files should be yours to use in whatever way you choose in the future. Avoid any designer that says they need to keep hold of the files – they are your files to own and to do with as you wish. A good designer will always want to produce the best possible quality. After all, their work will be on display for all to see and they will want it to reflect well on their business.

If you’d like to discuss your logo project or need help with vector files please get in touch.