Branding kit logo file formats explained
The most essential components of your business are your logo and brand. They’re both integral to how people see you and what they think about when they hear your name. In fact, a survey showed that 92% of consumers could recognize the Coca-Cola logo faster than any other brand logo. That’s pretty amazing, considering there are millions of companies out there!
But it’s not just a good logo that matters — you also want to ensure it is displayed correctly across all devices. Many different file formats can be used for displaying graphics or other visual content on websites and in applications (websites).
If you are a client of ours, your branding kit package includes the following file formats:
A logo is a visual representation of your brand, so it’s important to know which logo file formats are best to maintaine brand consistency.
A brand is how your company is remembered, but a logo is a visual representation of your business. It’s what people see first and last when they interact with you or think about using your product or service. A good logo should be recognizable, memorable and stand out from the competition so that people can easily recognize it when they see it later in their lives (or even in passing).
While there are many different file types available today–some old school like PSD files, some new school like SVG vectors–there are also many ways to misuse them, which could lead to distortion or blurriness when scaled down onto smaller devices such as phones or tablets where screen resolution tends not be as high as desktop monitors these days.*
The name “zip” (meaning “speed“) (ZIP)
A ZIP file is a compressed folder that can be opened using any program that supports the ZIP format. Zipping a folder allows you to reduce the size of the contents, making them easier to email or upload to a cloud service.
If you are trying to download and unzip the brand kit package, please note that many computers should have this feature built-in.
How to access files depends on the model of your computer, however, we recommend double-clicking or option-clicking on the file once unzipping.
Here’s how you do it.
1. Use a computer, not your phone. Downloading files to your phone will not work.
2. Download the entire zip file to your preferred location on your computer (for example, Desktop or Documents).
3. Double-click on the zip file to open it; if this does not work, try right-clicking or option-clicking and look for the ‘un-zip’ or ‘de-compress’ option.
4. If you cannot unzip, you may need to install software on your computer to unzip files. However, most standard computers should have this feature.
5. Once unzipped, access files! You’re done!
Vector Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML-based vector graphics format. It’s resolution independent, meaning it can be scaled to any size without losing quality. It also supports animations, interactivity and other features not available in different file formats.
SVG files are viewable in any modern browser and exportable to PNG or JPEG for use with non-SVG software programs like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.
Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
PNG is a lossless format, unlike JPG. It’s great for images used on the web because it can hold transparency, and the file size will be smaller than other formats. In your branding kit, it looks like an image without white space around it.
JPG/JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
JPG/JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) is a lossy compression format used to compress photos. JPEG has become the standard for online images, as it’s suitable for uploading to online platforms such as social media, google and Gmail etc. However, it’s not ideal for printing because of its lossy nature – this means that some information is lost when compressing an image into a JPG. The main advantage of using JPGs over other formats like PNGs is their ability to reduce file size without degrading quality too much; they can also handle millions of colours without affecting how clear your images look when viewed on screen by others who don’t own high-end monitors capable of displaying lots of different shades at once.
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format, a popular format for print designs. Because of their high resolution, these files are ideal for printing photographs on glossy paper or large posters, but they are not so suitable if you want to put your logo on a t-shirt or street sign.
Portable Document Format (PDF)
PDF is a file format created to allow documents to be shared over the internet. It’s an open standard that can be read by many programs on any operating system. Because of this, PDFs don’t need to be compressed to reduce their size. This makes them ideal for logos and other images with lots of details that would be lost if compressed (such as photos).
Please Note:
- You can’t change or edit a PDF document once it’s been saved as one; you’ll have to create a new one from scratch instead!
- Some people may find it confusing when working with these types of files.
- Printers often request this file format to create promotional materials such as shirts, signs, and bags because a PDF file is also a vector.
This article covered the file formats we include in the custom branding kit packages we provide for our clients. Hopefully, you now understand what each one is used for and which is best suited to your needs. If you have any questions regarding the file formats and how to use your logo please reach out to info@zestydesign.co.
