The logo file formats you need fall into two groups: vector master files (SVG, EPS, PDF and the original AI file) that scale to any size, and raster exports (PNG, JPG and WebP) for everyday screen use. Each needs the right color mode (RGB for screens, CMYK for print, a spot color for exact matches), plus a small favicon and app icon set.

A logo file format is simply the container a logo is saved in, and each container decides how the mark scales, which colors it can hold and whether its background can be transparent.

What is the difference between vector and raster logo files?

A vector file stores the logo as mathematical paths, so it can be enlarged or reduced without losing any quality. A raster file stores it as a fixed grid of pixels, so it blurs or turns jagged when it is stretched past its original size [Adobe].

Adobe’s own comparison names logos as a natural fit for vector, giving the example of a mark that has to work on both a business card and a billboard.

The rule for all logo file formats is simple: vector is the master, raster is an export made from it. If the only file you own is a raster, every new size is a compromise.

Which vector formats should a logo come in: SVG, EPS, PDF or AI?

A complete logo package usually includes at least two vector formats, because different suppliers open different software. SVG is the web standard: the W3C defines it as an XML-based language for describing two-dimensional vector graphics that is scalable to different display resolutions [W3C, 2026].

  • SVG: for websites and apps, crisp on any screen.
  • PDF: the safest file for printers and anyone without design software, since almost every computer opens it.
  • EPS: an older vector format that many print, sign and promotional product shops still request.
  • AI: the native Adobe Illustrator working file. It is the true master, mainly useful to another designer.

Use PNG for most raster logo needs, because it is lossless and supports full transparency. MDN’s image format guide notes that JPEG has no alpha channel, so a JPG logo always sits on a solid box of background color [MDN].

The same guide recommends SVG for images that must be drawn accurately at different sizes, and advises lossless encoding for logos and line art, because blurring and colored fringes around sharp edges are very visible. That gives a clear order of preference:

  • SVG wherever the platform accepts it.
  • PNG with a transparent background for slides, documents and upload forms.
  • WebP for websites that want smaller files. It supports both lossless compression and transparency, and MDN reports broad support in current major browsers.
  • JPG only when a system refuses everything else, and never as the file you send to a supplier.

What color modes do logo files need: RGB, CMYK or Pantone?

A logo needs RGB files for screens, CMYK files for standard printing, and ideally a named spot color for jobs where the exact shade matters. Screens mix light, while printers mix four inks, and the RGB range is broader than CMYK, so some bright screen colors cannot be printed exactly [Adobe Express, 2025].

Spot color is the third option. Adobe describes spot colors as solid colors created with a specific premixed ink, usually based on Pantone Matching System colors, and notes that many corporate logos have their own Pantone colors [Adobe]. Pantone’s Color Bridge guide exists precisely because the two systems differ: it places each Pantone spot color beside its closest CMYK match, with HTML and RGB values for digital work [Pantone].

List HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone values for each brand color. If you are still choosing those colors, how brand colors shape perception covers the thinking behind the palette, and choosing brand typography covers the fonts that sit beside the mark.

What favicon and app icon files does a logo package need?

A website needs a small, square icon version of the logo, not a shrunken full mark. Google Search requires a favicon that is square and at least 8 by 8 pixels, and recommends one larger than 48 by 48 pixels so it looks good on different surfaces [Google Search Central, 2026].

Andrey Sitnik of Evil Martians argues that a modern site needs only a handful of icon files, built around one SVG:

“Instead of creating many images with different sizes, I decided to rely on SVG and browser downscaling.”

Andrey Sitnik, How to Favicon in 2026, Evil Martians (2026)

His core set is three files: a 32 by 32 favicon.ico for older browsers, an SVG icon and a 180 by 180 PNG apple-touch-icon. Sites that can be installed as web apps add 192 and 512 pixel PNGs and a web app manifest [Evil Martians, 2026].

Apps have stricter rules. Android adaptive icons use layers sized at 108 by 108 dp, and only the inner 66 by 66 dp safe zone is guaranteed never to be clipped by a device’s mask shape [Android Developers, 2026]. The Google Play store listing icon is a separate 512 by 512 pixel, 32-bit PNG [Google Play, 2026]. A wide logo cannot survive those crops, which is why a compact submark matters, as covered in what a logo has to survive.

Which logo file goes to which supplier?

Send vector files to anyone who manufactures something, and raster files to anyone who only displays the logo on a screen. Pantone colors are standardized and each one has its own number and name, which lets suppliers in different places identify exactly the same color [Adobe]. Give them that number along with the file.

  • Printer: PDF or EPS in CMYK, plus the Pantone reference for spot ink.
  • Sign maker and vehicle wrap shop: vector PDF, EPS or AI, because the mark may be cut from vinyl or hugely enlarged.
  • Embroiderer: a clean vector and the one-color version. They rebuild it as stitches, so simple shapes matter most.
  • Promotional products and packaging: vector files, Pantone references and the one-color version for stamping, foil or engraving. Production limits are covered in what changes when a design has to be manufactured.
  • Web developer: SVG, transparent PNG or WebP, the favicon set and the HEX values.
  • Social media: a square PNG of the submark for avatars, since platforms crop and shrink them.

Which logo file formats belong in a handover folder?

A good handover folder works without calling the designer. Use this Handover Folder Checklist for logo file formats, and the MDN guide’s advice to prefer SVG wherever possible as the default for every screen use [MDN].

  1. Versions: primary logo, secondary layout and submark.
  2. Colorways: each version in full color, solid black and solid white.
  3. Vector masters: AI, EPS, PDF and SVG for every version and colorway.
  4. Raster exports: transparent PNGs at large size, plus WebP for the website.
  5. Color modes: RGB files in one subfolder, CMYK files in another.
  6. Icons: favicon.ico, icon.svg and apple-touch-icon, plus 192 and 512 pixel PNGs if the site is an installable web app.
  7. Color sheet: HEX, RGB, CMYK and Pantone for each brand color.
  8. Usage note: clear space, minimum size and what not to do.

File names should tell people what they are opening without guessing. A consistent pattern works well: brandname_logo-primary_fullcolor_rgb.svg or brandname_submark_white_cmyk.pdf. Brand, version, colorway, color mode and format, always in that order, lowercase, no spaces.

How Sabrina Awdi helps with logo files and handover

I’m Sabrina Awdi, a brand and web designer for women-owned businesses based in Jacksonville, FL, with over 4 years of global experience. My brand identity design work ends with a logo suite (primary, secondary and a submark that holds at favicon size), brand guidelines and production-ready files for print, screen, packaging and social, in the formats printers and developers ask for. The aim is that you can hand them to any sign maker, printer or web developer without coming back for every request.

If you already have a brand, a refresh starts with an audit: I keep what works, rebuild what doesn’t and document the result in guidelines. See full identity systems in the case studies, including the Skinhance branding and packaging project, and see web design for putting the identity to work on a site.

Outside Jacksonville, the same work is available across Northeast Florida: brand identity design in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Orange Park and Fernandina Beach.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if my logo file is vector?

Open the file and zoom in as far as the software allows. A vector logo keeps perfectly smooth edges at any zoom level, while a raster logo starts to show square pixels or soft, blurry edges. The extension is only a hint, because a PDF or EPS can hold nothing more than a pasted pixel image. If you can open it in a design program, try selecting the shapes. Individual paths and anchor points mean it is genuinely vector. A single flat picture means it is not.

Can a JPG logo be turned into a vector file?

Yes, but only properly by redrawing it as clean vector paths. Automatic tracing tools can convert pixels into paths, but they usually produce wobbly curves, uneven corners and far too many anchor points, especially from small or compressed images. For a logo that will be printed, stitched or enlarged, a designer should rebuild it by hand, using the JPG only as a reference. Once the clean vector master exists, every other format in the handover folder can be exported from it.

Do I need Pantone colors if I only print occasionally?

Not necessarily. Most short print runs, such as business cards and flyers, are printed in CMYK, and a carefully chosen CMYK value is enough. A Pantone reference becomes valuable when color consistency matters across suppliers and materials: printed packaging, signage, uniforms or anything produced in large quantities. Even if you never pay for spot ink, recording the closest Pantone match gives every supplier a fixed reference. That single number prevents a lot of “why does it look different here?” conversations.

Get the files right once

Logo files seem boring until a sign or shirt goes wrong because of them. A complete, clearly named folder solves that once, for every supplier.

If your logo files are scattered, low resolution or missing altogether, get in touch and we can sort out a proper set together.

Sources

  1. W3C (2026). Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2.
  2. Google Search Central (2026). Define a favicon to show in search results.
  3. Android Developers (2026). Adaptive icons.
  4. Google Play (2026). Google Play icon design specifications.
  5. MDN Web Docs. Image file type and format guide.
  6. Adobe. Raster vs. vector: What are the differences?.
  7. Adobe. Learn the difference between spot color and process color.
  8. Adobe Express (2025). What is CMYK and when to use it?.
  9. Pantone. Pantone Color Bridge Guide Set, Coated and Uncoated.
  10. Andrey Sitnik, Evil Martians (2026). How to Favicon in 2026: Three files that fit most needs.