Logos get used in a surprising number of places: website headers, favicons, social profiles, email signatures, invoices, business cards. Each wants a slightly different file. If you only have one low-resolution PNG, you’ll end up stretching it and wondering why it looks fuzzy. A little planning saves a lot of frustration.
Start with a vector master
The best thing you can have is a vector version of your logo, usually an SVG, or sometimes an AI, EPS or PDF file. A vector file can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness, so you can export whatever you need at any time. If a designer created your logo, ask for the vector files. Read more in what is an SVG file.
Recommended sizes by use
These are practical starting points, not strict rules:
- Website header: most logos display between about 40 and 100 pixels tall. Export at double that height so it looks crisp on high-density screens, for example 200 pixels tall for a 100-pixel display.
- Favicon: square, see our favicon size guide.
- Social profile picture: a square version, 800 x 800 pixels. See profile picture size guide.
- Email signature: small, around 150 to 300 pixels wide, kept under 50 KB or so.
- Invoice or document: around 600 pixels wide is usually enough.
- Print: use the vector, or a raster at 300 PPI at the printed size. See DPI vs PPI.
Which format for which job
- SVG: websites that support it, anywhere you want perfect sharpness.
- PNG with transparency: general-purpose raster use where the logo sits on varied backgrounds.
- JPG: generally a poor choice for logos. It has no transparency and can produce fuzzy edges around text.
- PDF or EPS: printers often ask for these.
For a broader comparison, see JPG vs PNG vs WebP.
Prepare more than one version
Many brands keep a few variations: a horizontal full logo, a stacked version, a square icon-only mark, and light and dark color versions. This lets you put the right one in each place without squashing or cramming. A wide logo in a square profile slot ends up tiny, and a square mark isn’t much use in a wide website header.
Transparent backgrounds
For web and documents, export PNGs with a transparent background so the logo sits cleanly on any color. Check it on both light and dark backgrounds. If you save a transparent PNG as a JPG, the see-through areas get filled with a solid color, usually white or black, which is the classic “logo in an ugly box” problem. Our PNG to JPG guide covers that.
Common mistakes
- Enlarging a small logo to make it bigger. It will look blurry. Always scale down from a larger or vector version.
- Stretching it to fit a space and distorting the proportions. Keep the aspect ratio locked.
- Pulling a logo from your own website instead of using the original file.
Keeping files organized
Create one folder with the vector master, a few PNG sizes, and a favicon set. Name them clearly, such as logo-horizontal-dark.png. When someone asks for “your logo”, you’ll have the right file ready.
Need a PNG at a precise size? Resize it from your largest version using our free image resizer.