What File Format Should a Logo Be — SVG, PNG, AI, EPS or PDF

A designer sends you the logo as a single JPG file — and a month later you discover it can't be enlarged for a banner, placed on a colored background, or sent to a print shop. Sound familiar? It's the most common mistake when commissioning a logo. Let's break down every format, what each one is for, and what must be in your brand‑assets folder.

Vector vs raster

Everything splits into two groups, and this matters more than the file extension.

Vector formats (SVG, AI, EPS, PDF) store mathematical descriptions of shapes: "a circle of radius 50 filled with #21A038". Scale it to billboard size — the edges stay perfectly crisp.

Raster formats (PNG, JPG, WebP) store a grid of pixels with a fixed resolution. A 500×500 PNG stretched onto a billboard turns to mush.

We compared the two main web formats in detail in SVG or PNG for a logo — here we look at the full lineup. New to vector vs raster in general? Start with the plain‑language explainer in vector vs raster graphics: the difference in simple terms.

Format by format

SVG — the main format for the web

Vector, opens in any browser, weighs kilobytes, scales without loss, and colors can be edited right in the code. For websites, apps, presentations and Figma it's the first choice. The only places that dislike SVG are old print shops and some marketplaces that accept raster only.

PNG — the workhorse

Raster with transparent‑background support. Irreplaceable where vectors can't go: social media, marketplaces, Word documents, emails. Keep a large PNG (1000+ px on the long side) — you can always scale down, never up.

JPG — almost never

JPG has no transparency: the logo lives inside a white rectangle forever. It also compresses with loss, leaving dirty artifacts around sharp edges. The only case where JPG is fine is a photo that happens to contain a logo. For the full breakdown, see PNG or JPG: which to choose.

AI — the Adobe Illustrator source

Illustrator's native format, the "mother file" the designer exports everything else from. Hard to open without Illustrator, so it's for storage, not daily use. Always request it and keep it safe.

EPS — vector for print shops

An old vector interchange format that print shops and merch producers still request because nearly any professional software opens it. Outdated on its own, but useful to have in the kit.

PDF — the universal courier

A PDF can contain true vector data, making it as good as EPS. It opens on any device: a client can view it, a print shop can extract the curves. Just verify there's a real vector inside, not an embedded bitmap.

WebP and AVIF — not for logos

Modern raster formats for photos on websites. Logos don't belong there: SVG is lighter and sharper.

Comparison table

What you should have on hand

FAQ

Can a PNG be converted to SVG? Automatic tracing works tolerably only on simple one‑color marks. Complex logos have to be redrawn by hand — a normal, standard service.

Why does a brand's site offer only PNG? Press kits get stale. Look for a brand‑assets / brand‑guidelines section — big companies usually publish vectors there.

What format for print? Print shops want vector (EPS or PDF) with CMYK or Pantone colors. An RGB screen file may shift in color on paper.

How does SVG differ from AI if both are vector? SVG is an open web standard: browsers, every editor and even a plain text editor understand it. AI is Adobe's proprietary format with layers, artboards and effects SVG doesn't have. The practical rule: AI is for the designer's work, SVG is for everyone else's use.

All I have is a .cdr file — now what? That's CorelDRAW, popular among print shops and ad agencies. Hard to open without Corel: Inkscape partially imports .cdr, but the reliable path is asking the author for a PDF or SVG export — Corel does both natively.

Is a PDF made from Word a vector? Depends on the content: if the logo was placed into the document as a PNG/JPG, it stays raster inside the PDF. Vector PDF only comes from a vector source.

Organizing your logo files

Files love getting lost in email threads and messengers, so set up order once:

1. One cloud folder — "Brand/Logo" with a share link for contractors.
2. Sane file names: logo-primary.svg, logo-mono-white.svg, logo-1000px.png — not final_v2_new(1).png. A year from now you'll thank yourself.
3. A README.txt with two lines: the colors (HEX codes) and the typeface used. That micro‑guideline answers 90% of contractor questions.
4. The master file stays home. Don't send the AI/EPS out "to work with" — send SVG/PNG copies; treat the master like an original document.

The setup takes half an hour and saves weeks: every "we have a logo but nobody knows where the vector is" story is a story about one missing folder.

Checking a file you've been sent

A quick acceptance checklist for non‑designers:

• Open the SVG in a browser and zoom to 800% — edges must stay perfect. Blur means raster inside, not vector.
• Open the SVG in a text editor — you should see <path>, <circle>, <rect> tags. One giant <image> tag is a PNG in disguise.
• View the PNG on a dark background — this checks both transparency and the existence of a light version.
• Compare colors against the mockup — a file re‑saved through several programs may have drifted.

Five minutes of checking at delivery beats discovering "the vector never existed" a year later when the designer no longer replies.

In short

Vector is the source of truth; raster is a consumable. Store the AI/EPS master, work with SVG, generate PNGs as needed — and never accept a logo delivered as a single JPG.

By the way, every mark in our logo catalog is available in both SVG and PNG — official, undistorted versions you can download for free or copy in one click.