Your logo isn’t just a design. It’s one of the hardest working tools in your brand. From websites to billboards, from Instagram to embroidery, your logo needs to show up clearly everywhere. The catch? One single file format won’t do the job.
At Wagging Labs, I make sure every brand identity client walks away with a complete logo archive. That means every format, every lockup, and every color variation you’ll ever need, all neatly organized so you can focus on running your business—not worrying whether you have the right version for a certain application.
Why More Than One File Format?
Logo files are like a toolbox. Each one is made for a specific purpose. If all you have is a low-resolution JPEG, you’ll hit walls quickly. You won’t be able to scale it up for print or keep the background transparent for your website.
Strong brands are built on clarity and consistency. That doesn’t just mean polished visuals or clever messaging. It also means being prepared with the right files so your logo looks sharp and professional in every situation.
Vector Files: For Printing and Scaling
Vector files are the gold standard. They’re made of points and paths, so they can be scaled to any size without losing sharpness.
- AI / EPS: Editable files built in Adobe Illustrator. These are the ones printers and designers always ask for.
- PDF: Print-ready and easy to share.
- SVG: Lightweight, scalable, and perfect for websites and apps.
Best for: business cards, billboards, signage, vehicle wraps, trade show graphics, promotional products, embroidery, and screen printing.
Caution: It is possible to save raster images, consisting of pixels, as AI, EPS, or PDF. That doesn’t make them vector files. This usually happens when someone with the appropriate software, but lacking experience, tries to solve a problem.
Raster Files: For Everyday Digital Use
Raster files are made of pixels. They’re smaller and convenient for digital use, but they don’t scale well. If you stretch them too far, they’ll blur.
- PNG: Great for flat colors. Works beautifully on websites, presentations, and graphics where you need a transparent background.
- JPG (or JPEG): Best for photographs and anywhere file size needs to stay small, like emails or Word documents.
Best for: websites, social media, presentations, and email signatures.
What’s a Logo Lockup?
A lockup is the arrangement of your logo’s elements, like the symbol, wordmark, and tagline. It’s a locked-in layout that keeps everything consistent. Different lockups make sure your logo looks its best no matter where it’s used.
Common lockup variations:
- Horizontal: Ideal for website headers, promotional products like pens, and email signatures.
- Stacked or vertical: Works well on square social media spaces, letterheads, and vertical banners.
- Icon-only: Perfect for favicons, app icons, or embroidery on hats and shirts.
- With tagline: Great for trade show booths, sponsorship banners, and ads where you want the tagline visible. A short impactful tagline can clarify your brand identity and pairing it with the logo should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- One-color: Necessary for embossing, engraving, or promotional products like pens and tote bags.
- Reversed or inverted: Made for dark backgrounds, like signage, apparel, or online ads.
Think of these as wardrobe changes for your logo. Each one is designed to make sure your brand looks polished no matter the stage.
Don’t Forget the Color Versions
File formats and lockups cover the “where” of your logo, but color covers the “how.” If your logo isn’t prepared in the right color formats, it can shift from one platform to another, leaving your brand looking off.
That’s why a complete logo archive always includes a full set of color codes. Each system serves a different purpose, and together they keep your brand consistent everywhere it shows up:
- Pantone (PMS) aka Spot Colors: For specialty or high-end print jobs where exact color matching is critical. For most brands spot colors would be used on packaging and promotional products. For well-known brands, replicating the same color across all touchpoints is critical brand recognition. Think Coca-Cola or Dunkin’ Donuts.
- CMYK: For standard four-color printing. This is what most printers use for brochures, flyers, and posters.
- RGB: For anything digital: websites, presentations, social media, and email graphics.
- HEX: A shorthand version of RGB, used in web design and digital applications.
- Black and White: For one-color printing like engraving, embossing, or newsprint.
- Reverse color option: A version of your logo designed to sit on dark backgrounds without disappearing.
Having all of these codes on hand means your blue is always the same blue, your red is always the same red, and your brand looks intentional no matter the medium.
Your Logo Survival Kit
Every professional logo archive should include:
- AI / EPS (vector source files)
- PDF (print-ready)
- SVG (scalable for web)
- PNG (transparent background, ideal for flat colors)
- JPG (best for photos and quick sharing)
- A full set of lockups: horizontal, stacked, icon-only, tagline, one-color, and reversed
- Color versions: Pantone, CMYK, RGB, HEX, black, white, and reverse