I work with a lot of different clients to build their websites, and many of them come to me with an existing logo that they want on their new site. I’ve had to, on more than one occasion, tell a client that the logo they paid for and have been using for their branding is unusable for the application they want now because it is too small, already compressed, or the don’t have the originals. To save my readers from having to redo their logos, I’ve created this list of the top three things people forget to ask when they are having a new logo design.
Table of Contents
Will my logo design be made at a high resolution?
All graphics can be downsized. That its, if you make a logo that is print resolution (generally a large file), it can be downsized for screen resolution and web site use. The problem is when a logo is given to the client at web resolution (72 dpi) and the client wants to print business card, make a banner, or even just have the logo on the site in a larger size. Upsizing images leaves them looking pixelated and jaggy, where as downsizing keeps a graphic file crisp and clean. To get perfect designs of a logo for your business or brands, you can hire logo design uk company.
Summary: Make sure your logo is designed at 300-600 dpi minimum — higher if you will be making signs or banners.
What file format will my logo be in?
If the logo designer gives you a file that is already compressed (for example, in JPG or GIF format), you will not be able to make modifications to the file, change colors, resize it, or remove the background. Where I see this problem the most is with clients who have a JPG logo on a white background and want to put the logo on a colored background — the background has to be removed by hand, bit by bit, which is time-consuming and expensive.
Summary: Ask for your logo to be in EPS/vector format, AI (Adobe Illustrator) format, or PSD (Adobe Photoshop) format with all objects ungrouped or in their own layer.
Do I own the rights to the original files?
This is the most disheartening issue that I see crop up: Business owners who have a compressed/web version of their logo that are told they don’t own the rights to the original files when they go back to ask for a new version. You will always need several versions of your logo, so you will need the original files to make those versions down the road.
For example, I have been working with the Rockstar Wedding Planer LIVE Grace & Luxury team to get their e-zine out to there subscribers, and as part of that I had to send them their logo in four different sizes, both on a white background and on a transparent background. Making clean, crisp versions of all those would have not been possible if the logo designer hadn’t provided the full Adobe Illustrator files.
Summary: When you make a contract to hire someone for a logo, make sure they will be providing you with all the information and files at the end — including your logo in EPS/AI/PSD format, the fonts used for the logo, and the colors on the logo in both print (CMYK) and web (RGB).