Final files & brand guidelines

Final logo files

Once your logo has been signed off, we save it out in multiple different formats, each has its own purpose.

Vector file (eps)

We will create your logo as a vector file, so see this as the ‘master file’. Unless you have the right software (for example Adobe Illustrator) you won’t be able to open it, but it will be the version you send onto other designers. For more information about vector files, we’ve written a blog post to explain the file type.

png (300dpi)

One of the best things about png’s are that you can save them to have transparent backgrounds. This is really useful if you want to use a photograph behind your logo, or you want to be able to use it on coloured backgrounds.

jpg (72dpi)

A jpg file is hugely compressed, so often the quality isn’t brilliant. But, usually this is the file type you’ll need for email signatures, to personalise any software you use, and for your website. Any place where you need the logo to load quickly!

png (72dpi)

You’ll notice png occurs twice on the list. We also provide a 72dpi version (as well as a 300dpi). The difference is all about quality. Usually we use 300dpi for print, and 72dpi for screens. The ‘dpi’ means ‘dot per inch’, essentially the number of dots you can fit in an inch. The higher the number, the crisper the image will be. This is also known as ‘resolution’.

We are always on hand if you need more file types – but we also don’t want to overwhelm you – so if you need a tiff, pdf or svg – just ask, and will can pop them in a brand guideline package.

Social media

Most social profiles need different profile images to be uploaded. They will have specific requirements, that sometimes change year on year. Most are square images, that will be displayed as a circle. We will supply all the ones you need – just let us know.

Then comes the cover images – this is the perfect place to display one of your key messages, a strap-line or a message to your audience. Again, these are different depending on the platform, for 2022 the sizes are as below:

• Facebook: 851 x 315 pixels, less than 100KB
• Twitter: 1500 x 500 pixels
• Linkedin: 1584 x 396 pixels, less than 8MB
• Pinterest: 800 x 450 pixels
• YouTube: 2048 x 1152 pixels, less than 6MB

Brand guidelines

Next comes the brand guidelines! They are a bit like marmite in the world of branding. Sometimes they are full of do’s and don’ts that no designer who is worth their salt would ever dream of!

• Don’t stretch the logo!
• Don’t put a black logo on a black background
• Don’t put logos on top of each other (!)

However, they can be useful, if used well.

How are brand guidelines going to be used?

Do you have an in house design team? Are you going to continue to use us as a brand agency? Will you move onto another design agency? The answer to that question will change the type of brand guidelines that will be most useful.

If you have an in house design team, they will need to understand the ‘vibe’ of the brand – how will the brand be utilised across lots of different channels. Depending on what your organisation does, you may need a clear direction on what your presentations look like, or how you can use pattern across printed material. We will provide a pdf document full of a number of ideas around how the brand could be used.

If you continue to use us, you may not need a complex set of brand guidelines, and instead just need basics; the colour codes and typography decisions. You could save yourself a bit of money!

So, what are the must haves?

• Colour codes: The colour codes for your brand ensures that whichever designer you use, the colours will always be the same. The colour profiles on different screens vary, and the same is true with printers. Ensuring the colours are the same at source will go some way to ensure brand consistency.
• Typography: Another way to ensure consistency within your brand is to use the same fonts for the same purpose. Often we will select a number of header fonts, a body copy font (the font you’ll use for basic paragraphs) and perhaps a script font when you need to add a bit of excitement!