6 file formats for logos and when and where to use them

Have you ever been given a bunch of files with different file extensions and sat there scratching your head thinking what are all these for and where do I use them? Well scratch no more, let me help make sense of it all. The following are 6 file formats that a Graphic Designer might give you after designing your new logo. I’ll tell you the basics to make life a little easier.

AI (Adobe Illustrator):

Vector files from the drawing/design program Adobe Illustrator. These are usually the original files where the artwork was created. More than likely you won’t need to use these yourself, but may pass them onto a designer if you require changes to original artwork. You won’t be able to open these unless you have Adobe Illustrator, but they can be placed into other programs to use in a design. They can be enlarged without losing quality and have a transparent background. They have a transparent background. Use these for print (CMYK or PMS colour).

EPS (Encapsulated PostScript):

Vector files which can be enlarged to any size without losing quality. Great for large format printing. They have a transparent background. Use these for print (CMYK or PMS colour).

PDF (Portable Document Format):

There are two types of PDF files – Vector and Raster. Vector PDF files use geometric forms and can be enlarged to any size without losing quality. They are great for large format printing. They have a transparent background. Raster PDFs are made up of a fixed number of pixels and will start to lose quality if enlarged bigger than 100% of their size. If you’re not sure what type of PDF you have you can do the ‘Zoom Test.’ Simply open your PDF in Acrobat and zoom right in. If the image stays perfectly crisp you have yourself a Vector PDF. If it starts to look blurry it’s most likely a Raster PDF. Use these for print.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group):

There are two types of PDF files – Vector and Raster. Vector PDF files use geometric forms These will always have a solid background and will lose quality if enlarged over 100%. They can be used for print (CMYK or PMS colour) or web (RGB colour).

PNG (Portable Network Graphics):

Raster files which again, are made up of a fixed number of pixels and will start to lose quality if enlarged bigger than 100% of their size. They have a transparent background. Use these for web (RGB colour).

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics):

Vector files which can be enlarged to any size without losing quality. These files can be edited in graphic or text editing programs. They have a small file size making them great for web (RGB colour).

Wondering about colour models? Learn about CMYK, RGB and PMS colours? Check out Colours Models Explained.