When I’m working with new clients, I typically need to ask them for a vector version of their logo. Most have no idea what that means and more often than not, they don’t even know where to look for one. Many clients that have very busy logos that don’t look good when scaled down or need to be black & white only.If you are having a new logo made, you need to know the following information:

1. Your logo should be scalable. The best logos are simple with clean lines. If you have too much detail in your logo, it will look messy when scaled small.
2. Ask for a logo in black & white, color and reversed so you have a version that will work with whatever printed or web piece you may need in the future.
3. Be sure to get a vector logo as well as high-resolution JPGs. A vector logo is one that is created in Illustrator or Freehand. The file can be scaled to any size without losing quality and will always appear sharp. It also usually has a transparent background and can be placed on anything. The file extension should be .ai or .eps. JPGs usually have a white background, which makes it difficult to place over color or photos, especially if your logo is mostly text. JPGs are useful when a client needs to the logo in a Word document or something with a white background. A client can also view a JPG on any computer, but cannot usually open and view a vector file. JPGs can only be scaled down…scaling up will result in very poor quality.
4. A logo from your website will NOT work for printed pieces. Your logo on your website is only 72 dpi (dots per inch). You need at least 300 dpi for print. Since the web can’t display a vector logo, it will either be a JPG or GIF, neither of which can be scaled larger. While a print-out of your web page may look ok on when printed on your desktop printer, it is handled differently when printed on a press and will appear blurry/fuzzy.
5. Just because you saved that JPG in Photoshop to an EPS does NOT make it vector art. Logos should always be started in a vector program like Adobe Illustrator.
6. Your logo tells who you are and should be safe-guarded from loss like any other business file. Put all these versions on a disk and in a safe place. Keep the designer’s contact info in case you ever need to refer back to them.

As a value-added service, Anita Elder Design will always give you a logo designed to be scalable and in various formats with instructions on keeping it safe. I will also help you insert your logo in your email signature and give you instructions for other scenarios where you might want to use your logo.