What Is a Vector Logo, and Is Yours One?

A vector logo is your logo saved as outlines, curves and flat colors instead of a mosaic of pixels, so it stays sharp on a pen and on a banner alike. It’s the file printers and embroiderers want. To check yours, zoom way in on an edge.

If you don’t have one, there are three ways out: track down the original, convert your JPG for free, or have the logo redrawn.

What is a vector logo?

A vector logo is a file that stores the recipe for drawing your logo: this curve runs through here, that area is filled with blue, this letter has that outline. Whatever program opens it redraws the logo at the size you ask for, so the same file works on a business card and across a storefront. Nothing degrades, because there are no pixels to stretch.

So “vector” describes how the logo is saved, not how it looks: two logos that look identical on screen can be one vector and one not. The general idea, which applies to any artwork and not just logos, gets its own page in our complete vector file guide.

How is a vector logo different from a JPG or PNG logo?

A JPG or PNG logo is a grid of pixels locked at one size, while a vector logo has no fixed size at all. Blow the JPG up past its original size and the edges go blurry or jagged; the vector version simply recalculates and keeps clean edges.

Both have a job to do. A PNG is handy for a website, an email signature or social media, and the choice between the two screen formats is explained in JPG vs PNG for a logo. The moment something physical has to be made, the vector version is what goes to the shop.

Why do printers ask for a vector logo?

Printers ask for a vector logo for two reasons: their equipment follows outlines, and your logo will be scaled up or down from one product to the next. A few real examples:

• an embroiderer builds the machine’s stitch program by following the shapes of the logo;
• a vinyl shop cuts each shape out of a sheet of heat transfer vinyl;
• a sign maker scales the logo up to several feet wide;
• a screen printer splits every color onto its own screen.

With nothing but a JPG, the shop either redraws the logo itself or prints something fuzzy. Everything else to check before you send it (colors, background, alternate versions) is listed in the checklist for a print-ready logo.

How do you know if your logo is a vector?

To tell if your logo is a vector, open the file and zoom far into a letter or a rounded edge: if it stays smooth, it’s a vector; if it breaks into little stair steps, it’s pixels. That visual check is more reliable than the file extension, which can mislead you.

A few pointers on extensions:

• .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp, .gif: never vector;
• .ai, .eps, .svg: vector most of the time, though an SVG can hide a plain image pasted inside;
• .pdf: it depends how it was made. Exported from a design program, it holds shapes; made from a scan or a photo, it only holds pixels.

What file formats does a vector logo come in?

A vector logo usually comes as an SVG, PDF, EPS or AI file: four different wrappers around the same shapes. SVG is the most universal, a vector PDF is accepted by most print shops, EPS is still requested by some apparel decorators, and AI is Adobe Illustrator’s working file, mostly useful to a designer. Which one to send to which shop is compared in SVG vs EPS vs PDF.

Where can you find your original vector logo?

Your original vector logo often still exists somewhere, since a logo made by a designer or an agency is usually drawn in vector from the start. Before paying anyone, try these three leads:

• old emails with the agency or designer: search for attachments ending in .ai, .eps, .svg or .pdf, and for old file transfer links;
• the printer who made your first business cards or your sign, since shops often keep their customers’ files;
• the computer or inbox of whoever handled marketing before you, or the club’s previous president.

How do you get a vector logo from a JPG?

To get a vector logo from a JPG or PNG, you have it vectorized: a tool automatically redraws the shapes in the image and hands you an SVG file. On a logo with crisp edges and solid colors, the result is good enough for print shops. On a tiny or damaged image, the shapes get rebuilt, so read the small text closely at full zoom before sending it off. The step-by-step method, with the checks to run, is in our guide to vectorize a logo.

When should you have your logo redrawn?

You should have your logo redrawn by a designer when automatic conversion can no longer read the original shapes: very subtle gradients, shadows or bevels, textures, or an image so worn out you can barely make out the letters. It’s paid work, quoted per job and slower than a conversion, and it also makes sense when the logo looks dated and deserves a rethink.

On cost, then: a vector logo is free if you find the original or if automatic conversion does the job; only redrawing by hand costs money.

A vector logo with no sign-up and no card

To go from your JPG to a vector logo without signing anything, Depixelise is 100% free: no account to open, no card number to type in, no mark stamped across the result. You upload the logo (a PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG file weighing 10 MB at most), the result shows up full size about ten seconds later, and you can zoom in to inspect it right on screen. What lands in your inbox is ready for the shop: the SVG file itself, a 2000 px wide PNG with no background, a single-ink version and its inverted twin for dark materials.

FAQ

Can a vector logo have a gradient?

Yes, a vector logo can have a gradient: the file describes a color transition that stays sharp at every size. Embroidery and vinyl, however, can’t reproduce it. Keep a flat-color version on hand for apparel.

Can you ask your old designer for the source file?

Yes, asking your old designer for the source file is the first thing to try: designers often keep their working files for years. What they owe you depends on what was agreed at the start, so check the original quote or invoice, which sometimes mentions delivery of the source files.

Does a vector logo cost more to print?

No, the file format doesn’t change the price of a print job: the material, the quantity and the number of colors do. A vector logo can even save you the redraw fee some shops charge when they have to rebuild a JPG.

Can you edit a vector logo yourself?

Yes, a vector logo can be edited in Inkscape (free) or Illustrator: each shape can be selected, recolored or deleted on its own. To get the file open in the first place, see how to open an SVG file.

How many versions of a vector logo should you keep?

Keep at least three vector versions: full color, a single-color version for engraving, stamps or embroidery, and a negative version for dark backgrounds. Add a PNG with a transparent background for anything on screen.