We've been getting a lot of clients who come to us with logos and want them used in print/web material. A lot of the time, the format of the logo is wrong and hard for a designer to use - this leads to longer deadlines and frustrated clients.
I wanted to write a quick list of file formats and what they could be used for, so that people can understand what they should be sending to a designer.
Raster Logos
Are logos that are made up of pixels - like a photo, they have limitations to how large you can scale them. Raster logos that have a low resolution will work for web sites - but not for print.
Businesses should try and get 2 types of raster logos - one for print use in a CMYK colour scheme at 300dpi resolution and one for web use in 72 or 120dpi resolution and an RGB colour scheme. The file formats used for raster logos normally are: JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF
Vector Logos
Are logos that are not dependent on resolution, you can scale them as large or as small as you want and they will not pixelate. These are the logos that all designers would love to receive because of their flexibility. Normally these logos are hard for clients to open - because you need special programs to see them. The file formats for Vector logos can be AI, EPS or PDF. Normally the file will be in EPS format.
So now when a designer asks you for you logo - send the vector one! Everyone will be happier!