8 Things to Check When You Have a Logo Designed

1. Ask for vector files

The master file of a logo should be vector (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF). A vector file is made of paths and scales to any size without losing quality, from a business card to a building sign. PNG or JPG files are only copies for screens.

If all you have is a low-resolution image, the logo can be redrawn. That is what we did for MEZON Logistics: a vector redraw of the existing logo.

2. It has to read at small sizes

A logo shrinks to a few millimetres in the browser tab icon (favicon) and to a small square as an app icon. Thin lines, small type and lots of detail disappear at that size.

That is why a good logo usually comes in two forms: the full logo with the name and the symbol on its own. In Torpil Studio's own identity, the fuse mascot can also be used alone.

3. There should be a one-colour version

Your logo will be printed in one colour one day: a stamp, embroidery, laser engraving, a partner's logo strip on their website. A logo with shadows, textures or many colours can break when it is turned into a single colour.

When we put client logos on our own website we turned them all into one colour; flat logos with clean shapes converted without trouble, while the ones relying on texture and shadow needed a separate solution. Ask for black and white versions from the start.

4. Light and dark backgrounds

You should see how the logo sits on a light background and on a dark one. If it will be used on a dark website, in dark mode or over a dark photo, an inverted (light) version should be delivered too.

5. Get the colour codes in writing

The same red can come out differently on a screen, a brochure and a sign. To avoid that, the colour codes should be written down: HEX and RGB for screens, CMYK for print and Pantone if needed. That way the printer and the web developer use the same colour.

6. The font licence

Make sure the font used in the logo is licensed for commercial use. Some fonts that look free are for personal use only. The lettering in a logo is usually converted to paths, but if you will use the same font on your website and in print, you need to know its licence.

7. Similarity and trademark checks

A logo that looks too much like another brand can cause trouble later. Once the design is done, a reverse image search is a good first check, and if you plan to register the trademark, look at the national trademark office records (in Turkey, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office). Registration is a separate process; a trademark attorney can tell you whether the logo is suitable for it.

8. What should be in the handover package?

When the work is done you should have: the vector master file, PNG and SVG copies for screens, one-colour and inverted versions, a symbol (a square for the favicon and social media profiles), the colour codes and the name of the font used. A short usage guide (the clear space around the logo, the smallest size it can be used at) completes the job.

Our logo work includes a logo and brand identity for Alnair, a game studio logo for BEDU Games and our own identity. If you need a logo, or a clean version of the one you have, you can write to us.