#FilesAndGuides
Vector vs. pixel: why your logo needs to scale
Why a vector logo stays sharp from a favicon to a billboard, why a pixel logo goes blurry, and what "can you send it bigger?" really means.
"Can you send the logo bigger?" is one of the most common emails a small business gets from a printer. It usually means the logo they received was a small pixel file, and there's no bigger version of it. There's only a vector version, or there isn't.
What's a pixel (raster) image?
A photo on your phone is a grid of tiny colored squares, called pixels. PNG and JPG files work the same way. A logo saved as a PNG at 500 pixels wide has exactly 500 columns of squares. That's all the detail it has.
Shrink it and it looks fine. Enlarge it and each square gets bigger. The edges go soft, then blocky. Software can smooth them a little, but it can't invent the curve that was never recorded.
What's a vector image?
A vector file doesn't store squares. It stores instructions: a curve from here to there, filled with this color. When the file is displayed or printed, the curve is drawn fresh at whatever size is needed. A vector logo is as sharp on a billboard as on a business card, and the file stays small.
SVG, PDF (when saved from vector artwork), EPS and AI are the common vector formats.
| Vector | Pixel (raster) | |
|---|---|---|
| Made of | Shapes and curves | A grid of colored squares |
| Enlarging | Stays sharp at any size | Blurs or turns jagged |
| Formats | SVG, PDF, EPS, AI | PNG, JPG, GIF, WEBP |
| Best for | Logos, icons, type, print | Photos, and logos on screens at a known size |
| Editing colors | Easy, shape by shape | Hard without redrawing |
If vector is better, why do PNGs exist?
Because a lot of everyday software prefers them. Slides, email signatures, social media and document editors handle PNG without any trouble, and not all of them accept SVG. So the logo is made as a vector and PNG copies are exported from it at useful sizes, with transparent backgrounds. Most days you'll use the PNG. The vector is the master.
Where does a logo absolutely need to be vector?
- Anything printed large: signs, banners, roll-ups, vehicle graphics, exhibition stands.
- Embroidery, engraving and cutting: the machines follow paths, and paths come from vectors.
- Merchandise and packaging, where the printer needs exact shapes and colors.
- Any future design work, since changing a color or rearranging a vector lockup takes minutes, and doing it to a PNG means redrawing.
What if my current logo only exists as a PNG?
It happens more than people think, often because the original designer is gone and only the image survived. Auto-tracing tools can convert it, but they copy every blurred edge and give lumpy curves. The reliable fix is to have it redrawn as a vector using the PNG as a guide. After that, every other format can be made from it.
How do the sketches fit in?
Every logo I make starts as a hand sketch, which is about as far from vector as you can get: pencil lines, smudges, crossings-out. The sketch isn't traced. It's redrawn as a clean vector, curve by curve. That's what lets a hand-drawn idea print sharply on a sign or stitch cleanly onto a shirt. More in why every logo starts as a sketch.
Questions people also ask
How do I know if my logo is a vector file?
Look at the file extension: SVG, PDF, EPS and AI are usually vector. Then zoom in to 800 percent or more. If the edges stay crisp, it's vector. If you see squares or blur, it's a pixel image, even if it's saved as a PDF.
Can a PNG be converted into a vector?
It can be auto-traced, but the result usually has lumpy curves and uneven lines. For a logo, the reliable fix is to redraw it as a vector by hand, using the PNG as a reference.
What resolution should a logo be?
Vector logos have no resolution, which is the point. For PNG files, export at least twice the size they'll be displayed, and 300 pixels per inch at print size if a PNG ever has to be printed.
Why does the printer keep asking for a high-res logo?
Because the file they received has too few pixels for the size they're printing. Sending the vector PDF or SVG solves it for good.
