File Formats for Logo Design and Marketing Related Material

Till date much has been written about logos and design and I thought it is about time we discussed a bit more in relation to logo design and other marketing related material. Not many of us know exactly that a design for logos comes in various different file formats and you can use them as per your special requirements. Moreover, it is not just a logo that is necessary for marketing and publicity of a business.

A successful business firm requires having some additional items along with a professional logo design for the purpose of marketing and publicity. These items are provided together with a logo design or separately by commercial logo design services and include the following;

  • Stationary
  • Website
  • Web Banner – Static
  • Web Banner – Animated
  • Brochures

Logo design companies usually provide file formats having the following extension codes;

.JPG, .GIF, .PNG, .PSD, .TIF, .PDF, .EPS and .AI for logo design

.JPG, .PDF, .EPS and .AI for stationary – (business card, letterhead etc.)

.PSD and .JPG for website

.PSD and .JPG for static banners

.FLA and .SWF for animated banners

.AI and .JPG for brochures, pamphlets, fliers, etc.

JPG or JPEG, GIF and PNG are the most commonly used formats around the world while PSD, AI and PDF are also widely used by logo design firms. Here is a brief description of these file formats for a quick reference.

JPG or JPEG – Joint Photographic Experts Group

JPG or JPEG is a method of compression used for photographic images. The level of compression is adjustable and is used for various scales of resolution according to the desired size and image quality however, the actual resolution of the image is quite limited.

GIF – Graphic Interchange Format

This file format is a low resolution format that uses 8 bits per pixel which allows a single image to reference a palette of not more than 256 individual colours. GIF images can be compressed to decrease the file size without affecting the visual quality of the image.

PNG – Portable Network Graphics

PNG is a bitmap based file format that was developed to upgrade and substitute GIF type of file format. It is able to support 24 bits per pixel and is definitely better than GIF.

TIF or TIFF Tagged Image File Format

The TIF or TIFF type of file format is mainly used for storing photographic images and sketches. It is an adaptable format that can handle both images and data contained in a single file and which include definition, size, image-data arrangement and applied image compression. TIF is a high quality file format usually used for desktop publishing and commercial printing purposes.

PDF – Portable Document Format

The Portable Document Format generally referred to as PDF is used to display images and two-dimensional documents independently without the need of any particular application software, hardware, and operating system. A single PDF file contains complete details of a fixed-layout two-dimensional document which consists of text, fonts, images, and 2D vector graphics and is used to compose the documents.

EPS – Encapsulated PostScript

Encapsulated PostScript or EPS is a vector based file format which allows greater scalability, file compression and file conversion. It is considered to be an efficient, high resolution file format now widely used by professional logo designing experts and commercial printing houses.

PSD – Photoshop Document

The PSD file format is the most extensively used format which houses pictorial images and high resolution graphics in layered positioning. It is the most popular type of file format among graphic designers and commercial publishing and printing firms.

AI – Adobe Illustrator Artwork

The AI file format which stands for Adobe Illustrator Artwork, is yet another highly used vector based file format for graphics and images. It represents single page vector based drawings and illustrations and employs a layered technique similar to that of PSD. The AI format is more commonly used by professional logo designers among the graphic designing fraternity.

FLA – Adobe Flash and SWF – Shock Wave Flash

FLA is a type of file format that can be applied to both vector based and raster graphics. It is predominantly used for animated graphic designing. The FLA file format also supports dual streaming of videos and gaming applications. With reference to context, Flash is used to design animated banners and other web based advertising material.

The extension .SWF comes with the source file of flash animations and serves as the leading editable file format for representing animated vector graphics on the internet. To make it simple, your animated banner is made in Shock Wave with the source file having the extension .SWF and displayed in Flash Player with the display file having the extension .FLA.

I believe this much information would be quite adequate for a layman with regards to logo designing, graphics and web animations. This article will also be helpful to young business entrepreneurs who are having their business logo designed by logo design companies.

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End Note: The author of this post is a senior consultant at Logo Design Consultant. Questions / responses are MORE than welcome.

The Biggest Mistake in the Business World Uncovered – Underestimating the Power and Importance of a Logo Design.

mistake main Full - The Biggest Mistake in the Business World Uncovered - Underestimating the Power and Importance of a Logo Design.

Underestimating the power and importance of a logo design is not so new. This has been going on for years and years without anyone realising it as a biggest mistake of all time. This ignorant behaviour not only exists in the general public, but also among business owners which is quite an alarming situation with regards to branding and publicity. You see, a business logo design has a proper and special use for itself. If a business logos design is not given due consideration, the whole process of developing a logo design will become a futile exercise.

In order to achieve maximal results in marketing and business promotion, appropriate emphasis needs to be given to the business logo design. Every business man or marketer should have an appropriate knowledge of the properties their logo design should hold. They should remember the crucial fact that logos are bound reach to the end user quite before the product or service does. As a matter of fact, logos get the attention of potential clientele well ahead of the company name in certain situations.

Here is an obligatory exercise for business entrepreneurs as well as logo designers to avoid committing the aforementioned mistakes. What needs to be done in this situation is to first comprehend the nature, values and mission of a business. Following that, you need to have a clear understanding of the essence of a logo design. The essence of a business logo design includes the ability to communicate the target audience. There should be a portrayal of the true characteristics of the particular brand or product in the logo design.

Moreover, the usage of typefaces and colours should be in perfect harmony with each of the following:

  • The Company Name (In some particular cases, a company name might not be reflected in a logo design)
  • The Brand
  • The Elements of the Product or Service
  • The Target Market or the End User

By taking these simple points into consideration, it will be easier for entrepreneurs and logo designers both to make amends for the damage caused by underestimating the power and importance of a business logos design.

Image Ref: http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/5503679/mistake-main_Full.jpg

Decided to Get a Logo Design! Who is Going to Design this Logo for You and at What Price?

After deciding to actually have a logo for your business, you are confronted with the idea of having a practicable and expressive logo design that takes the world by surprise. Since you are not an artist or professional logo designer yourself, there is another question that arises here. This question again has two parts of its own.

Who is going to design this logo for you and at what price?

Who…….

In view of the fact that the driving factors behind choosing the right logo design for your business are;

  • Your clear understanding of the importance of a business logo
  • The availability of custom logo design services in the market.

Since these two requirements have been met with effectively, we now proceed towards the “WHO” part of our initial question.

The selection of a logo design company requires quite a bit of searching on the internet as well as other media. There are dozens of logo design companies and individuals claiming to provide the best logo design services in the market. When you find yourself in the midst of so many vendors of one particular service, you feel perplexed and somewhat undecided on the issue. Relax, just follow these simple guidelines and your day is made.

Try to look for a creative logo design services provider who has the ability to absorb criticism and deliver according to your requirements.

You must be able to communicate candidly with your logo design consultant and vice versa.

Your logo designer should have a clear and deep understanding of how crucial a logo design can be for a business.

What…….

This is the easiest part of the deal. The answer to the “WHAT” part can be very simple, it’s your budget. But then, it also depends upon where you want your business to be. A highly rated company has a highly rated logo, and a highly rated logo comes at a price. Therefore, the question of what to pay for a business logo design depends greatly upon the attributes required for that design. Now you can go ahead and choose the logo design services of your choice with a better understanding.

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End Note: The contents are the view points of the author and questions/responses are MORE than welcome.