“HELP! My logo gets blurry when I make it bigger.”

If you decide to design your own logo, do not design it in Microsoft Word or in a bitmap format such as a .png or .jpg. If you enlarge your logo, it will get fuzzy, rough and pixilated. You will need your final logo in a vector format that can stretch as large as a billboard and still look great. Adobe Illustrator (.ai) and Corel draw are programs that do this. A .svg .eps and .pdf are great as long as the original format came from in vector art and not an imported bitmapped (raster) images such a jpg. See the example above.

Let me explain this better.

One thing to keep in mind is that most screen resolutions have 72 dpi (dots per inch) and high def monitors have 150 or so dpi. But we’ll focus on the more common 72 dpi here. In printing, they use 300 dpi. This means that the inch on your screen of 72 little dots will shrink down so that 300 dots can fit in the same inch space. Your artwork will become less than a quarter of the size than what you see on your screen. When this happens, people tend to just print it at a larger percentage. That means that those 72 little dots are now expanded to fit in the space that should hold 300 dots. Each of the 72 dots will become BIG About 4 times the size of a tiny print dot. And your printed artwork will look rough and jagged.

Raster and Bitmap Formats:

When you design on your computer’s screen, you’ll need to make sure you have the dpi set to 300 or above so it will print with the clarity you see on your screen. I am talking about raster (bitmap) images, like photos that have the extension .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, . tif, .tiff, or .bmp, at the end. It is very important to change your dpi to 300 or above if you ever plan to print.

Vector Formats:

The other format is vector and use the extensions: .ai, .eps, svg, .dxf, and .pdf (if the native file is vector). Vector formats do not consist of tiny dots per inch. What you see on your screen are mathematical formulas that can expand your logo as large as you want, without getting rough and jagged. For this reason, your logo should be created in a vector program or you will be stuck with a blurry logo when you try to enlarge it. I refer you to the above image again.

Many people who aren’t designers find it difficult to work in a vector program. Most of them are fairly expensive and tedious to learn with too many complicated options they don’t need. Most professional designers use Adobe Illustrator and a few might use Corel Draw. If you want to design your own logo, have a designer transfer it into vector format for the final version. They can add professional tweaks, then save it out in a variety of formats for screen and print. Or better yet, get a quote for additional ideas and you might be blown away.

To be sure you will be using a top notch graphic designer who has many years of experience, knows the rules of printing, and keeps up with the modern trends, please contact me at ginny@westcottdesign.com or click this link. Check out my designs here. I include testimonial pages where my clients express their experiences working with me. I offer unique designs to get your product label, logo, brochures, and ads looking professional and sell. I design personally with you on each project so you get 25+ years experience behind each creation. I strive to save you money in the design process, using stock images and manipulating stock illustrations when the budget calls for it. I can guide you through the TTB approval process for your label and help find the right printer for your project. My design studio is located right in the heart of wine country, in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, Northern California.