Gathering assets from a client is the first (and most crucial) part of every project process. As a B2B marketing agency, our clients will ask for partner and corporate logos to be included in their collateral.
During the gathering phase, we might get plenty of quality files from the client; however, sometimes, we receive logos that are simply copied and pasted from a website. While these small, low-resolution, raster files are optimized for quick loading onto a website, they do not work for items that need to be produced larger or at a higher resolution for print.
As a designer, when you find yourself in this situation, you have two options: put the work back on the client or be resourceful and use your skills to locate the items needed. At Blue Star, we prefer to choose the second route. The client hires us to solve problems, not create problems. In this situation, we lean into our creative skills, deductive reasoning, and sleuthing capabilities.
Read on for tips about how to find a logo in a vector format.
Avoid the interrogation
As an agency, you shouldn’t interrogate the innocent. The client is stressed and under pressure to get their job done. They were sure they had the logos in their possession. Now, you’re in a situation where you might have to tell them those aren’t the real deal. The last thing they need is to be grilled by the graphics police about where the real logos are or to search for a missing logo. “Are you sure you don’t have them in a secret SharePoint folder?”
The client doesn’t have time to go on a massive search on your behalf. “Did you ask all your teammates, partners, and vendors if they’ve got the high-resolution logos?”
And they don’t need to be educated on the difference between the tiny raster logos and the vector logos you are pursuing. They don’t care —- to the client, these are all simply logos. “What is going on? Why are the graphics police being so rude and difficult?!”
Let the search party begin
Time is of the essence. The clock is ticking, and you need to locate this logo sooner rather than later; otherwise, you are probably looking at a missed deadline. Here are four tips on where to hunt and find a vector logo.
Brands of the World
Brands of the World is the most extensive free library of downloadable vector logos. You can search and download vector logos in AI, EPS, PDF, SVG, and CDR formats. This resource is excellent when looking for popular corporate logos. There are alternatives to Brands of the World, such as LogoSear.ch, VectorWiki, and Worldvectorlogo. Each of these is free and Open Source. Since designers upload these logos rather than the companies, you will want to scrutinize each logo and ensure the vector lines contain clean, crisp curves. Finally, check the logo against the company’s website to ensure you have downloaded the most recent version. Using the wrong version of a logo can quickly get your client in hot water.
Media Kits
Large corporations often have media kits on their websites offering access to download vector versions of their logos. These modern-day press kits come in different formats, such as PDF files, folders, and Dropbox access areas. Corporations offer this so PR specialists, journalists, employees, and media agencies can source accurate information about their company and provide quality media coverage.
Creative Googling for the SVG
You google, I google, we all google for the vector or .ai file. But there’s a new vector file format that you should be searching for —–the SVG. SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphic, and just like the .ai file from Illustrator, it is made up of vector graphics. It is becoming popular because developers can use SVGs for modern web browsers. That means the logo in a corporate website today could very well be an SVG. Right-click on the logo, “save image as,” and you can tell if the file is a jpg, png, or SVG. And if it’s not, it might be elsewhere on the web. Instead of searching for “vector” or “.ai,” consider using “SVG” in your search instead. Wikipedia is a great resource for finding SVG logos of popular companies.
The Sneaky PDF Extract
This solution is one of our favorites because it is such a clever little trick —and is quite “elementary, my dear!” As Sherlock might say, “Advanced knowledge of the sciences does come in useful here.” If you are a designer, you know that corporate material, such as an e-book or infosheet, is more than likely created by a graphic designer. And, yes, that designer would have used a vector logo in such a document. And if you are skilled, you know you can open a PDF in the Adobe Illustrator software, choose a page with a logo, change the view to outlines (command Y) — –and A HA! – find the vector logo. Then, simply copy the logo into a new document and save it.
Exceed expectations
After exhausting all search possibilities, there are moments when you need to ask the client to reach out to extended parties for help. But the key here is to do this during the needs assessment stage, at the beginning of the project, explaining that you’ve exhausted all methods of finding the logo and offering recommendations for tracking it down.
Going above and beyond for a client, even if it means you must be the one to find a logo for the job, adds value and builds stronger relationships and trust over time.
