File formats for logo, branding, and printing can be confusing — but they’re crucial to keep your designs sharp and professional across all media.
After reading this, you’ll know exactly what design files you need and why they matter.
When working with designers, understanding the types of design files you’ll receive is crucial. Not all design files are created equal, and choosing the right file format can save you time, money, and frustration down the road. Whether you’re creating marketing materials, a new logo, or digital content, knowing which files you actually need ensures that you’re set up for success—now and in the future.
Unfortunately, many clients are often left confused or unsatisfied when they receive their design files. Some find that the files aren’t as usable as they expected, while others realize that they’re missing key assets for future edits or different applications. In this article, we’ll walk you through the most common design file formats, explain what each one is used for, and help you understand why having the right files in hand is essential for the long-term success of your project.
What are design files?
They’re a mess! – No, they’re the way to your success!
Design files are digital assets created by designers to represent visual concepts, like logos, marketing materials, and website graphics. They contain all the components of a design—images, text, colors, and shapes—and allow for editing and adjustments. These files ensure that your design is flexible, scalable, and can be adapted for various uses.
In a professional context, choosing the right design file format is crucial. Different formats serve specific purposes: some are best for high-quality print, others are optimized for digital use, and some allow for future edits. Understanding the difference ensures your project is ready for any medium, now and down the road.
Before diving into design file formats, let’s first understand the two fundamental types of images — raster and vector — since they define how design files work.
Raster vs. Vector: Key Design Differences
Raster and Vector Look the Same – But the Devil’s in the Details!
You’ve probably heard about raster and vector images, but what do these terms really mean? Let’s break it down in simple terms.
Every digital image falls into one of two types: raster or vector.
Raster images (like photos) are made up of tiny squares called pixels, or tiny dots, containing unique color and tonal information that come together to create the image. The more pixels an image has, the sharper it looks. But there’s a catch — when you enlarge or rescale a raster image, it starts to lose quality and becomes blurry or pixelated.
Vector images, on the other hand, are built using mathematical paths instead of pixels. This means they can be resized infinitely without losing quality. Whether you shrink a vector logo for a business card or blow it up for a billboard, it stays sharp and clean.
Knowing whether your design should be raster or vector is key to getting the best results. Photos, detailed artwork, and textures work best as raster since they rely on color depth and shading. Raster is commonly used for website images, social media graphics, and digital paintings.
Vector graphics, on the other hand, are ideal for designs that need to be resized frequently while staying sharp. This includes logos, icons, typography, technical drawings, and print materials like business cards, billboards, and merchandise branding.
Most Important Design File Formats
There are a lot of things – and the head is spinning big!
AI (Adobe Illustrator)
The gold standard for vector-based design. This file format is perfect for scalable graphics like logos and icons, which can be resized without losing quality. Clients can use AI files for both digital and print projects, and they are fully editable, allowing for future modifications. However, AI files are native to Adobe Illustrator and can only be fully edited within this software, ensuring maximum compatibility with vector-based tools.
CDR (CorelDRAW)
As well, an alternative to the AI format is the CDR file, used by CorelDRAW graphic design software. CorelDRAW is commonly used by print shops, but don’t worry if you’re asked for a CDR file—you can simply send a PDF. Print shops can easily convert PDFs into CDR files without losing quality, ensuring your design is ready for production.
SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
Another vector format, ideal for web and digital applications. SVG files are lightweight and retain their quality at any size, making them perfect for responsive design and icons on websites. This format is also widely supported by browsers.
PDF (Portable Document Format)
The go-to format for print-ready designs. High-quality PDFs ensure your designs maintain their integrity in printing, whether it’s brochures, flyers, or business cards. PDFs are also perfect for sharing final versions that are easily accessible and universally readable.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
A raster format ideal for web use, especially when you need transparent backgrounds. PNG files are perfect for images that need to maintain sharp detail, such as product images, icons, and marketing materials for the web.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
A popular raster format widely used for photos and web images. JPEGs are compact and easy to share, making them ideal for use on websites and social media. While they do compress some image quality to reduce file size, they’re a great choice for images where smaller file sizes are important. However, for designs that may need frequent edits or resizing, other formats might be better suited.
WebP (Web Picture format)
A modern raster format developed by Google and optimized for web use. WebP offers excellent compression with minimal quality loss, making it ideal for uploading images that load quickly without sacrificing clarity. It supports transparency (like PNG) and animation (like GIF), all while keeping file sizes smaller — perfect for improving website speed and user experience. It’s easy to convert PNG, JPEG, or SVG files into WebP format using free tools like Squoosh—Google’s own intuitive, high-quality converter—or other free online services such as CloudConvert, Convertio, or EZGIF, all of which support WebP conversion.
PSD (Photoshop Document)
A raster-based format used mainly for image editing in Adobe Photoshop. While PSDs are great for designers working with complex images, they aren’t always practical for clients. These files can be large and require specific software (Photoshop) to open and edit, making them cumbersome for clients who simply need a finished design.
You may also occasionally run into BMP (Bitmap) files on some websites or older systems. This format is rarely used in professional design today. These files have large file sizes and don’t support transparent backgrounds, which makes them inefficient for web use or high-quality print.
There are other specialized formats, for example, EPS or TIFF. These are typically used by professional designers and specific industries. EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) is often used for high-quality vector graphics, especially in print production, while TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) is favored for high-resolution images that require exceptional detail, such as in photography or archiving.
There are embroidery file formats that are used to transfer digital designs onto textiles and clothing. Since this is a specialized field, designers don’t usually work directly with these formats. However, embroidery professionals can easily convert a vector file into the required format for their equipment, ensuring precision and high-quality results.
For most clients and general design needs, the five file formats — AI, SVG, PNG, PDF, and JPEG — cover the majority of requirements. These file formats complement each other for design purposes, with vector design files serving as a flexible base that can be converted into specialized formats when needed.
It’s worth mentioning here an important point: a vector file should be a true vector file, meaning that the graphics inside it must be vector-based for the various purposes described above. Unfortunately, not all ‘vector files’ are created equal. For example, some files created in vector-supporting programs may actually be raster images disguised in a vector wrapper — these can’t be resized without losing quality and may not serve your needs in the long run. To dive deeper into this topic and understand the common designer tricks around vector files that happen nowadays, along with the pitfalls they can cause, read more here.
You need to understand the strengths and limitations of each file format to ensure the final product meets your needs. The best advice is to stick with formats that are easily accessible and versatile, ensuring that your design is both usable and scalable.
Benefits of Our File Delivery
Well delivered and combined – just for sure to get by
When it comes to design file delivery, the right formats are key to ensuring your work shines across all platforms. For scalability and flexibility, vector design files like AI and SVG are ideal—they allow for easy resizing without losing quality, making them perfect for everything from logos to larger formats like billboards. PDF and PNG files, on the other hand, provide convenience and versatility, offering high-quality outputs for both print and web applications, respectively. Their ready-to-use nature ensures your designs look polished and professional without unnecessary adjustments.
With our delivery, you can also rest assured that there’s no need to worry about pixelation or resizing issues. Whether it’s raster or vector formats, like JPEG and PNG for detailed web imagery, or AI and SVG for logos that need to be resized infinitely, our files ensure consistent results across all mediums.
We don’t deliver PSD (Photoshop) files because, while they’re useful for raster-based designs, they often include unnecessary layers or formats that can be cumbersome for clients to work with. We focus on delivering vector files (AI, SVG) for the flexibility they offer, along with PNG and PDF for high-quality digital and print outputs. This ensures you get the most practical, high-quality design files tailored to your needs.
Conclusion: Key Takeaways for Choosing the Right Design Files
Take the best and have your rest!
In the world of design, understanding file formats is crucial. True vector design files like AI and SVG provide the flexibility, scalability, and quality needed for both digital and print applications.
Be cautious of files that seem like vector formats but are actually just raster images disguised in a vector wrapper — these can’t be resized without losing quality and may not serve your needs in the long run.
When working with designers, ensure you’re getting what you need by confirming file types and understanding their limitations. In the end, choosing the right design files can make all the difference for your branding, marketing, and personal projects.
