What's the ideal logo size? Guidelines for websites and social media

When uploading your logo to your website, social media, or another digital space, you’ll be asked to provide the file in a specific size. These specifications include its length, width, number of kilobytes, and the type of file they need. Each digital application is different, so you may need to create multiple variations of your logo to fit different scenarios. In this guide, you’ll learn the best practices for creating the right logo size for each application.

Common logo sizes and dimensions for social media

Uploading your logo to your company’s social media channels is important for potential and current customers to recognize you in a crowded online landscape. According to Sprout Social, the most recent logo sizes and dimensions for social media are:

Facebook

• Business profile photo: 180px by 180px (round)
• Cover photo: 820px by 313px (desktop), 640px by 360px (mobile)
• Shared image (posts): 1200px by 630px
• File types accepted: .png, jpg
  

Instagram

• Profile photo: 110px by 110px
• Post image: 1080px by 1080px (square)
• Post thumbnail: 161px by 161px
• Stories: 1080px by 1920px
• Preferred file type: .jpg

YouTube

• Profile photo: 800px by 800px
• Channel cover photo: 2048px by 1142px
• File types accepted: .jpg, .png, .bmp, .gif
  

Twitter

• Profile photo: 400px by 400px (round)
• Header photo: 1500px by 500px
• File types accepted: .jpg, .gif, .png
  

LinkedIn

• Company logo image: 300px by 300px
• Cover photo: 1128px by 191px
• Main image on company page: 1128px by 376px
• Company photos: 900px by 600px
• File types accepted: .jpg, .png, .gif
  

Google my Business

• Profile photo: Minimum resolution of 250px by 250px; recommended 720px by 720px
• Cover photo: Minimum resolution of 250px by 250px; recommended 720px by 720px
• File types accepted: .jpg, .png
  

TikTok

• Profile photo: 200px by 200px
• File types accepted: .jpg, .png
  

Pinterest

• Profile photo: 165px by 165px
• Preferred file type: .jpg, .png

Keep in mind that these sizes and dimensions often change as social media platforms update their layouts and features. Be sure to double-check the dimensions with each platform’s official help or FAQ page before publishing any changes.

Common logo sizes and dimensions for websites

Where your logo will be placed on your website depends on the website design or layout you choose, the needs of your business, and your personal tastes. Wherever it ends up, there are three likely spots where logos typically go: on the menu (also called a navigation bar) toward the top of your website, as a favicon that appears in your browser’s tab next to your website’s title tag, and in the footer of your website. 

The logo size, dimensions, and format all matter. Each website platform and theme will have its own requirements, so it’s important that you pay close attention to uploading instructions when creating the right logo size for your website. Some standard dimensions you may come across for navigation bar and footer use include 200px wide by 150px tall, 400px wide by 100px tall, 350px wide by 75px tall, and 160px wide by 160px tall.

The favicon is the one logo size to which you may need to pay extra attention. This is the smallest of the bunch — so small, in fact, that you may need to create a modified version of your existing logo to fit in this space. Standard favicon sizes are either 16px by 16px, 32px by 32px, or 48px by 48px. Any bigger, and the favicon won’t fit.

What are logo file specifications, and how do they impact your logo size?

When uploading your logo for your website, a directory listing, social media, or other purposes, you’ll be asked to check three specifications to ensure your logo will fit in the space provided. These three specifications are the file dimensions, file format, and file size.

• Dimensions: The file dimensions refer to the logo’s height and width. If your file does not fit the dimensions for the intended location, it may look distorted, shrunken, or cut off in a way that does not display the whole image. When used on websites, social media, and other applications online, the dimensions are referred to as the file’s resolution, or the number of pixels per inch the file contains. This is abbreviated as “px.”
  
• File format: Digital files, including image files like your logo, come in multiple formats. You may have seen digital image files saved as a .jpg, .png, or .svg before. Each one of these file types has its own use cases. For websites and social media, .png files are preferred because they are smaller when compressed without losing any resolution. The .jpg is a digital image file format that is much larger than its .png counterpart, which makes it not as ideal a fit for web use.
  
• File size: Just like the name describes, this refers to the size of your file. This is measured in bytes. Generally, the larger the file, the higher the resolution; the smaller the file, the quicker it is to download. File size is vital for websites, as larger files require more time and speed to transfer, which can slow down your website speed. We’ll touch on that a little later in this guide.

Once you have your logo designed, you can create a file of any size by adjusting the specifications in the program in which it was made. After it is adjusted, you can save the new file, also called “exporting” the new file, as the file type required by your website or social media platform.

Why logo size matters

The right logo size ensures your company appears professional and put together, no matter where it’s placed. Here are the three major issues to look out for and why they can impact your logo’s appearance online:

Too small, and the image will appear grainy

Resolution is key for a crisp and clear logo. Low resolution files may look blurry, grainy, or pixelated. This can happen when an image is compressed when uploaded to a website or re-downloaded. It can also happen if your settings on your logo maker platform or software of choice are not set to high resolution. 

Too large, and the logo file won’t load

File size matters when uploading your logo to your website. Smaller files load faster than larger ones, and in a world where site load times are measured in milliseconds, every kilobyte counts. While the logo may look perfect in crystal-clear definition, it’s moot if the file takes many seconds to load, or won’t load at all, in slower connections.

The wrong dimensions will get cut off or distorted

Dimensions ensure that your logo is the right fit for the designated amount of space on a website, social media profile, or any other digital application. This means that if you upload a version of your logo that is too wide for the space, your file may be cut off and an incomplete logo shown. Similarly, a logo with too small dimensions will appear with empty space around it. In some cases, the file may distort itself to fit into the space, elongating or compressing your logo.

Best practices for getting the right logo size

Creating the right logo size requires following these best practices to guarantee the optimal outcome:

• Create logos with new dimensions from the original file. The best way to ensure that you retain crisp resolution and proper file specifications is to work from the original logo file. When using Namecheap’s Logo Maker, that process is simple: Just log in, go to your existing logo file, select “Duplicate Logo,” and make your changes to the new file. (You can also use this process to experiment with new logo colors.)
  
• Use the right programs and tools to change the file. It may be tempting to crop or resize your logo in an image editing program or even from your smartphone, but that can result in a distorted, grainy, or sloppy-looking image. Ensure best results, and high-quality files, by working within the same program or platform you used to create the logo in the first place.
  
• Keep your logo in proportion. As the saying goes, don’t force a square peg into a round hole. Get your logo to fit as closely as possible to the requested dimensions without changing measurements in a way that makes the logo look distorted or squished. Fortunately, many design platforms and logo makers will automatically adjust the proportions when you input the dimensions, so you aren’t left guessing as to whether your logo looks right.
  
• Have horizontal, vertical, and square versions of your logo handy. There may be times where alternate, complementary versions of your logo are necessary to fit the requirements of a certain website or social media platform. For example, Instagram’s feed posts display square images, so you may need a version of your logo that fits neatly into that space. Imagine what these orientations may look like and create these versions as well while making your main logo.
  
• Follow your style guide. A brand style guide spells out logo usage that’s in line with your brand. It will detail what to do and what not to do when uploading your logo, including any changes to positioning that may be impacted by logo size on a website or social media. Using this guide, you can properly create the right logo size without impacting your company image.

Getting the logo size right with Namecheap

After you create your logo with the Namecheap Logo Maker and let it out into the world, you may need to revisit the original file to fit a number of uses. This intuitive tool makes these adjustments easy. With a few clicks, you can change the dimensions and export the necessary file type in high resolution, so you put your best foot forward on every site. Get started today by visiting the Namecheap Logo Maker and creating your account.