How to check if a logo is really vector

1. Check the artwork inside the file

Start with the logo itself: the symbol, lettering and any effects. A file can contain a mixture, such as vector lettering beside a PNG symbol. Checking only the letters misses the problem.

SVG can include PNG or JPEG images. EPS can contain vector and bitmap graphics. A PDF can also contain images alongside other objects. These formats are useful, but the extension alone tells you too little about the artwork.

Inspect a copy and keep the received original. Compare it with the approved preview before changing anything. If you only need to choose a delivery format, start with our logo format guide.

Continue with: SVG, PNG, EPS and PDF for logos

Further reading: W3C: embedded content in SVG · Adobe: saving EPS artwork · Adobe: inspecting PDF content

2. Use quick checks as clues

Zoom is a useful clue: a large raster image may still look smooth. Illustrator’s Pixel Preview simulates raster output, so seeing pixels is not conclusive either. Confirm the result by inspecting the objects.

The same caution applies to a selection box. A grouped logo, a placed file and a raster image can each behave like a single item until you examine their contents.

Further reading: Adobe: artwork preview modes

3. Inspect the logo in Illustrator

Open the inspection copy. Use the following checks together; none is a complete certification on its own.

• Choose View > Outline to see paths. Linked files normally appear as boxes with an X, although display settings can change this. Return to Preview afterward.
• Use Direct Selection on individual logo shapes to inspect their anchor points and path segments. Check the shapes that draw the mark, not just a rectangular clipping boundary.
• Open Window > Links. Review placed files and their file information to identify any raster artwork. The panel includes linked and embedded files; embedding changes where an image is stored, not its underlying image type.
• Open Window > Document Info. In the panel menu, review Objects, Linked Images and Embedded Images. Selection Only limits the report to the selected artwork; clear it to inspect the whole document. Check whether each image is actually part of the delivered logo.
• Check the Appearance panel for effects applied to the logo’s objects, groups and layers. Raster effects such as drop shadows and feathering generate pixels even when the underlying shape has editable points. Inspect the final export as well as the source.

Further reading: Adobe: Outline view · Adobe: Direct Selection · Adobe: the Links panel · Adobe: Document Info · Adobe: raster effects and Appearance

4. Check an SVG without relying on its preview

If you are comfortable reading SVG, open a copy as text and inspect image elements and their href or xlink:href references. A PNG or JPEG reference indicates raster content. An image element can also reference another SVG, so the element name alone does not settle the question.

Use this as a targeted check, not a pass/fail scanner. Finding a path somewhere does not prove that every visible component is vector. If the structure is unfamiliar, ask the designer to inspect the file in a vector editor and identify the symbol, lettering and effects separately.

For confidential client artwork, use a local editor or an already-approved service rather than uploading the file to an unknown checker.

Further reading: Open the free SVG checker · MDN: the SVG image element

5. Inspect the delivered PDF or EPS too

In Acrobat Pro, open All tools > Use print production > Output preview, then choose Object Inspector in the Preview menu. Inspect the logo components; the information can include image resolution, color mode and transparency. Check the actual delivery PDF, not only the source document.

For EPS, ask the intended recipient to check the file in the application that will use it. Adobe documents that Illustrator can reopen native unflattened data while another application reads flattened EPS data. Flattening can divide artwork into vector and raster areas.

If you do not have the inspection tools, send the supplier the original file and ask whether its contents suit the agreed job. Do not resave it just to produce a preferred extension. A successful open or a good thumbnail does not answer the production question.

Further reading: Adobe: Acrobat Pro Object Inspector · Adobe: transparency and EPS flattening

6. Choose the next step from what you found

Record which outcome applies: vector shapes and/or live text only; raster artwork only; a mixture of vector and raster components; or contents you could not establish. Name any unresolved parts instead of calling the entire file suitable for every use.

If you find an unwanted raster symbol, first ask for the original vector artwork. That is usually a better starting point than rebuilding the logo from a small preview. If no original exists, agree on a redraw or tracing task and review the resulting shape against the approved design.

Illustrator Image Trace offers controls for details such as paths, corners and noise. Treat tracing as a reconstruction to review. Check letter shapes, spacing, small gaps and curves before approving a replacement. Saving the same pixels into another format does not reconstruct those shapes.

A vector result still needs a separate job check. Confirm the requested color treatment, dimensions and production requirements with the recipient. Handle font dependencies before handoff; see our guide to SVG fonts that change.

The supplied file contains a raster image in the logo symbol. Could you send the original vector version of the symbol, or the original design file? The supplier needs to review it for the intended job. If only this image is available, please confirm that before we agree on any reconstruction work.

Continue with: why SVG logo fonts change · RGB and CMYK logo handoff

Further reading: Adobe: Image Trace controls

7. Package the checked SVG with logopack.app

Once the source SVG is checked, logopack.app can help prepare an organized package in PNG, JPEG, WebP, SVG, PDF and EPS. Inspect the selected exports before delivery and keep any supplier-specific production files alongside them.

With a free account, you can try the supplied demo pack while its SVG artwork remains unchanged. Exporting your own artwork requires a paid plan. Start in the generator and review the current pricing before exporting.

Keep the inspection note with the package: which file was checked, what it contains, and what the recipient still needs to approve. Packaging should preserve the decisions you made about the artwork.

Further reading: Open the logo package generator · View current plans

Before sending the logo

Review the exact files in the delivery folder. Keep the checklist short enough that the next person will use it.

• ✓The symbol, lettering and effects have each been inspected.
• ✓Any raster components or unresolved checks are documented.
• ✓The exported artwork matches the approved design.
• ✓Required fonts or an approved outlined version have been addressed.
• ✓The recipient has confirmed any production-specific requirements.
• ✓The package includes a clear note about which file to use.

Continue with: The complete client handoff checklist