A usable logo handover includes the agreed editable master, exports for everyday applications, approved colour versions and short usage notes. Ask for a file manifest that explains what each asset is for. Receiving a folder full of extensions is less useful than knowing which file to send to your printer, website editor or presentation designer.
Set these requirements before approving the design scope. File delivery, font information and usage guidance should be explicit rather than assumed. This is an operational handover checklist; it does not determine trademark rights, ownership or licensing permissions.
Begin with the places the logo will appear
List actual uses: website header, social profile, presentation, document footer, business card or signage enquiry. Note which uses have unusual shapes or backgrounds. A narrow header and a square profile image may need different approved arrangements.
Ask the designer which versions suit those uses. Do not crop away part of a logo or rearrange its lettering simply to make it fit. If a compact arrangement is needed, make it an agreed deliverable and review it as a distinct version.
A fictional handover manifest
The following example is for a fictional business called Cedar Desk. The names demonstrate an organising method, not a prescribed file format package for every project.
- Editable master
- The approved design in the agreed authoring format, with the application or compatibility information needed to open it. Identify the final revision and any linked assets.
- Primary digital logo
- An export intended for the website or other supported digital use. State its arrangement, colour version and background assumptions.
- Transparent-background export
- A prepared raster file at agreed dimensions for tools that need it. Label the intended use so staff do not enlarge it indefinitely for print.
- Single-colour version
- An approved version for situations that call for one colour. It should be deliberately checked, not produced by arbitrary recolouring.
- Reversed or dark-background version
- An approved asset tested against the backgrounds it is meant to use. Include any restrictions that prevent parts of the mark disappearing.
- Print handover asset
- A file prepared for the printer's confirmed requirements. Keep job-specific production settings separate from assumptions about all future printing.
- Reference sheet
- Colour references, type information, clear-space guidance and examples of approved use, plus the person to contact for questions.
Understand the practical format differences
Vector artwork describes shapes; raster artwork uses pixels. MDN's image format guide identifies SVG as a vector format and describes PNG support for transparency. Those distinctions help explain why a scalable source and a transparent export serve different purposes.
A filename alone is not a quality check. A PDF can contain different kinds of content, and a file described as editable may still depend on missing fonts or linked images. Ask the designer to demonstrate the intended use rather than judging the handover only by its extensions.
Check colour and type references
Record the approved digital colour values and any print references supplied for the intended work. Ask the printer which colour workflow and proof are appropriate for a specific job. Do not assume a screen preview guarantees the appearance of ink on a chosen material.
Include font names and the source of any applicable usage information. Where text is outlined in a delivered asset, ask how future wording changes would be handled. Keep supplied licensing information with the project and seek clarification from the relevant rights holder when necessary; a design file does not establish permission by itself.
Open the files before closing the project
- Open each agreed export in its intended application.
- Check the spelling, arrangement and approved revision.
- Inspect light and dark backgrounds where relevant.
- Try a small everyday use such as a document footer.
- Confirm that the team can find the correct file without asking the designer to resend it.
Keep an approved-assets folder separate from working concepts. Give one person responsibility for replacing obsolete exports. When a logo changes, identify the affected templates so an old version does not keep returning through copied documents.
Match files to everyday tasks
Build a small usage map beside the manifest. For each common task, identify the approved file and who uses it. A presentation author may need a transparent export; a website editor may need an agreed web asset; a printer may request a production-ready file for a specific process. The map makes the handover practical for people who do not work in design software.
In the fictional Cedar Desk example, the document template owner should not have to choose between several similarly named drafts. Point the template to the approved arrangement and record the revision. Keep alternative concepts outside the everyday asset folder so they cannot be selected accidentally.
Discuss this map as part of the branding handover scope. It is easier to agree necessary versions before delivery than to discover a missing arrangement when a time-sensitive application arrives.
Work through a handover problem
Suppose the team receives a logo folder containing “final,” “final-new” and “approved-latest” files. One has the old spelling, another has a different accent colour, and none says where it should be used. The first correction is administrative: ask the designer to identify the single approved revision and remove ambiguity from the manifest.
Next, open the intended website asset in the actual page preview. Check the light and dark areas where it will appear. If part of the logo disappears against the header, select an approved alternative or ask for a suitable version. Do not solve the problem by adding an improvised outline around the mark.
The website implementation brief should identify the available header and footer versions, their source and the person who can approve changes. That keeps a layout adjustment from quietly becoming an unauthorised logo redesign.
Ask precise questions about editability
Instead of asking only for “all source files,” describe the changes the team expects to make. Will the business need to update a descriptor, create additional language versions or prepare new arrangements? Ask which assets support those tasks and which require the designer's original application or additional work.
Editable files can depend on linked images, fonts or application features. Ask what is included and how dependencies are documented. Do not assume a file that opens on the designer's computer will behave identically in every tool used by the business.
Keep rights information beside the asset record
Where the handover includes supplied fonts, icons or other third-party material, record the provided source and usage information. If a permission is unclear, ask the relevant party before repurposing it. This is a documentation practice, not a legal opinion about what a particular agreement permits.
Use a short acceptance exercise
- Ask a colleague to find the correct asset for a light-background document.
- Ask the website editor to identify the approved header version.
- Ask the design owner to locate the master and its dependencies.
- Ask the print coordinator to find the production questions still needing confirmation.
If any person has to guess, improve the naming or notes before closing the handover. Keep the exercise focused on actual work rather than collecting formats nobody needs. A successful handover leaves the team able to use approved assets consistently and know when to request help.
Frequently asked questions
Is a PNG logo enough?
It may suit some everyday uses, but it does not replace every source or production file. Match the handover to the uses you agreed.
Should staff edit the master?
Assign editing responsibility deliberately. Most staff need approved exports and templates, while changes to the master should follow a clear review process.
Does receiving source files prove ownership?
No legal conclusion follows from the folder alone. Keep the agreement and supplied rights information, and obtain appropriate advice for ownership questions.
Plan your next project with Tralionex
Bring your everyday logo uses and proposed file manifest. Confirm the source assets, exports, usage notes and review responsibilities needed for a practical handover.
