Image Format Comparison

JPG vs PNG for Logos: Which Format for Brand Assets?

For logos, the choice is almost never a real debate: PNG wins clearly over JPG. Logos have flat colours, sharp geometric edges, and typically need transparent backgrounds — all things JPG handles poorly. The real debate for logos is PNG vs. SVG (where SVG wins for scalability), but PNG beats JPG for logos in every scenario.

JPGvsPNG

Quick Verdict

Use JPG when…

Use JPG for logos only as a last resort — when the platform doesn't accept PNG and transparency isn't needed. JPG compression artefacts around sharp edges make logos look poor.

Use PNG when…

Use PNG for logos always — transparency support, lossless quality, sharp edges, and correct colour on any background. If you need scalability, use SVG instead.

JPG vs PNG: Feature Comparison

Feature	JPG	PNG
Transparency	Not supported — logo gets a white/coloured background	Full alpha transparency — works on any background
Edge quality	Compression artefacts (ringing) around sharp edges	Pixel-perfect sharp edges at any colour
Colour accuracy	Colours shift slightly from lossy compression	Exact colour values preserved (lossless)
File size	Smaller — but logos with flat colours compress well in PNG too	Usually small for logos (flat colours compress well)
Re-saving	Quality degrades each time	No quality degradation on re-saves
Scalability	Fixed pixels — blurs when scaled up	Fixed pixels — use SVG for resolution independence

When JPG wins

✓Transparency: Not supported — logo gets a white/coloured background
✓Edge quality: Compression artefacts (ringing) around sharp edges
✓Colour accuracy: Colours shift slightly from lossy compression

When PNG wins

✓Transparency: Full alpha transparency — works on any background
✓Edge quality: Pixel-perfect sharp edges at any colour
✓Colour accuracy: Exact colour values preserved (lossless)

Frequently asked questions

Why does my JPG logo have a white background?

JPG doesn't support transparency. When you save a logo with a transparent background as JPG, the transparent areas are filled with white (or another colour). If you need a logo that works on coloured backgrounds, dark backgrounds, or any background, you need PNG or SVG — both support transparent backgrounds.

What format should a logo be in?

For vector logos (created in Illustrator or Figma): SVG is ideal — infinitely scalable, resolution-independent, tiny file size. For raster logos: PNG is the standard — supports transparency, lossless quality, sharp edges. For print: supply PDF or EPS (vector). The file format hierarchy for logos: SVG > PDF/EPS (vector) > PNG (raster) > JPG (last resort).