Abstract: Before purchasing a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from SSL, your logo file must meet strict technical specifications set by the BIMI Working Group, and failing to prepare it correctly is one of the most common sources of application delays. This guide covers the SVG Tiny PS format requirements, logo design constraints, and why your submitted file must match your registered trademark exactly. It also walks through the most frequent reasons VMC logo submissions are rejected, giving applicants a clear checklist to work through before they begin the ordering process.
Before you purchase a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) from SSL, your logo file needs to be ready. This is one of the most overlooked steps in the VMC process, and it is also one of the most common sources of delays. A logo that looks perfect in your email signature or on your website may still fail VMC validation if it does not meet the BIMI Working Group’s technical file specifications.
This guide focuses on what your logo file must look like before submission. For a broader overview of the full VMC validation process, including trademark eligibility and DMARC requirements, refer to SSL’s Validation Requirements and Installation Process for Mark Certificates.
Why Logo File Format Matters for VMC
VMCs use your logo as a cryptographically bound element of the certificate. The certificate authority embeds a representation of your logo directly into the certificate, which means the file format must be verifiable, tamper-resistant, and rendered consistently across different email clients.
That is the reason BIMI requires the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG Tiny PS) format, not a standard SVG, PNG, JPEG, or even a generic vector file. SVG Tiny PS is a restricted subset of the SVG Tiny 1.2 standard, defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), with additional security constraints layered on top. Those constraints deliberately strip out anything that could be manipulated or abused, such as external resource links, scripts, animations, or embedded bitmap images.
If your file does not conform to this exact profile, email providers like Gmail and Apple Mail will not display your logo, and SSL’s validation team cannot issue your certificate.
SVG Tiny PS Technical Requirements
The SVG Tiny PS format is defined at the code level in your SVG file’s root tag. These are the attributes and structural elements your file must include or exclude.
Required attributes on the root <svg> tag
Your SVG file must open with a root element that includes all of the following:
- version=”1.2″ specifying the SVG version
- baseProfile=”tiny-ps” identifying the correct profile (this is the most commonly missed attribute)
- xmlns=”http://www.w3.org/2000/svg” declaring the SVG namespace
- A viewBox attribute with a square 1:1 ratio (for example, viewBox=”0 0 512 512″)
Required structural elements
- A <title> element containing your company or brand name, placed near the top of the SVG document, just before your graphic elements. This field supports up to 64 characters. It is not displayed visually, but it is required.
Elements and attributes to remove
Most vector editors, including Adobe Illustrator, do not export directly to SVG Tiny PS. If you export as SVG Tiny 1.2 (the closest available option in Illustrator), you will still need to clean up the file manually or run it through a conversion tool. Specifically, you need to remove:
- x=”0px” and y=”0px” attributes on the root <svg> element
- overflow=”visible” if present
- Any <script> elements
- Any <image> elements (embedded bitmaps or raster images)
- Any <animate> or animation-related elements
- Any <filter> elements (this includes drop shadows, blurs, and glows)
- Any <a> anchor links
- Any <foreignObject> elements
- Any external references or links, other than the SVG namespace declaration
If Illustrator is your tool of choice, the BIMI Group publishes an Adobe Illustrator Export Script that automates much of this conversion from SVG Tiny 1.2 to SVG Tiny PS. Online converters such as the EasyDMARC BIMI SVG Converter can also handle the process.
Logo Design Requirements
Beyond the code-level file structure, your logo’s visual design and file properties must also meet the following specifications before submission.
Shape and aspect ratio: Your logo canvas must be square with a 1:1 aspect ratio. Email clients display BIMI logos as circles, so your logo should be visually centered within the square frame with adequate padding. A logo that runs edge-to-edge will appear cropped when displayed as a circle.
Background: Your logo must have a solid, opaque background. Transparent backgrounds are not permitted. Transparent or semi-transparent areas render unpredictably across different email clients, which is why the specification requires a filled background color.
Vector only: Every element in your logo must be vector-based. No raster (pixel-based) images are allowed, even as embedded elements within an otherwise valid SVG file.
Supported visual elements: Solid fills, basic geometric shapes, paths, strokes, and simple linear gradients are generally supported. Complex gradients, masks, drop shadows, and filter effects are not.
File size: Your SVG file must not exceed 32 KB. Complex logos with many paths can exceed this limit. If your file is too large, simplify the paths or reduce the number of distinct elements.
No fonts or web fonts: Text in your logo must be converted to outlines (paths) before export. Embedded web fonts and @font-face declarations are not permitted in SVG Tiny PS.
Your Logo Must Match Your Trademark Exactly
This is a validation requirement, not just a design preference. When SSL’s validation team reviews your VMC application, they compare your submitted SVG logo against the trademark registration on file with the relevant intellectual property office.
Any significant difference between the two, including changes in color, shape, arrangement of elements, or the presence of design elements not included in the trademark filing, can result in rejection. If your trademark was filed in black and white, the validator will assess your logo against that version. If it was filed in color, those specific colors matter.
The practical implication: do not redesign, simplify, or stylize your logo for BIMI without first checking whether those changes are consistent with your trademark registration. Minor canvas adjustments, such as adding a background color or centering the mark within a square frame, are generally acceptable. Altering the mark itself is not.
Common Reasons VMC Logo Submissions Are Rejected
The following issues account for a substantial portion of VMC submission delays and rejections:
Wrong SVG profile. Submitting a standard SVG or SVG Tiny 1.2 file without converting it to SVG Tiny PS is the most frequent technical error. The absence of baseProfile=”tiny-ps” alone is enough to cause rejection.
Non-square viewBox. A viewBox with unequal width and height dimensions (for example, viewBox=”0 0 800 400″) fails the 1:1 ratio requirement.
Raster elements present. Any <image> tag embedding a PNG, JPEG, or other bitmap will cause the file to fail SVG Tiny PS validation.
Unsupported effects. Drop shadows, Gaussian blurs, and filter-based effects created in Illustrator or Figma are represented in SVG as <filter> elements, which are not permitted.
Missing <title> element. This is easy to overlook, but your SVG file must include a <title> element with your brand name before submission.
Transparent background. A logo with no fill or an alpha-transparent background does not meet the solid background requirement.
Trademark mismatch. The submitted logo differs from the design documented in your trademark registration, whether in color, composition, or included elements.
File over 32 KB. This usually affects logos with complex paths. Simplifying anchor points or combining shapes can bring the file size into compliance.
Fonts not converted to outlines. Text rendered using embedded fonts or font references will fail. All text must be converted to paths before the file is exported.
Validating Your File Before Submission
Before submitting your logo as part of an SSL VMC order, validate it using a BIMI SVG validator. The BIMI Group maintains a reference validator at bimigroup.org, and third-party tools such as EasyDMARC’s BIMI SVG Converter and CaptainDNS’s SVG Tiny PS Converter can both check and clean up common issues automatically.
Running your file through a validator before you begin the order process saves time and prevents back-and-forth during validation.
Hosting Your Logo
Once your logo file is ready and validated, it must be publicly accessible over HTTPS. The URL you use to host the SVG will be referenced in your BIMI DNS record. Make sure the file is served from a domain you control, that it is reachable without authentication, and that it uses HTTPS rather than plain HTTP.
Ready to Get Started?
If your logo is in SVG Tiny PS format, matches your registered trademark, and passes a BIMI validator, you are in a strong position to begin your VMC application. Visit SSL’s Verified Mark Certificate product page to purchase and start the validation process, or contact SSL support if you have questions about whether your logo file is ready.