What is BIMI? Your Complete Guide to BIMI Logo Requirements & Setup

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email authentication protocol that lets you display your brand logo next to your emails, with control over how and where it appears. Without BIMI, email clients pull logos from random sources, leading to inconsistent or incorrect branding across devices. BIMI ensures your logo is verified, consistent, and secure.

Why Is BIMI Logo Important?

With more and more mailbox providers embracing the protocol, BIMI can serve as an excellent marketing tool for organizations around the world.

1. Boosts Brand Visibility

When you use BIMI to attach your unique brand logo to emails that your clients receive from your company, you not only leave a lasting impact but also provide them with a visual indication that you are a trusted source. This visual representation in inboxes makes your messages stand out, encouraging more opens and interactions.

2. Enhances Security Posture

You can’t have BIMI without DMARC implementation. This means that adopting BIMI requires essential behind-the-scenes security updates that protect your brand reputation. By preventing domain impersonation, you ensure that your customers can trust the messages they’re seeing, adding a layer of security that aligns with your marketing efforts.

3. Protects Subscribers from Phishing

BIMI does more than just beautify your emails; it trains subscribers to recognize authentic messages from your brand. This framework includes protections against illegitimate senders trying to spoof your logo, which is especially crucial for industries at high risk of phishing, such as banking and retail. 

How Does BIMI Work?

BIMI works by attaching a brand’s logo to outgoing emails as a mark of visual verification displayed in the receiver’s inbox. With the BIMI email specification, domain owners and brands are in control of their officially displayed logos, which are maintained consistently in all outgoing emails for supported mailbox providers. The brand’s official logo is the most essential identifying factor of your brand; therefore, affixing the logo on every email received by your clients, partners, and employees builds up a sense of trust and assurance.

The BIMI logo on your email message instantly captures the receiver’s attention, makes a strong first impression in email inboxes, is the foundation of your brand’s identity, enhances security, demarcates you from your competitors, and fosters brand loyalty. BIMI logos are not only effective as an email security measure but have also become a feather in the cap of email marketers.

How to Check BIMI?

To ensure that your BIMI record is functioning properly or to check if an organization is already using BIMI, our BIMI record lookup tool can help. 

Enter your domain name in the designated box.

Click on Lookup.

View your results to see whether your record has any errors.

Take action against misconfigured records faster.

BIMI Logo Requirements

BIMI has certain requirements while uploading your brand logo:

• SPF or DKIM setup: You need to set up either SPF or DKIM for your domain. This will prepare the groundwork for your DMARC implementation.
  
• DMARC setup: After this, you need to set up DMARC for your domain with a policy of quarantine or higher (reject). DMARC deployment is mandatory for the BIMI logo display.
• The logo must be in SVG format: One crucial BIMI logo requirement is that your logo image must be in SVG format. SVG is comparatively lighter, loads quickly, and adapts easily to responsive sizing.
• Image must be square: For BIMI implementation, the exact dimensions of the logo do not matter as it is uploaded in SVG format, making it easily scalable. However, the image must be square, and the aspect ratio must be 1:1.
• The logo must meet the SVG BIMI profile: While the SVG standard is very versatile and has a range of versions to choose from, the closest fit to the SVG BIMI specifications is SVG 1.2 Tiny.

Steps to Create and Publish Your BIMI Logo Image 

To implement BIMI, you first need to enforce your existing DMARC policy by setting it to either reject or quarantine. Achieving full DMARC compliance is crucial, as it ensures SPF and/or DKIM authentication for all mail using your From domain. This step not only enhances your email security but also builds your reputation as a conscientious sender.

1. Creating Your BIMI Logo Image

Preparing the BIMI SVG Logo File

Users can prepare their BIMI-compliant logo either manually using Adobe Illustrator, or automatically using a BIMI SVG converter tool.

1. Manual Method: Preparing Your Logo in Adobe Illustrator for BIMI

To prepare your SVG file manually, all you need to do is:

• Open your logo in Illustrator. Make sure there are no bitmaps, linked files, text objects, or groups. Enable the Control Toolbar from the Window menu to check.
• If it’s an image, use Image Trace to convert it to a vector.
• Text must be converted to outlines: select text → go to Type > Create Outlines. It will now show as a group, not “Type”.
  Press Ctrl+A → Object > Ungroup. Repeat until everything is ungrouped.

Exporting SVG for BIMI

• Create a new file with square dimensions (1:1), RGB color mode. Copy-paste logo from the original.
• To export SVG, go to File > Save As → choose SVG (not compressed).
• In the dialog, set SVG Profile to SVG Tiny 1.2
• Under More Options, set Decimal Places to 1–3
• Click SVG Code to review code
• Click OK to save

Code Cleanup

In a text editor:

• Delete Illustrator version metadata
• Remove x=”0px” y=”0px” and overflow=”visible” from the <svg> tag
• Change baseProfile=”tiny” to baseProfile=”tiny-ps”
• Add a <title>Your Brand Name</title> below the <svg> tag

2. Automatic Method: Using BIMI SVG Converter

Sign up with PowerDMARC for free. 

Go to Analysis tools > PowerToolbox 

Select Generator Tools > BIMI SVG Converter. Add your image URL/domain name and click Convert.

The tool generates for converted image that you can directly download and use. 

2. Creating Your BIMI TXT Record

Once you have obtained your BIMI-compliant SVG logo, it’s time to create your record. For this you can use our BIMI record generator. 

Simply sign up with PowerDMARC for free. 

Go to Analysis tools > PowerToolbox 

Select Generator Tools > BIMI Record Generator 

Enter your domain name, Image URL (BIMI logo) and Certificate URL (VMC) if needed. Hit “Generate BIMI Record”. 

The tool automatically generates your BIMI record, ready to publish on your DNS.

3. Updating Your DNS

The BIMI record(s) reside in the “_bimi” space of your DNS, with the default BIMI record being “default._bimi”. The text part holds the identifier of the record version (v=BIMI1), URL to the logo (l=), and URL to the logo certificate (VMC) if available (a=).

Format of the BIMI DNS Entry

The BIMI DNS entry is formatted as a text (TXT) record within the “_bimi” space of your domain’s DNS. This record includes the version identifier, the logo URL, and optionally, the URL for the VMC. The syntax typically starts with the version, followed by the logo URL, and finally, the certificate URL if it’s available.

Real-world Example of a BIMI Record 

A complete BIMI record would look like the following:

default._bimi IN TXT “v=BIMI1;l=https://url.to/your.file.svg;a=https://url.to/certificate.pem”

Consider including multiple logos for different use cases if needed, but the “default” selector works for all mail. By following these steps, you’ll successfully implement BIMI, enhancing your email’s brand visibility and trustworthiness.

For more information, visit our blog on how to publish a BIMI record.

Understanding BIMI on Web and Mobile Platforms

When a company implements BIMI, its logo will prominently appear alongside emails in both web and mobile interfaces. This logo’s visibility is consistent across various devices, enhancing brand recognition and trust.

On Desktop

For desktop email clients, BIMI ensures that the company logo is displayed beside the sender’s information within the inbox. This allows recipients to easily identify emails from trusted sources at a glance.

On Mobile

Mobile email apps also support BIMI, presenting the logo next to the sender’s name. Importantly, mobile interfaces often offer views in both light and dark modes, ensuring that logos appear clearly and distinctively no matter the user’s display preference.

Benefits of Implementing BIMI

BIMI logos are not only effective as an email security measure but have also become a feather in the cap of email marketers. By implementing BIMI, brands unlock a suite of security benefits that work silently behind the scenes.

Enhanced Security with DMARC

To utilize BIMI, implementing DMARC is non-negotiable. This ensures your domain is protected from spoofing and phishing, safeguarding your brand’s reputation. With DMARC in place, you can rest assured that your logo appears only in emails that truly represent your brand, preventing impersonation.

Phishing Prevention for Subscribers

BIMI trains your customers to recognize legitimate communications from your brand. This makes it easier for them to identify phishing attempts, reducing the risk of fraud. By displaying your logo, BIMI acts as a visual cue that assures recipients of the email’s authenticity.

Protection Against Logo Spoofing

The BIMI framework includes built-in defenses against unauthorized logo usage. This is particularly crucial for businesses in sectors like banking, social media, and retail, where the risk of spoofing is higher. By ensuring only legitimate emails display your logo, BIMI fortifies your brand’s trustworthiness and security posture.

Incorporating BIMI not only elevates your brand’s presence in the inbox but also fortifies your email security strategy, creating a win-win for marketing and cybersecurity efforts alike.

Understanding Verified Mark Certificates (VMCs)

A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) is a digital certificate that proves the ownership of a trademark for your company’s logo. This is becoming increasingly relevant as technology evolves and email standards like Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) gain traction.

Why Might VMCs Be Required?

1. Increasing Email Security: As email phishing becomes more sophisticated, distinguishing authentic brands from imposters is crucial. By having a VMC, your verified logo can appear directly in the recipient’s inbox, enhancing trust and reducing the risk of fraudulent activities.
2. Brand Recognition: Displaying your logo in emails helps reinforce brand identity. A VMC ensures that only verified logos are displayed, making every interaction with your emails a branding opportunity.
3. Future Standardization: While not mandatory yet, VMCs may soon become the standard for email communications, especially as services like Gmail move towards complete BIMI support. Having a VMC could become essential for ensuring full compatibility with these platforms.

Steps to Obtain a VMC

• Trademark Your Logo: Before acquiring a VMC, ensure your logo is officially trademarked. This is a prerequisite for certification.
• Contact PowerDMARC: PowerDMARC helps you get your VMC through a trusted certificate authority like DigiCert. 

Troubleshooting BIMI Logo Display Errors

To ensure that your BIMI record is functioning properly: 

• Check BIMI Record: Use our BIMI lookup tool to check your BIMI TXT record. This will help identify any discrepancies that may need addressing.
• Ensure Authentication: Use a DMARC checker tool to confirm your authentication is set up correctly. This is a crucial step in maintaining email security and ensuring BIMI compliance.
• Consult the BIMI FAQ: For common issues, the BIMI FAQ section is a valuable resource. It can offer resolutions to problems others have faced, saving you time and effort.
• Check Logo Format: Make sure your logo is in the proper format using our SVG conversion tool. The right format is essential for your logo to display correctly in email clients.
• Verify that the email provider supports BIMI: While BIMI is widely adopted, not all providers support logo display. 

Current BIMI Support Among Email Providers

BIMI is gaining traction among email providers, though it’s not universally live just yet. Here’s a concise update on who’s currently on board:

• Verizon and Yahoo!: These were pioneers, leading the charge in implementing BIMI.
• Gmail: They joined the movement with support since July 2021. Note that they require a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) to participate.
• Apple: Apple Mail supports BIMI in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura 13 or later, and on iCloud.com. 
• AOL, La Poste, and Netscape: All have ongoing public pilots that do not demand a VMC for participation.
• Fastmail: Fastmail supports BIMI for both received and sent emails.

View more email providers that support BIMI. 

BIMI Logo FAQs

1. How does BIMI help subscribers avoid phishing attempts?

While BIMI does not directly prevent phishing, it enforces DMARC, enabling domain owners to take action against phishing emails from unauthorized sources.

2. What are some methods to display logos in email inboxes without full BIMI compliance?

There are a couple of alternative methods that can display logos without complete adherence to BIMI standards.

• Google Annotations: By utilizing Google Annotations, senders can enrich their emails with visual elements, including logos, even if they haven’t fully embraced BIMI protocols. However, this only works for Gmail users and only in the Promotions tab, and requires registration via Google Postmaster Tools.
• Google Profile Images: Another simple tactic involves setting a Google account profile image for the email address being used. This picture appears as the sender’s logo within Gmail and can serve as an immediate visual cue for recipients. However, visibility is limited and inconsistent. This image may not appear for all recipients.

Although these methods can mimic the appeal of a BIMI-authenticated logo, they do not provide the added layer of security that BIMI offers. 

3. What is the impact of BIMI on email visibility and engagement?

By displaying a brand’s logo in email inboxes, BIMI helps messages stand out, which can lead to higher open rates and increased engagement from recipients.

4. How does BIMI align the interests of marketers and security professionals?

BIMI creates a unique synergy between marketing and security by simultaneously enhancing brand visibility and bolstering email security, aligning the goals of both departments.

Final Words

Creating a BIMI-compliant SVG logo might take a few extra steps, but the payoff is well worth it. With your logo proudly displayed next to your emails, you boost brand visibility, enhance recipient trust, and reduce the chances of phishing and spoofing. 

But the process doesn’t have to be quite so complicated. Get started with PowerDMARC’s hosted BIMI services today to enjoy hassle-free BIMI implementation and logo display. We do the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to! Contact us today.