What are the Best Image Dimensions for a Website Logo and Favicon

Key Takeaways

Standard website logo dimensions: 250 x 100 pixels (horizontal), 100 x 100 or 150 x 150 pixels (square)
Create logos at 2x size for Retina displays (e.g., 500 x 200 pixels for display at 250 x 100)
SVG format offers the best scalability for logos without resolution loss
Master favicon should be created at 512 x 512 pixels
Essential favicon sizes: 16×16, 32×32, 180×180 (Apple), 192×192, and 512×512 pixels
Keep logo file sizes under 100 KB, preferably under 50 KB
Use PNG for transparency, SVG for scalability, or JPEG for photographic logos
Test across multiple devices and browsers for optimal display

Your website’s logo and favicon are critical branding elements that create the first impression for visitors and enhance brand recognition across digital platforms. Choosing the right dimensions for these visual assets ensures they display correctly across all devices, browsers, and contexts. Understanding optimal sizing helps maintain image quality, improves loading times, and creates a professional appearance that strengthens your brand identity.

Website Logo Dimensions

Website logos appear in various locations, primarily in the header area of your site. The ideal dimensions depend on your header design and whether you’re using a horizontal, vertical, or square logo format. For horizontal logos, which are the most common, dimensions of 250 pixels wide by 100 pixels high work well for most websites. This size provides clear visibility without overwhelming the header space or compromising mobile responsiveness.

If you’re using a square or icon-based logo, dimensions of 100 x 100 pixels or 150 x 150 pixels typically work effectively. Vertical logos might require dimensions around 150 pixels wide by 200 pixels high, though these are less common due to the horizontal nature of most website headers.

For high-resolution displays like Retina screens, it’s advisable to create your logo at twice the display size. This means if your logo displays at 250 x 100 pixels, you should create it at 500 x 200 pixels. Modern browsers automatically scale the image down, ensuring crisp display on all screen types. Using vector formats like SVG eliminates resolution concerns entirely, as SVG graphics scale infinitely without quality loss.

The file format matters significantly for logo performance. SVG is ideal for logos with clean lines, text, and solid colors, offering perfect scalability and small file sizes. PNG format with transparency works well for logos requiring photographic elements or complex gradients, while JPEG suits photographic logos without transparency needs. Always optimize your logo files to reduce loading times—aim for file sizes under 100 KB, preferably under 50 KB.

Favicon Dimensions

Favicons are the small icons that appear in browser tabs, bookmark lists, and mobile home screens. Modern favicon requirements have evolved beyond the traditional 16 x 16 pixel ICO file. Today’s best practice involves creating multiple sizes to accommodate various devices and contexts.

The standard favicon displayed in browser tabs measures 16 x 16 pixels or 32 x 32 pixels. However, you should create your master favicon at 512 x 512 pixels, then generate smaller versions from this high-resolution source. The recommended sizes include 16 x 16, 32 x 32, 48 x 48, 64 x 64, 128 x 128, and 256 x 256 pixels for comprehensive coverage across all platforms.

Apple devices use specific icon dimensions for when users save websites to their home screens. The recommended size is 180 x 180 pixels for Apple touch icons. Android devices and Windows tiles also use larger favicon sizes, with 192 x 192 pixels and 512 x 512 pixels being common requirements.

Modern implementations typically use a single SVG favicon or a PNG file at 512 x 512 pixels, allowing browsers and devices to scale as needed. This approach simplifies management while ensuring quality across all platforms. However, including an ICO file with multiple sizes embedded provides the widest compatibility with older browsers.

Implementation Best Practices

When implementing your logo and favicon, consider responsive design principles. Your logo should scale appropriately on mobile devices, potentially switching to a simplified or icon-only version in tight spaces. Use CSS to control logo dimensions rather than relying solely on image size, allowing flexibility across different viewport sizes.

For favicons, include proper HTML link tags in your website’s head section, specifying different sizes for various purposes. This ensures browsers and devices can select the most appropriate icon size for their specific context.

Testing your logo and favicon across multiple browsers, devices, and screen resolutions confirms they display correctly everywhere. Pay attention to how they appear on both light and dark backgrounds, ensuring visibility in all contexts. Well-optimized logo and favicon dimensions contribute to faster page loads, better user experience, and stronger brand recognition across your entire digital presence.