Logo placement is the deliberate positioning of a brand mark on any surface, whether digital or physical, to maximise recognition, usability, and trust. A logo placed in the wrong spot can go completely unseen. The same logo in the right location becomes a consistent anchor that reinforces brand identity every time a customer interacts with your product.

Placement decisions affect recall, accessibility, and how professional a brand appears. According to research from the Nielsen Norman Group, users are 89% more likely to recall a logo placed in the upper-left corner of a webpage compared to a centered position. That single data point reshaped how most websites are built today.

This guide is structured to answer every common placement question, from navigation headers to embroidered caps. It includes specific pixel sizes, DPI values, spacing formulas, and the most common mistakes designers and brand managers make.

89% higher recall for top-left vs. centered web logos (NNGroup)
6s average time a user spends looking at a homepage header on first visit
3x faster brand recognition with consistent cross-channel placement

1. Core Logo Placement Principles

Before you place a logo anywhere, four universal principles apply regardless of medium. Violate any one of them and placement problems follow.

Top-Left Dominance

In cultures that read left to right, the eye enters a page at the top-left corner and sweeps in an F-pattern or Z-pattern. Placing your logo at the top-left aligns it with natural reading flow, putting it in the first zone of visual attention on almost every page load. This is why virtually every major website, from Amazon to The Guardian, anchors its logo there.

Visual Hierarchy and Clear Space

A logo needs breathing room to register as a distinct element. Clear space is the protected area around a logo that must remain free of other visual elements including text, imagery, and decorative graphics.

The Standard Clear Space Formula:
Take the height of the logo's primary letterform or symbol (often called the cap-height or the x-height) and use that measurement as the minimum clear space on all four sides. If your logo is 40px tall on screen, maintain at least 40px of padding around it.

Consistency Across Channels

A brand mark placed in the top-left on your website should appear in a comparable position on your email newsletters, print documents, and social media profiles. Inconsistency creates visual noise and reduces the cumulative effect of brand recall. Studies on brand recognition consistently show that repeated, predictable placement trains the audience's memory faster than varied or unpredictable positions.

Grid Alignment

Logos should always snap to the underlying grid of a design. Whether you are working in a 12-column web grid or a baseline grid for print, aligning the logo to established grid points prevents it from looking like an afterthought. If you work in Figma, our guide on how to use logos in Figma covers grid-based logo placement in detail.

YOUR LOGO CTA Button Hero Content Area Sidebar / Secondary Footer logo placement Top-left (primary)
Standard website logo placement: primary position top-left in the header, repeated in the footer for reinforcement.

2. Website Logo Placement

Website placement is where logo decisions have the highest usability impact. Every element in a navigation header competes for attention, and users have become conditioned to expect the logo in a specific spot.

Header Placement

Place the logo in the top-left corner of the global navigation bar. It should be the first tappable or clickable element in the DOM order for screen reader accessibility. The logo should link back to the homepage, a convention so universal that breaking it frustrates users.

Recommended header logo sizes:

  • Desktop: 120px to 200px wide, 40px to 60px tall
  • Tablet: 100px to 160px wide
  • Mobile: 80px to 140px wide, keeping the height under 44px

Sticky Navigation

When a navigation bar scrolls with the user (sticky or fixed positioning), the logo should remain visible at all times. Some brands use a compact version of their logo (often a symbol-only mark) once the user scrolls past the hero section. This maintains brand presence without taking up vertical space. If you use both a symbol and a wordmark, our post on wordmark vs. symbol logos explains when to use each.

Mobile Positioning

On mobile viewports narrower than 480px, keep the logo centered or left-aligned, but ensure the hamburger menu or navigation controls do not overlap with it. A common pattern is logo left, menu icon right, with at least 16px of padding on each side.

Footer Repetition

Repeating the logo in the footer serves two purposes: it closes the page with a brand reminder, and it provides a second accessible anchor link to the homepage. Footer logos are typically 20 to 30% smaller than the header version and often rendered in a lighter or inverted color to match the footer's background.

Favicon

The favicon is a 16x16 or 32x32 pixel icon used in browser tabs and bookmarks. Use only a simplified symbol or monogram of your logo here, as full wordmarks become illegible at this size. Export as .ico or .png. For more on format choices, see our guide on the best logo formats for websites.

Pro Rule Always use an SVG file for your header logo on the web. SVG logos scale perfectly to any screen density, load faster than PNGs for simple marks, and are indexable by search engines. Keep a PNG fallback for email clients that don't support SVG.

3. Social Media Logo Placement

Social platforms impose their own constraints: circular crops, fixed canvas sizes, and compression artifacts. Placement on social requires adapting to each platform's safe zones rather than imposing your preferred composition.

Profile Pictures

Most platforms display profile images as circles. This means anything in the corners of your logo graphic will be cropped out. Center your logo or symbol within a square canvas and leave at least 10% padding on all four sides before the circle crop begins. A colored background fill (using your brand color) often works better than a transparent one in this context.

Recommended profile image canvas: 800x800px minimum, uploaded at the platform's recommended size. Avoid placing text near the edges.

Cover Images and Banners

Cover images on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter/X are wide, responsive, and cropped differently on mobile vs. desktop. Place your logo in the center-right or top-center zone of the canvas, staying away from the bottom-left corner where your profile picture overlaps the banner on most platforms.

Video Watermarks

When adding a logo watermark to video content, place it in the top-right corner to avoid overlap with captions (typically bottom-center or bottom-left) and with platform UI controls (typically bottom-right). Use 20 to 40% opacity to keep it visible without distracting from the content.

For YouTube, keep the logo out of the lower-third region where annotations and card UI appear. For TikTok, the right-side user interface column (profile icon, like/comment/share buttons) occupies roughly the rightmost 15% of the screen, so place watermarks in the top-left or top-right, staying inset by at least 8% from any edge. Our guidance on colored logo versions and white logo versions is directly relevant here: pick the version with the most contrast against your video background.

Instagram Highlight Icons

Instagram story highlight icons are tiny circles at approximately 56px display size. Use an icon-only or initial-only version of your logo, centered in a circular composition. Keep the design to one or two visual elements maximum.

Social Media Tip When placing logos over photography for social posts, always use either the white version or black version of your logo depending on background brightness, and add a subtle drop shadow or a translucent pill-shaped backing if the background is complex. For more on this, Barn Images' guide on adding logos to social media graphics is a useful practical reference.

4. Print and Packaging Logo Placement

Print placement requires higher precision than digital because errors are expensive to correct after printing. Everything must be locked down before files go to the printer.

BUSINESS CARD LOGO 3mm bleed zone 4mm LETTERHEAD LOGO footer: website · address · phone
Business card: logo top-left with 4mm margins. Letterhead: logo in header band, repeated in footer strip.

Business Cards

Standard business cards are 85mm x 55mm (or 3.5" x 2"). Place the logo in the top-left or top-center of the front face, with a minimum 4mm margin from all edges. Account for a 3mm bleed zone if the card has a full-bleed background. Export your logo as a vector EPS file for the print vendor to maintain sharpness at any size.

Letterheads

On A4 or US Letter documents, place the logo in the top header zone, either left-aligned or centered. The standard top margin for letterheads is 25mm to 30mm from the page edge. A smaller version of the logo or a simplified mark often appears in the footer alongside contact details.

Brochures

For tri-fold brochures, the logo belongs on the front panel's top third. On multi-page brochures, include the logo on the cover, the back cover, and optionally in the footer of interior spreads for continuity. Avoid placing it on every single interior page as this creates visual fatigue.

Product Packaging

On packaging, the logo belongs on the primary display panel, which is the face that will be seen on a shelf or in a product photo. Place it at the top of the panel for food and beverage products (where regulatory information occupies the lower portion), or centered for premium/gift packaging where the logo is the hero element. The back and side panels typically carry a smaller version alongside barcodes and legal text. For a complete print setup workflow, see our print-ready logo setup guide.

5. Apparel and Merchandise Logo Placement

Apparel placement has conventions as strong as any medium. Deviating from them without a specific creative reason looks amateurish. Here are the rules that decorators and embroiderers use.

LEFT CHEST Primary zone 80–100mm wide CENTER CHEST 200–300mm wide Sleeve T-Shirt Placement Zones
Standard apparel placement zones. Left chest is the primary default; center chest for bold statement pieces.

Left Chest Placement

The left chest is the default placement for branded apparel. It sits roughly 7 to 9 cm from the center seam and 4 to 5 cm below the shoulder seam. The logo should be 80 to 100mm wide for embroidery, or up to 120mm for screen print. This placement works for polos, dress shirts, fleeces, and jackets.

Center Chest Placement

Center chest is bolder and more casual. It is standard for graphic tees and hoodies. The print area typically spans 200 to 300mm wide, centered horizontally on the garment, positioned roughly 5 to 7 cm below the collar seam. This placement allows for larger, more detailed logo graphics.

Sleeve Placement

Sleeve logos are secondary branding elements. They go on the upper left or right sleeve, 50 to 75mm wide, centered on the sleeve panel. Sleeves are often used for sponsor logos, event year marks, or secondary brand elements.

Embroidery-Specific Rules

  • Minimum stitch size: Text in an embroidered logo must be at least 6mm tall or the stitches merge and become illegible.
  • Minimum thread width for fine details: 1.5mm. Anything thinner will not embroider accurately.
  • Stitch count for left chest: 5,000 to 12,000 stitches is typical for a clean, medium-complexity logo.
  • Fabric contrast: On dark fabrics use the white or light version of your logo. On light fabrics, use the colored or black version. See black logo versions and white logo versions for ready-to-use files.

6. Logo Placement Mistakes to Avoid

Most logo placement errors fall into predictable categories. Here are the ones that damage brand perception most severely.

Centering the Logo in Navigation Without Hierarchy

A centered navigation logo can work in very specific contexts (luxury brands, editorial sites), but it almost always disrupts usability. It buries the logo in the middle of navigation items, breaks expected user flow, and creates awkward splitting of menu items on either side. Default to top-left unless you have a deliberate brand reason to center.

Stretching or Disproportionate Resizing

This is the most common logo crime. Dragging a logo's corner without holding the aspect ratio constraint distorts letterforms and symbol shapes. Always resize logos with locked aspect ratio. If a logo does not fit in a given space, choose a different version (horizontal vs. stacked) rather than stretching the current one. Our guide on logo types covers the difference between horizontal and stacked configurations.

Placing Logos Over Busy Backgrounds

A logo dropped over a complex photograph, a patterned texture, or a gradient that shifts near the logo's colors becomes illegible. Solutions include using the white or black version of the logo, adding a solid or semi-transparent backing shape, or darkening/lightening the background area behind the logo.

Ignoring Safe Zones

When packaging is folded, or when a banner is installed, or when a business card is die-cut, areas close to the edge get cropped or trimmed. Placing a logo too close to the edge risks cutting into the mark. Always stay within the safe zone: minimum 4mm from trim edges in print, minimum 16px from the viewport edge on web.

Using Low-Resolution Files

A logo exported at 72 DPI for a PowerPoint file that gets printed will look blurry. Use SVG for web, PDF or EPS for print, and a minimum 300 DPI PNG or TIFF for any raster-based print application. If you are using logos in presentations, our guide to logos in PowerPoint covers the right file formats and resizing approaches.

Inconsistent Placement Across Platforms

A logo top-left on the website but bottom-right on the app and centered in the email newsletter is a symptom of a brand without a placement system. Document your placement rules in a brand guideline and enforce them across every team that touches visual output.

7. Technical Guidelines and Measurements

Concrete numbers prevent ambiguity. Use the reference table below as your baseline for any logo placement decision.

Medium Minimum Size Recommended Size File Format Resolution
Website header 80px wide 120–200px wide SVG / PNG 72 DPI (SVG infinite)
Website favicon 16x16px 32x32px or 48x48px ICO / PNG 72–144 DPI
Social profile image 400x400px 800x800px PNG 72 DPI
Social watermark 60px wide 80–120px wide PNG (transparent) 72–144 DPI
Business card 15mm wide 25–40mm wide EPS / PDF / AI 300 DPI
Letterhead 20mm wide 40–60mm wide EPS / PDF 300 DPI
Product packaging 20mm wide Context-dependent EPS / AI 300 DPI min
Embroidery (left chest) 60mm wide 80–100mm wide DST / EMB N/A (stitch file)
Screen print (center chest) 150mm wide 200–280mm wide EPS / AI 300 DPI
PowerPoint / Keynote 100px wide 150–250px wide SVG / PNG 150 DPI minimum

Contrast Ratio for Accessibility

Logo placement on colored backgrounds must meet accessibility contrast standards if the logo contains text. WCAG 2.1 AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt or 14pt bold). While brand logos are technically exempt from WCAG as graphic marks, accessible contrast is still best practice, particularly for logos that include a wordmark on a colored background.

Minimum Clear Space Formula

Use the cap-height rule: measure the height of the tallest uppercase letter (or the primary symbol's height), then apply that same measurement as minimum padding on all sides. For a logo 48px tall, maintain 48px clear space on every edge. In print, a logo 20mm tall requires 20mm clear space all around.

DPI Rules for Print

  • Offset and digital print (close viewing): 300 DPI minimum
  • Large format banners (viewed from 1–2m): 150 DPI acceptable
  • Billboards (viewed from 5m or more): 72–100 DPI acceptable
  • Best practice: Always supply vector files (EPS, AI, SVG, or PDF) to printers so DPI is irrelevant at any scale
Quick Reference Summary: Web logos use SVG at top-left in headers. Print logos use vector formats at 300 DPI. Apparel embroidery requires a minimum 6mm text height. Social profile images need 10% padding from the circular crop edge. Always maintain clear space equal to the logo's cap-height on all sides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where should a logo be placed on a website?

The logo should be placed in the top-left corner of the header navigation bar. This position aligns with natural left-to-right reading patterns and is where users expect to find it. Research from Nielsen Norman Group shows an 89% recall advantage for top-left versus centered placement. The logo should link back to the homepage and be present in the footer as a secondary placement.

Should a logo always link to the homepage?

Yes, in almost every case. Users have been conditioned for two decades to click the header logo to return to the homepage. Breaking this convention frustrates navigation. The only common exception is on the homepage itself, where some designers make the logo non-clickable (since you are already there), though most still keep the link active for consistency.

Can a logo be centered in navigation?

It can work, but it is not recommended for most brands. Centered navigation logos work best for luxury, editorial, or fashion brands where the deliberate break from convention reinforces exclusivity. For e-commerce, SaaS, and informational sites, centering reduces usability and lowers brand recall. If you do center, ensure navigation items are split symmetrically on either side and the logo has generous clear space.

How much spacing should a logo have around it?

Use the cap-height rule: measure the height of the tallest element in your logo, then apply that same distance as minimum padding on all four sides. For a logo 40px tall on a website, maintain 40px of clear space around it. For print, a 20mm-tall logo needs 20mm of clear space. This rule ensures no competing element crowds or visually compromises the mark.

What size should a logo be in a website header?

On desktop, 120 to 200px wide and 40 to 60px tall is the standard range. On mobile, reduce to 80 to 140px wide and keep height under 44px to avoid consuming too much vertical space. Use an SVG file so the logo remains perfectly sharp on retina and high-density displays. A sticky nav can use a slightly smaller logo (around 30 to 40px tall) to give content more room as users scroll.

Where should a logo go on a T-shirt?

The left chest is the standard default for branded apparel, positioned 7–9 cm from the center seam and 4–5 cm below the shoulder seam, at 80–100mm wide for embroidery. Center chest placement (200–300mm wide) is used for bold graphic tees and hoodies. Sleeve placement is reserved for secondary marks or sponsor logos at 50–75mm wide on the upper sleeve.

Should logos be top-left or centered on print materials?

It depends on the document type. Business cards and letterheads typically use top-left placement to lead the reader's eye correctly. Certificates, invitations, and packaging fronts often use centered placement to create a focal point. The key principle is that the logo should align with the visual hierarchy of the specific document, whether that creates a left-anchored flow or a centered, symmetrical composition.

What is the minimum logo size for print?

For most print applications, the minimum is 15mm wide for a simple wordmark and 10mm wide for a symbol-only mark. For embroidery specifically, text within the logo must be at least 6mm tall to stitch legibly. Always supply the printer with a vector file (EPS, AI, or PDF) rather than a raster file, so size is not constrained by pixel resolution. Our guide on EPS logo files explains why vector formats are essential for print.