The two things people ask most about a logo guideline are how much space to leave around the logo and how small it can go. If the guideline answers those vaguely, people ignore it.
This article is for whoever publishes the logo: how to pick those two numbers and how to write them down. If you’re the one using someone else’s logo, see Logo Usage Rules: Permission and Clear Space.
What is clear space?
Clear space (also called the isolation area) is the margin around a logo that nothing else may enter. Text or shapes placed too close start to read as part of the logo, and its shape gets lost. The margin keeps the logo from being mistaken for something else.
Which unit should clear space be written in?
The same logo goes on a business card and on a sign, so a fixed value like “10px” stops working as soon as the size changes. Instead, use a part of the logo itself as the unit and write something like “1× the logo’s height.” Then the margin grows and shrinks with the logo.
| Unit | Meaning | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Logo height | The height of the whole logo is 1 | Wide logos, horizontal sets |
| Logo width | The width of the whole logo is 1 | Tall logos, vertical sets |
| Pixel | A fixed size on screen | Icons and other fixed-size placements |
Some guidelines use the symbol’s height as the unit instead. Whatever you pick, use the same unit for the same kind of logo, and define every unit you use in the guideline.
MediaKit™ only offers units it can measure from the whole logo, because a logo image doesn’t tell it how big the text or the symbol is. If you want a unit based on the text or the symbol, define it in words in the guideline body. The figure can’t draw it.
How do you decide the margin?
- Choose the unit. Use the logo’s height for a wide logo and its width for a tall one, whichever gives a figure that’s easy to read once it’s drawn.
- Set a starting value. If you’re unsure, start at 1× the unit. If you leave the amount empty, MediaKit™ shows “1× the logo’s height” on the public page.
- Test it where space is tightest. Try the margin in the places the logo will really sit, such as a business card corner, an app header or a slide footer. If it can’t be met there, people won’t follow it.
- Adjust. If the margin doesn’t fit, reduce it, or provide a version of the logo for places without room (the symbol alone, for example).
- Write down the exception. A line like “If the margin can’t be kept, use the symbol only” gives people a way out that doesn’t depend on their own judgment.
How do you decide the minimum size?
The minimum size is the smallest the logo can go before fine detail is lost or the text can no longer be read. To set it:
- Test at real size. On screen, view it at 100%, not zoomed in. For print, make a test print. Find the size at which the thinnest line and the smallest text are still legible.
- Round up to a clean number. Don’t stop at the bare limit; go a little larger to leave some headroom.
- Set it per kind of logo. A symbol on its own can go small. A logo with text, or a long horizontal one, needs more room.
- Set screen (px) and print (mm) separately. How big a pixel actually is depends on the device’s resolution and zoom, so px and mm don’t convert one to one.
Unlike clear space, a minimum size is written as an absolute size in px or mm, not as a proportion of the logo. A minimum of “1× the logo’s width” tells nobody anything.
MediaKit™’s reference values as a starting point
If the owner hasn’t set a minimum size for a kind of logo, MediaKit™ shows the values below on the public page. They are MediaKit™’s own reference values, not an industry standard. Use them to get started, and prefer a value you’ve measured on your own logo. The px column is for screens and the mm column is for print; they were set separately, and neither is converted from the other.
| Kind of logo | Screen (px) | Print (mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | 24 | 8 |
| Logotype (logo with text) | 80 | 20 |
| Vertical set | 64 | 16 |
| Horizontal set | 96 | 24 |
The values go up from the symbol to the logos with text, and the long horizontal set has the largest.
How to word the guideline so people follow it
“Enough space” and “not too small” mean something different to every reader. Give a number and a unit.
Vague
Leave enough space around the logo.
Do not make the logo too small.
Specific
Keep at least 1× the logo’s height clear around the logo.
Do not use the horizontal set smaller than 96px wide on screen or 24mm wide in print.
Add a figure for clear space and minimum size
A number in a sentence doesn’t show how wide the margin really looks. Add a figure that draws the margin around the logo, and people can copy it as is.
How MediaKit™ handles this
In MediaKit™’s guideline settings, you enter an amount and a unit for each kind of logo, and a clear space figure appears on your public page automatically. MediaKit™ draws it by measuring the part of the logo image that is actually drawn, and the preview in settings is exactly what the public sees. If you leave the amount empty, the standard rule (1× the logo’s height) applies. You can also switch a kind of logo off to keep it unpublished. The minimum size is set on the same screen, per kind of logo, in either px or mm but not both; add the other unit as text in the overview. The upload guide walks through the steps.
- Clear space uses a part of the logo itself as its unit
- The guideline says the margin is measured from the edge of what is drawn
- The margin was tested where space is tightest
- There’s a fallback for when the margin can’t be kept (symbol only, for example)
- Minimum size was measured at real size, with screen px and print mm written separately
- Clear space and minimum size each have a number, a unit and a figure
For everything else a set of guidelines should cover, see How to Write Brand Guidelines: Six Essentials. For which file formats to distribute, see Logo File Formats: SVG, PNG, PDF and AI.
Frequently asked questions
How much clear space should a logo have?
Set it in a part of the logo itself, such as 1× the logo’s height. If nothing points to another value, start at 1× and then check that it can be kept in the tightest real placement, such as a business card corner or an app header, before adjusting it.
What is a typical minimum logo size in pixels?
There is no industry standard: measure, at real size, the point where fine detail stops being legible. As a starting point, MediaKit™ shows reference values for logos without a set minimum (24 px / 8 mm for a symbol, 96 px / 24 mm for a horizontal lockup); use your own measured values where you have them.
Is clear space the same as an isolation zone?
Yes. Both names mean the margin around a logo where no other text or graphics may appear; guidelines simply use different terms.
Do I need to give the minimum size in both px and mm?
If the logo is used both on screen and in print, yes. Screen pixels change physical size with the device’s resolution and zoom, so px and mm can’t be converted one-to-one; check each at real size and set them separately.
