The BIMI logo must meet a number of requirements before it can be displayed in the inbox. If the logo does not meet those requirements, it may not be shown. Read on and find out what the BIMI requirements are and how to create a valid SVG file.
Please note, the BIMI Working Group is the authority on defining the specifications. The requirements and ‘how-to’ below may be subject to updates/change.
Go through the steps below and create a SVG file which can be used for the BIMI record.
Choose SVG (not: svgz) | Avoid uppercase letters, spaces, underscores, or strange characters in the file name. Keep it simple. For example: brand-name-bimi.svg
Settings: SVG Profiles: SVG Tiny 1.2 | Image location: Preserve
If no code editor is available, open the standard available software. For example: TextEdit (Mac) or Notepad (Windows)
If the SVG tag (<svg…) contains the x/y attributes (for example: x=”0” y=”0”), remove these attributes.
After the <svg… and before the <g> tag) add <title></title>. Example: <title>Brand name</title> More than 65 characters are not allowed
If the customized SVG file looks similar to this example. The file is ready.
To find out if a bitmap image has been added, check the SVG file. There are several ways to check the source code of an SVG file. Two are mentioned below:
If the search returns a result it can be assumed that the SVG file contains a bitmap image and therefore does not match the guidelines of the BIMI logo.
Example:
When the next line (file.Xlink:href=”data:img/png;base64, i) is found, the SVG file contains a reference to a PNG (Bitmap).
Solution
Ask the designer of the logo to modify the file so that it is a fully vector-based file.
It is possible that the SVG file was created in a different way and therefore contains more (unnecessary) code.
Solution
In that case open the SVG file in Adobe Illustrator and follow the steps mentioned above. This will create a well encoded SVG file.