How to Show Your Logo Next to Emails in Gmail (BIMI Explained)

When you receive an email from Apple, Google, or your bank, their logo appears next to the message. That is not magic — it is BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). Here is how it works and how to get your own logo showing.

What is BIMI?

BIMI is a DNS-based standard that lets email senders publish a logo alongside their domain. When a receiving mail server (Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail) sees a BIMI record and the email passes authentication, it displays the logo next to the message in the recipient's inbox.

It is a trust signal: "This email really comes from this brand, and here is their verified logo to prove it."

Requirements

BIMI is not something you just turn on. It requires a chain of trust:

1. SPF must pass for your domain
2. DKIM must pass with alignment to your From domain
3. DMARC must be set to p=quarantine or p=reject (not p=none)
4. BIMI DNS record pointing to your logo (SVG Tiny PS format)
5. VMC certificate (Verified Mark Certificate) — required by Gmail, optional for others

The VMC certificate is the expensive part — it costs $1,000-1,500/year and requires a registered trademark. This makes BIMI primarily a tool for established brands, not individual users or small businesses.

The free alternative: Google Account avatar

If you do not have a registered trademark or budget for a VMC, there is a simpler trick:

1. Create a Google Account using your brand name
2. During signup, choose "Use my current email address instead" and enter your custom domain address
3. Verify ownership via the confirmation code Google sends
4. Upload your logo as the Google Account profile picture
5. Make the profile picture visible to "Anyone"

Gmail now shows your logo next to emails from that address. This works because Gmail displays the sender's Google Account avatar when one exists.

Limitation: This only works in Gmail, not in Yahoo, Apple Mail, or Outlook. It also does not provide the "verified" checkmark that BIMI with a VMC certificate shows.

Setting up real BIMI

Step 1: Get authentication right

Ensure your domain has SPF, DKIM, and DMARC properly configured with p=reject. See our authentication guide for details.

Step 2: Prepare your logo

BIMI requires a specific SVG format called SVG Tiny PS (Portable/Secure). Your logo must be:

• Square aspect ratio
• Centered on the subject (no text that wraps around)
• SVG Tiny PS format (most SVG editors export standard SVG; you may need a converter)
• Hosted on HTTPS

Step 3: Obtain a VMC (for Gmail)

A VMC certificate verifies that you own the trademark associated with the logo. Currently available from DigiCert and Entrust. You need:

• A registered trademark (USPTO, EUIPO, etc.)
• Logo matching the trademark registration
• Domain ownership verification

Step 4: Publish the BIMI DNS record

Type: TXT
Name: default._bimi
Value: v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/vmc.pem

Who should bother with BIMI?

BIMI is a nice-to-have, not a must-have. Proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is the prerequisite that actually matters for deliverability and trust.