BIMI: Show Your Brand Logo in the Inbox

When a recipient scans a crowded inbox, a recognisable logo next to your name can help your messages stand out and look legitimate. BIMI, short for Brand Indicators for Message Identification, is the standard that makes this possible in supporting email clients. It is not a quick cosmetic setting, though. BIMI builds on email authentication you should already have in place, and some mailbox providers require a certificate that proves you have the right to use the logo. This guide explains what BIMI needs, the order to set it up in, what it costs in effort and time, and what it will not do for your email.

What BIMI is

The BIMI Group website describes BIMI as an emerging email specification that enables the use of brand-controlled logos within supporting email clients, and explains that for a logo to be displayed the email must pass DMARC authentication checks (BIMI Group). In other words, BIMI is a reward for strong authentication rather than a replacement for it.

According to the BIMI Group's FAQ for senders, you publish a BIMI TXT record in DNS that points to your logo in SVG format and, optionally, to a certificate. Mail must have SPF or DKIM aligned with the visible From domain and pass DMARC with a policy of quarantine or reject. Whether and when the logo appears is decided by each mailbox provider's own policies (BIMI Group: FAQs for senders).

Start with DMARC at enforcement

BIMI depends on DMARC, and DMARC depends on SPF and DKIM being set up correctly for every service that sends mail as your domain. If you have not yet done that work, start there. Our DMARC setup guide walks through inventorying senders, publishing records, reading reports and moving from monitoring to enforcement.

Google's BIMI setup guide for Google Workspace is specific about the policy: the DMARC policy must be set to quarantine or reject, BIMI does not support a policy of none, and the percentage option must be set to 100 so the policy applies to all mail from the domain (Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up BIMI). Moving to that level safely takes time, because you must be confident that all legitimate mail passes before telling providers to quarantine or reject the rest.

Get a mark certificate

Google's guide states that BIMI requires third-party certification for your domain and logo, in the form of a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) from a certificate authority. It recommends a VMC where possible and explains that to be eligible for one, your logo must be trademarked with an intellectual property office recognised by VMC issuers. The same guide notes that the trademark process can take 6 to 12 months and recommends working with your legal team. In Gmail, senders verified with a VMC also show a checkmark.

Other mailbox providers have their own rules, and the BIMI Group notes that many providers require a certificate. Check the current requirements of the providers your audience uses before deciding which certificate to pursue.

Prepare the logo file

The logo must be an SVG file in a specific profile. Google's guide calls for SVG Tiny Portable/Secure (SVG Tiny PS), recommends a square, centred logo on a solid background and suggests keeping the file at 32 KB or smaller. Ordinary SVG exports from design tools usually need conversion to meet the profile, and the BIMI Group lists conversion tools on its site. The logo in the file should match the logo on the certificate.

Publish the BIMI record

With DMARC at enforcement, a certificate and a compliant logo, you publish a BIMI TXT record in DNS. The record points to the hosted SVG file and, if you have one, the certificate file. Host both on a secure web server you control. After publishing, use a validator, such as the BIMI Validator tool listed on the BIMI Group site, to confirm that the record, logo and certificate are found and valid.

Worked example: a hypothetical BIMI readiness check

The table below is a hypothetical readiness check for a company considering BIMI. It illustrates the sequence and dependencies, not a timeline for any particular organisation.

RequirementStatusNext stepAll sending services identifiedDoneKeep the list currentSPF and DKIM aligned for each senderTwo services still failingFix before raising DMARC policyDMARC policyp=none with reportsMove to quarantine, then reject, once reports are cleanDMARC percentageNot setSet to 100 when enforcingLogo trademarkNot registeredLegal team to assess; allow monthsCertificateNoneDecide VMC or CMC after trademark reviewSVG Tiny PS logoNot preparedConvert and validateBIMI DNS recordNot publishedPublish after the items above

What BIMI will not do

Be realistic about the benefits. BIMI does not by itself make mail reach the inbox; mailbox providers apply their own filtering, and each one decides whether to show the logo. It does not fix poor list quality or high complaint rates. Its strongest effect is indirect: getting ready for it forces you to finish authentication work that also supports deliverability and protects your domain from spoofing. Our guide to bulk sender requirements covers the wider rules that large senders must meet.

Coordinate the teams involved

BIMI touches several groups: whoever manages DNS, the teams and vendors that send mail as your domain, the brand or design team that owns the logo and the legal team that handles trademarks. Name one owner for the project and agree the sequence up front. Most delays come from waiting on one group's step, such as a sending vendor that has not yet enabled DKIM signing for your domain.

Decide whether it is worth it now

For a brand that sends a lot of mail to consumers, and already has DMARC at enforcement and a registered trademark, BIMI can be a reasonable next step. For a small B2B sender still fixing SPF and DKIM, it is better treated as a later milestone. Either way, the authentication work comes first and pays off regardless of whether a logo ever appears.

Maintain it over time

Once live, BIMI needs light upkeep. Note the validity period of your certificate and plan its renewal with the certificate authority. New sending services must be authenticated before they start sending, or they will fail DMARC and lose the logo. Rebrands require a new logo file and possibly a new certificate. Keep a short record of the records, files and renewal dates involved.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does BIMI stand for?

Brand Indicators for Message Identification. It is an email specification that lets supporting email clients show a brand-controlled logo next to authenticated messages.

Does BIMI require DMARC?

Yes. The email must pass DMARC, and Google requires a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject with the percentage option set to 100.

Do I need a trademarked logo?

For a Verified Mark Certificate, yes, according to Google's guide. The same guide says that if your logo is not trademarked, you can set up BIMI using a logo that has a Common Mark Certificate. Other providers' requirements vary.

Will BIMI improve inbox placement?

Not directly. Providers still apply their own filtering. The authentication work BIMI requires does support deliverability and helps protect your domain.

Strengthen your email authentication

We help teams complete SPF, DKIM and DMARC, plan the move to enforcement and decide whether BIMI fits. See our cold outreach and deliverability service, or talk to us about BIMI.

About the Author

Manav Sharma is the founder of Insyrge and a CRM solutions architect. He works across Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, Odoo and more, designing the CRM setups, integrations and automations that keep sales and operations teams working from the same data.