Here at Caffeine, we love helping clients to achieve the best outcome possible for what they want for their designed projects. Great design starts with great content, and one of the most important elements you can provide us with is high-quality imagery. Whether you’re providing product images, team headshots, event photography or logos, the quality and format of those assets play a key role in the success of your design.

To ensure a smooth and efficient process, we’ve put together a simple guide to help you supply files that are ready for use.

What Makes an Image Usable?

Think of your images as the building blocks of your design. If those blocks are low-resolution, blurry, or in the wrong format, the final structure just won’t hold up.

Images should be clear and detailed, not pixelated or blurry:

• For print: 300 DPI (dots per inch)
• For web: At least 1500 pixels wide

Please avoid images downloaded from websites or social media, they’re usually too compressed and won’t work well in design projects.

The format of your image files is just as important as the image quality. Some formats preserve detail and allow for flexible use, while others can limit what we can do.

Preferred File Types

.AI / .EPS / .SVG – Best for logos, icons, illustrations
These are vector formats, which means they can scale to any size without losing quality. Ideal for both print and digital designs.

.PNG (High-resolution) – Best for images with transparent backgrounds
PNGs are great for logos and product images.

.JPG / JPEG (High-resolution) – Best for photographs and detailed imagery
A widely used format as long as the resolution is high and not too compressed.

File Types to Avoid

Screenshots (.PNG or .JPG)
Screenshots are useful for reference, but they are typically too low-quality for use in final designs.

Images pulled from websites or social media
These are often compressed and optimised for speed, not quality. They might look fine on screen but usually do not hold up in larger or printed formats.

Images embedded in Word documents, PowerPoint slides, or PDFs (unless the PDF is print-ready)
Extracting images from documents like these usually results in quality loss. Please send the original image files instead.

For Headshots and Portraits

If your project includes team bios, speaker profiles, or any design that incorporates headshots, here are a few simple guidelines to follow:

• Use natural lighting if possible and avoid strong shadows or bright flashes
• Choose a neutral or uncluttered background
• Provide original, uncropped images. We’ll handle formatting and sizing
• Send the image at its full resolution directly from your device or photographer

A well-lit, high-quality photo makes a significant difference to the overall professionalism of your finished design.

Organising Files for Handover

The smoother the handover, the sooner we can dive into the creative work. When you’re ready to send your assets:

• Place all relevant images in a clearly labelled folder
• Use descriptive file names such as Team-Headshot-Emily.jpg etc
• If necessary, include a brief document or note explaining how each file should be used, e.g. say something like ‘use this version of the logo on light backgrounds’

By providing high-quality, properly formatted images, you’re helping us produce the best work that we can with the best outcome for you too.

Ben

Caffeine Creative are an experienced team based in the Cardiff area. We help with graphic design, web development, company values, social media, branding and more. To know more please contact us.