2 November 2026
Can I use that logo? A practical guide to brand marks
When it's generally fine to use another company's logo, when you need permission, and the handful of rules that keep you out of trouble.
Downloading a logo takes seconds. Knowing whether you're allowed to use it takes a little longer. This is a practical guide to the questions people ask us most. It isn't legal advice, and if you're planning anything ambitious, a short conversation with a trademark solicitor is money well spent.
First, who owns a logo?
The company does. A logo is almost always a registered trademark, which means the owner controls how it's used to identify goods and services. Some logo files are also protected by copyright as artwork.
The files on MisterLogo come from open-source projects that have released their drawings into the public domain. That covers the drawing, not the brand. Downloading a file here doesn't give you any right to use the trademark it shows. That's worth stating plainly, because it's the misunderstanding behind most logo trouble.
When it's generally fine
Using a logo to refer to the brand it belongs to is common and usually acceptable. For example:
- A "works with" or "integrates with" section on your product page, showing the tools your software connects to.
- An article or review that discusses a company and shows its logo.
- A presentation that compares several companies.
- A "you can pay with" row of payment logos on a checkout page.
- A portfolio piece describing work you genuinely did for a client, ideally with their permission.
What these have in common is honesty. The logo tells people something true about that brand, and it doesn't suggest the brand is vouching for you.
When you'll usually need permission
- Implying endorsement or partnership. Putting a big company's logo on your homepage under "Trusted by" when they're not actually a customer is the classic mistake.
- Using a logo in your own branding, such as your company name, product name or merchandise.
- Selling products with the logo on them. T-shirts, mugs and phone cases featuring other people's brands are where trademark owners are least forgiving.
- Advertising that features another brand's logo prominently, especially a competitor's.
The house rules most brands set
Most large companies publish brand guidelines, and they tend to agree on a few points:
- Don't change the logo. No stretching, recolouring outside the approved palette, adding effects or rearranging parts.
- Leave clear space around it. Guidelines usually define a minimum gap, often based on part of the logo itself.
- Respect the minimum size. Below a certain size the logo stops being legible, and brands would rather you didn't show it at all.
- Use the official colours, or the approved single-colour versions on busy backgrounds.
- Keep it smaller than your own branding when the two appear together, so nobody mistakes whose page it is.
Each logo page on MisterLogo links to the brand's official guidelines where we can find them. If a brand has guidelines, they override anything general, including this post.
If you're asked to take a logo down
Do it promptly and politely. Most disputes end there. Arguing the point is rarely worth it for a logo you didn't need much in the first place.
The same applies to us. If you represent a brand and want its logo updated or removed from MisterLogo, our removal requests page explains how. Our disclaimer and terms of use set out the rest.
The two-question test
When in doubt, ask yourself:
- Am I using this logo to talk about that company, or to make my own thing look better?
- Would a reasonable person think that company is connected to me?
If the answers are "to talk about them" and "no", you're usually on safe ground. If not, ask the brand first. Many have a press or partnerships email for exactly this, and a polite request costs nothing.
