Reputation
BIMI and VMC: getting your logo into Gmail
BIMI displays your verified brand logo next to your messages in supporting mailbox providers. Eligibility requires DMARC at enforcement plus a trademark-verified logo (VMC).
Prerequisites
You need DMARC at p=quarantine or p=reject (no pct<100) for at least a few weeks of stable enforcement. The From: domain must align with your DMARC org domain. For Gmail and Apple Mail your logo also needs a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC) issued by DigiCert or Entrust.
The logo file
The logo must be SVG Tiny PS — a constrained subset of SVG with no scripts, external references, or raster fallbacks. Use a square design, centred on a solid background. Most brand-asset SVGs need significant simplification before they pass BIMI validation.
The DNS record
Publish a TXT record at default._bimi.<domain> pointing to the SVG URL and the VMC URL. For most senders the syntax looks like: v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/vmc.pem.
Frequently asked questions
- Does BIMI improve deliverability?
- Not directly. BIMI is a brand-trust signal, not a deliverability boost. But the prerequisites (DMARC enforcement, aligned auth) do improve placement on their own.