BIMI Record Generator: How to Create and Publish Your BIMI Record

Brand Identity & Security

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) lets your brand logo appear next to emails in recipients' inboxes. Creating a BIMI record involves preparing your logo, generating the DNS record, and publishing it. This guide walks you through the entire process.

What You Need for BIMI

Before generating your BIMI record, ensure you have:

Step 1: Prepare Your Logo

Logo Requirements

Your logo must meet these specifications:

Converting to SVG P/S

Standard SVG files won't work. You need the SVG P/S profile:

Remove these elements:

• Scripts and interactivity
• External references
• Animation
• Filters and effects
• Text (must be converted to paths)

Required structure:

<svg version="1.2" baseProfile="tiny-ps" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
     viewBox="0 0 100 100" width="100" height="100">
  <title>Company Logo</title>
  <!-- Logo paths here -->
</svg>

Tools for SVG P/S Conversion

Online converters:

• BIMI Group's SVG converter
• Various BIMI validation tools

Manual conversion:

1. Open SVG in a vector editor (Illustrator, Inkscape)
2. Convert all text to outlines/paths
3. Remove unsupported elements
4. Save as SVG Tiny 1.2 profile
5. Validate with a BIMI checker

Logo Design Tips

For best display across email clients:

• Center the logo — Leave margin around edges
• Use high contrast — Must be recognizable at 16x16 pixels
• Solid background — Match your brand colors
• Simple design — Complex logos don't scale well

Step 2: Host Your Logo

Your SVG must be publicly accessible via HTTPS.

Hosting Requirements

• HTTPS required — HTTP won't work
• Direct URL — No redirects
• Proper content type — image/svg+xml
• No authentication — Publicly accessible

Recommended Hosting Locations

https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg
https://cdn.example.com/brand/bimi-logo.svg
https://assets.example.com/logo-bimi.svg

Avoid

• URL shorteners
• Authenticated endpoints
• Dynamic URLs that may change
• Third-party hosts you don't control

Step 3: Generate the BIMI Record

Basic BIMI Record (Without VMC)

v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/brand/logo.svg

Components:

• v=BIMI1 — BIMI version (required)
• l= — URL to your SVG logo

BIMI Record with VMC Certificate

v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/brand/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/brand/vmc.pem

Additional component:

• a= — URL to your Verified Mark Certificate (PEM format)

Record Generator

To generate your record:

Example inputs:

• Logo URL: https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg
• VMC URL: https://example.com/bimi/certificate.pem

Generated record:

v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/bimi/certificate.pem

Step 4: Publish the DNS Record

DNS Record Details

Full DNS Entry

default._bimi.example.com.  TXT  "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg"

Adding in Common DNS Providers

Cloudflare:

1. Go to DNS settings
2. Click "Add record"
3. Type: TXT
4. Name: default._bimi
5. Content: Your BIMI record
6. Save

GoDaddy:

1. Go to DNS Management
2. Add new TXT record
3. Host: default._bimi
4. TXT Value: Your BIMI record
5. Save

Route 53:

1. Go to Hosted Zones
2. Create record
3. Record name: default._bimi
4. Record type: TXT
5. Value: Your BIMI record (in quotes)
6. Create

Step 5: Validate Your Setup

Check DNS Propagation

After publishing, verify the record is live:

dig +short TXT default._bimi.example.com

Should return your BIMI record.

Validate with BIMI Tools

Use online BIMI validators to check:

• DNS record is correctly formatted
• Logo URL is accessible
• SVG meets P/S requirements
• VMC is valid (if used)

Send Test Emails

Send emails to:

• A Gmail account (requires VMC to display)
• Yahoo Mail (displays without VMC)
• Fastmail (displays without VMC)
• Apple Mail (requires VMC)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Logo Not Displaying

Possible causes:

• DMARC not enforced (must be quarantine or reject)
• SVG not in P/S format
• Logo URL not accessible
• DNS not propagated
• No VMC for Gmail/Apple

"Invalid BIMI Record"

Check:

• Syntax is correct
• No extra spaces or characters
• URL is properly formatted
• Record is at default._bimi subdomain

"Logo Not Valid"

SVG issues:

• Contains unsupported elements
• Wrong profile (not P/S)
• Has transparency
• Not square aspect ratio

"Certificate Error" (VMC)

Check:

• VMC URL is accessible
• Certificate is in PEM format
• Certificate hasn't expired
• Certificate matches your domain

BIMI Record Examples

Minimal Setup (Yahoo, Fastmail)

default._bimi.example.com.  TXT  "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg"

Full Setup with VMC (Gmail, Apple)

default._bimi.example.com.  TXT  "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/vmc.pem"

Self-Assertion for Multiple Brands

If you need different logos for subdomains:

default._bimi.example.com.        TXT  "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/logo.svg"
default._bimi.brand.example.com.  TXT  "v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/brand-logo.svg"

Timeline and Expectations

Next Steps After BIMI Setup

1. Monitor display — Check if logos appear in test emails
2. Track engagement — Compare metrics before/after BIMI
3. Maintain the setup — Keep logo URL stable, renew VMC annually
4. Consider VMC — If not using one, evaluate the benefits for Gmail/Apple

BIMI setup requires attention to detail—proper SVG format, correct DNS records, and DMARC enforcement. Take your time with each step, validate thoroughly, and you'll have your brand logo appearing in inboxes where it matters most.

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