What is BIMI and How to Add Your Logo to Gmail

If you've ever noticed a company logo appearing next to an email in your Gmail inbox, that's BIMI in action. For New Zealand businesses, BIMI is one of the simplest ways to build trust, stand out from phishing attempts, and reinforce your brand every time someone opens a message from you.

In this guide, we'll explain what BIMI is, how it works, and walk you through exactly how to add your logo to Gmail.

What is BIMI?

BIMI stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification. It's an email standard that allows organisations to display their official logo alongside authenticated emails in supporting inboxes like Gmail, Yahoo, Apple Mail, and Fastmail.

Instead of seeing a generic grey avatar or the first letter of the sender's name, recipients see your actual brand logo — giving your emails instant credibility.

Why BIMI matters for NZ businesses

  • Stronger brand recognition — Your logo appears in every inbox, reinforcing brand identity.
  • Improved trust — Recipients can visually confirm the email is genuinely from you.
  • Better phishing protection — Scammers impersonating your domain cannot display your logo.
  • Higher engagement — Studies show branded emails get higher open rates.

For Kiwi companies dealing with customers who are increasingly wary of phishing (think fake IRD, NZ Post, or bank emails), BIMI is a strong visual signal that your email is legitimate.

How Does BIMI Work?

BIMI builds on top of your existing email authentication. Before your logo can appear in Gmail, you need:

  1. SPF — Sender Policy Framework configured correctly.
  2. DKIM — DomainKeys Identified Mail signing your emails.
  3. DMARC — A DMARC policy of p=quarantine or p=reject (not p=none).
  4. An SVG logo — Formatted to the BIMI specification (SVG Tiny 1.2 Portable/Secure).
  5. A BIMI DNS record — Pointing to your logo file.
  6. A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) — Required by Gmail to display the logo.

Without strong DMARC enforcement, BIMI simply won't work. That's by design — BIMI rewards senders who have done the hard work of authenticating their email.

Step-by-Step: How to Add Your Logo to Gmail with BIMI

Step 1: Get your email authentication sorted

Before anything else, confirm that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are all passing for your domain. Your DMARC record must be set to enforcement:

v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.co.nz; pct=100

Or for stronger protection:

v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.co.nz; pct=100

If you're still on p=none, you'll need to progress to quarantine or reject before BIMI will function.

Step 2: Create a BIMI-compliant SVG logo

Your logo must be in SVG Tiny 1.2 Portable/Secure (P/S) format. Standard SVGs won't work. Key requirements:

  • Square aspect ratio (1:1)
  • Solid background colour (no transparency)
  • No scripts, links, or external references
  • File size under 32KB

You can use tools like Adobe Illustrator to export in SVG Tiny 1.2, then clean the file manually or use a BIMI SVG converter.

Step 3: Host your logo on HTTPS

Upload the SVG to a location on your website accessible via HTTPS, for example:

https://www.yourdomain.co.nz/bimi/logo.svg

Make sure the URL is publicly reachable and serves the correct MIME type (image/svg+xml).

Step 4: Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)

Gmail requires a VMC — a digital certificate proving you legally own the trademark on the logo. VMCs are issued by certificate authorities like DigiCert and Entrust.

To qualify:

  • Your logo must be a registered trademark (in New Zealand via IPONZ, or in another recognised jurisdiction such as the US, EU, UK, or Australia).
  • You'll provide proof of trademark ownership during the certificate issuance process.
  • Expect to pay roughly USD $1,000–$1,500 per year.

Alternatively, Gmail now also accepts a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) for logos that have been in public use but aren't trademarked — though CMCs produce a slightly different visual indicator.

Once issued, you'll receive a .pem file containing the certificate. Host this alongside your SVG:

https://www.yourdomain.co.nz/bimi/vmc.pem

Step 5: Publish your BIMI DNS record

Add a TXT record to your DNS at default._bimi.yourdomain.co.nz:

default._bimi.yourdomain.co.nz. IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://www.yourdomain.co.nz/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://www.yourdomain.co.nz/bimi/vmc.pem"

The tags mean:

  • v=BIMI1 — BIMI version
  • l= — URL to your SVG logo
  • a= — URL to your VMC certificate

Step 6: Test and validate

After DNS propagation (usually within a few hours), send a test email to a Gmail address. If everything is configured correctly, your logo should appear next to the email in the inbox list and when opened.

If it doesn't work straight away, double-check:

  • DMARC is at p=quarantine or p=reject
  • Your SVG is correctly formatted
  • The VMC is valid and hosted at the URL in your DNS record
  • DNS changes have fully propagated

Common BIMI Pitfalls

"My logo isn't showing up"

The most common cause is a DMARC policy of p=none. Gmail will not display BIMI logos for domains without active DMARC enforcement.

"My SVG is being rejected"

Standard SVGs exported from design tools almost always need cleaning up to meet SVG Tiny P/S requirements. Tools like svgcleaner or online BIMI validators help.

"Do I really need a VMC?"

Yes, for Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple Mail. Some mailbox providers display logos without a VMC, but the major ones require it.

Is BIMI Worth It for NZ Businesses?

For most small NZ businesses, the cost of a VMC is the biggest barrier. But if you send high volumes of marketing or transactional email — think retailers, SaaS companies, financial services, or membership organisations — BIMI delivers clear benefits in brand recognition and customer trust.

At the very least, getting your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM sorted prepares you for BIMI down the track and protects your domain from being spoofed right now.

Check Your Email Setup with xteam MailCheck

Before you invest in BIMI, make sure your email authentication foundations are solid. xteam MailCheck is our free tool that instantly checks your domain's SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI setup — highlighting exactly what's missing or misconfigured.

Run a free check on your domain today and see how ready you are to light up your logo in Gmail.