BIMI without the hype

BIMI is a DNS record that can display your brand logo in some inboxes after DMARC is enforcing. It does not improve deliverability by itself. SPF, DKIM, alignment, IP history, and content still decide whether mail lands in the inbox.

A BIMI TXT on a domain that still uses p=none will not help you. Receivers that support BIMI still require DMARC first. Receivers that do not support it simply ignore the record.

The order that works

Start with one clean SPF record and DKIM that passes and aligns. Move DMARC to p=quarantine or p=reject and leave it stable for a while. Only then publish a BIMI TXT that points at an SVG you host over HTTPS. Gmail’s fuller logo treatment may also need a VMC, which is a paid certificate with extra verification. Doing BIMI before enforcing DMARC usually means debugging the same domain twice.

Alignment still matters. If the message fails DMARC, the logo will not rescue it. Fix authentication and policy before you spend time on branding in the inbox.

The logo file has strict rules

BIMI expects SVG Tiny P/S: square, small, and free of scripts. A multi‑megabyte export or a PNG renamed to .svg will fail quietly. Host the file on HTTPS on a hostname you control so the path does not change without warning.

dig +short default._bimi.example.com TXT

If dig returns nothing, the record is not published. If dig looks correct and Gmail still shows no logo, a missing VMC is a common cause. That is not LogicWeb blocking BIMI. A screenshot from another domain’s inbox does not prove your TXT is wrong.

Do this, or wait

If DMARC is not yet at quarantine or reject, wait and finish that work first. If it is enforcing and stable, publish a tiny SVG, add the BIMI TXT, and check one inbox that documents BIMI support. Please do not open a ticket about a missing Gmail logo while the domain still has p=none.

Most customers should finish DMARC and stop there. The logo is optional; the aggregate reports are not. See DMARC from none to reject if your policy is still none. If a designer already handed you a large Illustrator SVG, open it, remove scripts and extra fonts, keep it square and small, and host it on HTTPS you own. Pointing BIMI at a CDN path you do not control often breaks later when that path changes. Dig the TXT, fetch the SVG, then check one supporting inbox. That is the full practical test.