BIMI: your logo in recipients' inboxes
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is a relatively recent standard that allows brands to display their logo next to emails in the recipient's inbox. When an email passes DMARC authentication with policy enforcement (quarantine or reject), the email client can display the sender's BIMI logo instead of the generic avatar. This increases brand recognition, recipient trust, and according to studies, email open rates by up to 10%.
BIMI is more than a cosmetic feature: it represents a visible reward for brands that have invested in email security. Since it requires DMARC with an active policy, only domains that have completed the authentication journey can display their logo. This creates a virtuous cycle: BIMI incentivizes DMARC adoption, which in turn improves the security of the overall email ecosystem.
Technical requirements for BIMI
The requirements for BIMI are strict: DMARC with policy p=quarantine or p=reject (p=none is not sufficient), a logo in SVG Tiny PS format (a restricted subset of SVG specific to BIMI — not just any SVG), and optionally a VMC (Verified Mark Certificate). The SVG Tiny PS format has rigid specifications: it must be square, without scripts, without external links, and with a solid background. Many SVG conversion tools do not produce BIMI-compatible output.
VMC: the Verified Mark Certificate
The VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) is a digital certificate issued by authorized CAs (DigiCert, Entrust) that certifies ownership of the logo and registered trademark. Gmail mandatorily requires a VMC to display the BIMI logo, while Yahoo and Fastmail make it optional. Obtaining a VMC requires: a trademark registered with a recognized patent office, company identity verification, and a significant annual cost (typically $1,000-$1,500 USD/year). For many SMBs, the VMC cost is the main barrier to adoption.
Check your current BIMI configuration with our BIMI Lookup: the tool checks the DNS record, verifies that the logo URL is accessible, validates the SVG format, and if present, verifies the VMC. Before configuring BIMI, make sure DMARC is in enforcement using the DMARC Lookup — without active DMARC, BIMI is not considered by email clients.
Email providers that support BIMI
BIMI support is growing steadily. Gmail has supported BIMI since 2021 but requires a VMC. Yahoo Mail and AOL support BIMI even without a VMC, displaying the logo based solely on the DNS record. Apple Mail added BIMI support in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Fastmail supports BIMI without a VMC. Microsoft Outlook has announced support, but implementation is still limited. Overall, BIMI reaches over 70% of global email users.
The impact of BIMI on deliverability is indirect but significant. The logo in the inbox increases recipient trust, reducing manual spam reports. The DMARC enforcement prerequisite improves domain reputation with all providers. And greater brand recognition translates into higher open rates, which in turn improve the engagement metrics providers use to evaluate sender reputation.
To get started with BIMI without the VMC cost, you can still configure the record and logo: Yahoo, Fastmail, and Apple Mail will display it. For Gmail, you will need to invest in a VMC when the ROI justifies it. In any case, the first step is reaching DMARC with p=reject — use our DMARC Generator to create the record if you have not done so yet.