Does BIMI require a specific color profile for the SVG?

Yes, while BIMI doesn't mandate a specific color management profile like sRGB or Adobe RGB, it does have very strict requirements for the SVG file itself, including how color is handled. The primary concern for BIMI isn't color accuracy across devices but security and simplicity. This leads to a specific subset of the SVG standard being required for your logo to display correctly in the inbox.

Your BIMI logo must be in a format known as SVG Portable/Secure (SVG P/S). This is a restricted version of the standard SVG format designed to be safe for email clients to render without any security risks. As the BIMI Group, the organization behind the standard, states, this is a specific profile.

BIMI Group says:

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The brand image to be displayed must be in Scaled Vector Graphics (SVG) format. The specific SVG profile used by BIMI is defined as SVG Portable/Secure (SVG P/S).

This SVG P/S format evolved from an earlier requirement, SVG Tiny 1.2, which you may still see mentioned in some older guides. The goal is the same: to create a simple, secure vector file that contains no potentially harmful elements.

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To create a valid BIMI logo, your SVG file must meet several technical criteria. These rules ensure that the logo can be displayed consistently and safely across different email platforms.

• Solid background color: Your SVG logo cannot have a transparent background. It must be a solid color. This is a crucial requirement to ensure the logo is visible against different background colors in various email clients' dark or light modes.
• Square aspect ratio: The image must be perfectly square. While the final display might be circular or a rounded square depending on the email client, the source file needs to be a 1:1 ratio.
• No forbidden elements: The SVG file cannot contain any external links, scripts, animations, or embedded raster images (like a JPG or PNG inside the SVG). This is a strict security measure. Any attempts to include these will result in an invalid file.
• Specific XML attributes: The root <svg> element should have its attributes set correctly, typically baseProfile="tiny-ps" and version="1.2".
• Title element: The file should include a <title> element that contains your company's name. This is used for accessibility purposes.

The main reason for these strict SVG requirements is security. Since email clients are rendering an image file directly in the user's inbox, they need to be certain it contains no malicious code. SVGs, being XML-based, could potentially carry scripts or links to harmful websites. By limiting the SVG to the secure P/S profile, mailbox providers like Gmail and Apple Mail can safely display your logo.

Astral Internet Canada says:

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The background must be a solid color (not transparent). BIMI requires a colored background to prevent logos from disappearing on certain user interface backgrounds.

The requirement for a solid color background is more about usability than security. It prevents logos, particularly those with light or white elements, from becoming invisible when a user switches to a light or dark mode in their email client. In short, while there's no required color profile, the rules around the SVG's structure and content, including its solid background, are non-negotiable for successful BIMI implementation.