As an experienced webmaster, I know first-hand that your website‘s logo is a crucial part of your brand. You want it to stand out just enough to make an impact, without being overly large or distracting.
But here‘s the thing:
When you first set up your logo in WordPress, chances are it‘s not the perfect size for your site‘s design right off the bat.
The good news? Resizing your WordPress logo is super easy once you know how.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you multiple ways to tweak the logo size, no matter what theme you use:
- Using the Customizer (for themes with built-in sizing options)
- Editing theme template files directly
- Adding custom CSS code
- Using a visual CSS editor plugin
I‘ll also share proper logo sizing best practices, examples, and even some data on ideal logo dimensions.
By the end, you‘ll have the skills to resize your WordPress logo with confidence!
Contents
Why Proper Logo Sizing Matters
Before we dive in, let‘s look at why logo size optimization is important:
It Makes Your Brand Stand Out
Your logo is often the first thing visitors notice on your site. A properly sized logo draws attention and makes your brand instantly recognizable.
According to a Lucidpress study, a well-sized logo can boost brand awareness by up to 80%!
It Prevents Your Logo from Being Overbearing
On the other hand, an excessively large logo dominates the header and distracts from your content. Most design experts recommend logos take up no more than 5-10% of the header area.
It Helps Align Your Logo with the Design
Even if your logo file size is technically adequate on its own, it still may not align well with your theme‘s header size and layout. Fine tuning is often required for a cohesive look.
It Allows Consistency When Switching Themes or Logos
If you change WordPress themes, the header area and logo spacing will likely change too. Similarly, if you upload a new logo file, the dimensions may differ from your old logo. Resizing maintains visual consistency.
According to Statista:
- 64% of businesses update their logo design every 5 years or less
- 22% of companies change logos every 1-2 years
Being able to resize your logo easily allows for design refresh while keeping the size consistent across themes.
How Big Should Your Logo Be? Recommended Dimensions
So what are the optimal logo dimensions? Here are a few best practices:
- Max width: 150-200px
- Max height: 50-75px
- Max file size: 100-150KB
However, the exact ideal size depends on:
- Your theme‘s header size
- Amount of navigation and headers elements
- Overall site width
- Logo proportions (horizontal vs vertical orientation)
In most cases, starting with a max width of 175px and adjusting from there results in proper size and proportions.
Use the methods below to tweak your logo until it has enough visual impact, without dominating the header.
Method 1: Use the WordPress Customizer (Easiest)
The easiest way to resize your logo is directly in the WordPress Customizer. This lets you preview changes visually before publishing them.
However, it will only work if your theme has built-in settings for adjusting logo size.
The good news is many premium WordPress themes support logo resizing, like:
- Divi
- Astra
- GeneratePress
- OceanWP
- Schema
- Hestia
- Avada
- Jupiter
- Flatsome
- Enfold
To access the Customizer, log into your WordPress dashboard and go to:
Appearance > Customize
Next, look for options labeled "Site Identity", "Logo", "Header", etc. For example:
You‘ll find sliders or fields to define the logo‘s width, height, or both. Slowly adjust these values while previewing until you find the perfect fit.
Once you have the ideal size, click "Publish" to make your resized logo live on the site!
Using the Customizer allows real-time previewing, saving you time instead of guessing with CSS.
Method 2: Edit the Theme Template Files
If your theme doesn‘t have Customizer options for resizing, the next option is editing the theme template files directly.
This requires navigating to your theme folder via FTP, SFTP, or cPanel file manager. You‘ll need to find and modify the file that outputs the logo markup.
In most WordPress themes, the logo is added using:
- header.php
- OR logo.php
Open the relevant file in a text editor like Notepad++ and look for the <img> tag that renders the logo:
<img src="<?php echo get_theme_mod( ‘logo‘ ); ?>" alt="<?php bloginfo( ‘name‘ ); ?>">To adjust the size, add CSS rules like height and width. For example:
<img src="<?php echo get_theme_mod( ‘logo‘ ); ?>" alt="<?php bloginfo( ‘name‘ ); ?>" width="200" height="100"> This would resize the logo to 200px wide and 100px high. You may need to experiment with different values to find the ideal dimensions.
Once you have the logo sized properly, save the file and upload it back into the theme directory on your server.
The benefit of editing templates is it gives you total control for maximum precision. The downside is that it requires diving into code rather than visual adjusting.
Method 3: Use Custom CSS in the WordPress Customizer
You can also use custom CSS code to resize your logo, no template editing required.
This is done right within the built-in WordPress Customizer on the "Additional CSS" tab:
First, you need to find the logo‘s CSS class or ID, which can be obtained using browser developer tools.
Once you have the logo‘s CSS selector, add rules like:
.logo {
max-width: 200px;
}The benefit of using max-width vs width is that the image will scale down responsively.
You may also want to define the max-height:
.logo {
max-width: 200px;
max-height: 100px;
} This helps prevent distortion by locking the height.
Keep tweaking the values and previewing until the logo looks just right. Click "Publish" to make it live on your site.
Using custom CSS gives you precision sizing without editing templates. The drawback is that it requires some CSS knowledge.
Method 4: Use a Visual CSS Editor Plugin
For an entirely code-free logo resizing solution, a visual CSS editor like CSS Hero is great.
These plugins allow you to customize CSS visually, similar to a page builder. No coding required.
To get started, install and activate CSS Hero:
Next, click "Customize with CSS Hero" in your WordPress admin toolbar. This will launch the visual editor on your live site.
Click on your logo, then adjust the width, height, or both directly in the editor:
Click "Save & Publish" when you have the sizing dialed in.
Visual CSS editors provide flexibility without coding expertise. However, there is a learning curve to navigating the interface.
Final Thoughts
Optimizing your WordPress logo size is crucial for good design and branding. Luckily, it‘s easy to tweak using the Customizer, templates, CSS, or plugins.
No matter which resizing method you use, the goal is finding that sweet spot where your logo has maximum impact without being a distraction.
Don‘t be afraid to experiment with different sizes and placements. Over time you may find your optimal logo dimensions change as branding evolves.
I hope this guide helps you resize your WordPress site‘s logo with confidence! Let me know if you have any other questions.
