BIMI: your logo in the inbox.

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is the standard that puts your logo next to your name in the inbox. When it's set up, supporting mail apps show a small, verified version of your brand mark on every message you send, instead of a grey initial or a blank avatar.

{# A self-contained mock of the inbox effect, so the page always renders. The "with BIMI" avatar is our own logo mark (favicon-d.svg) rendered via , exactly how a real BIMI logo would appear, here as an example of the effect. #}

dmarcula

Your weekly DMARC summary is ready

without BIMI

dmarcula

Your weekly DMARC summary is ready

with BIMI

Same sender, same subject. A grey initial versus the verified dmarcula logo.

Why BIMI is in dmarcula, even though it isn't DMARC

BIMI is not an authentication standard. It doesn't decide whether a message is genuine. DMARC, SPF and DKIM already do that. What BIMI does is reward the work you've already done: it only displays your logo once you're authenticating your mail and enforcing it.

So it sits naturally at the end of the enforcement journey. Get to p=quarantine or p=reject, and the logo becomes the visible payoff your recipients actually notice. That's also why we check it: it's the last rung, and a quick way to see whether a domain has earned it yet.

Where your logo shows up

Support varies by mailbox provider, and each has its own bar:

Gmail shows BIMI logos, and requires a Verified Mark Certificate (see below).
Apple Mail (iOS and macOS) shows them, and also expects a certificate.
Yahoo and AOL were the earliest adopters and show logos.
Fastmail and a growing set of others display them too.

Inboxes that don't support BIMI simply ignore the record. There's no downside to publishing it.

What you need, in order

DMARC at enforcement. Your policy has to be p=quarantine or p=reject. BIMI is ignored at p=none. This is the part dmarcula spends most of its time helping you reach.
A square SVG logo, in the specific "SVG Portable/Secure" profile BIMI requires (a stripped-down, script-free SVG). Our BIMI checker flags the common problems.
A BIMI DNS record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com pointing at that logo.
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), if you want Gmail and Apple Mail to actually show it.

The honest catch. The first three steps are free. The fourth, the VMC, is not. It's a paid certificate from a small number of authorities, billed yearly, and it usually requires a registered trademark for your logo. For Gmail and Apple Mail it's currently mandatory. So BIMI is worth it when a recognisable logo in the inbox is worth that annual cost to you, and it's a perfectly reasonable thing to skip. We'd rather tell you that up front than sell you a logo you don't need.

How dmarcula helps

Our free BIMI checker reads your record, confirms the DMARC enforcement prerequisite, validates the SVG profile, and tells you whether a VMC is present. If you're not at enforcement yet, the enforcement journey is the place to start. The logo is the finish line, not the first step.

Keep reading

The enforcement journey: get to p=reject safely, the prerequisite for BIMI.
DMARC, SPF & DKIM in plain English: the authentication BIMI builds on.
BIMI checker: see exactly what your domain is missing.

Wondering whether BIMI is worth it for your domain? Email support@dmarcula.com and we'll talk it through with you.