Why a logo can turn into a box
An image can look transparent on a white design canvas while still containing a white rectangle. When it is placed over video, that rectangle becomes visible and covers whatever is behind it. A screenshot of a logo usually preserves the background visible in the screenshot; it does not isolate the artwork for you.
Transparency tells the video compositor which parts of the image should reveal the footage. PNG can carry that information, but it can also contain a completely opaque image. Choosing the PNG extension alone therefore does not establish that the background is transparent. The W3C PNG specification documents transparency as an optional part of the format.
Ask for the original logo or editable artwork where possible. Remove or hide the background in the design file, then use the editor's transparent PNG export option. Renaming a JPEG cannot change the image data or remove its background.
Choose whether you need a frame or a mark
A full-frame overlay and a corner logo solve different design problems. The overlay can carry an event border, date or sponsor wording around the composition. A logo supplies a compact identifying mark. Treating a complete event poster as a corner logo can make its writing too small to read.
For an illustrative brief, imagine a company wants its brand mark and the words “Team Celebration” on each clip. One approach is a restrained overlay containing the event wording, with a separate logo. Another is a single approved overlay containing both. Choose deliberately: loading both versions without checking could repeat the same branding twice.
This is also a useful distinction when taking client instructions. “Include our branding” leaves the operator to guess about size, wording and placement. A sample composition turns that request into something the client can review. Our corporate event guide covers the broader preparation around branded clips.
Match the artwork to the delivered frame
Design for the output people will receive, including its orientation and aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height. If a rectangular overlay is stretched into different proportions, its lettering and shapes can change shape too.
For example, an illustrative 1080 × 1920 portrait deliverable has a 9:16 ratio. Artwork intended to fill that frame should use the same proportions. This is not a universal SnapCircle canvas size: confirm the output of your chosen phone, orientation and settings first.
Leave useful room for people, rather than making the decoration the largest element. Review the likely framing for one person and a group. A clear centre is helpful, but people may also raise their arms or stand nearer the edge; inspect the moving footage rather than only a still preview.
Keep essential wording clear of any area you expect a downstream app to cover with controls or captions. There is no single safe margin for every destination. Check the intended destination if the client has a specific publishing requirement.
Review the export, not just the design file
Use this short review on the actual PNG you will import:
- Place it over a dark background, then a light background. Look for an unwanted rectangle or pale fringe around the artwork.
- View it at approximately the size a guest will watch on a phone. Read the small text without zooming.
- Confirm spelling, date, logo version and the approved wording.
- Check that the intended transparent areas remain clear. A tiny transparent patch elsewhere does not make an obstructive design suitable.
- Place it over representative footage and watch the complete movement, especially faces passing near text or borders.
The reason for changing backgrounds is simple: a white mark can disappear on a bright scene, while a dark mark can disappear in shadow. The design may need a considered outline, backing shape or different placement. Apply that treatment only to the necessary artwork, keeping the rest transparent.
Where SnapCircle fits
SnapCircle 360 provides separate inputs for a transparent PNG overlay and logo. The overlay covers the video frame; the separate logo appears at the top right. JPEGs and fully opaque PNGs are rejected. The event name is not automatically burned into the video, so include approved wording in the artwork when it needs to appear.
Those capabilities let you prepare a client's identity once and apply it through the event workflow. They do not replace the design review: the app cannot decide whether the name is misspelt or a sponsor mark obscures a guest's face.
Choose the artwork before recording the sample and review the processed output. Once it is right, keep the approved source artwork and exported PNG with the event preparation files. Finish the check by following the QR handover guide, so the guest receives the branded deliverable you approved.
If this suits your iPhone booth, download SnapCircle 360 and prepare one complete branded sample before the event. It requires iOS 18.5 or later and a subscription. The useful result is an approved clip with clear branding and visible guests, not simply a file the app accepts.
Published 28 October 2026. Guidance is based on documented capabilities and an operator checklist. Test your own equipment before a booking.