Compare construction before decoration
Start with silhouette, spacing, alignment and proportion. A color change can distract from a geometry change, while a different export background can make identical artwork appear unrelated.
Review color as a separate signal
Ask whether the variation is an approved colorway, a reproduction accommodation or accidental drift. Compare actual palette values and transparency rather than relying only on appearance inside one viewer.
Check the production role
Horizontal, stacked, symbol-only, small-size and monochrome variants should be retained when their purpose is documented. A filename such as logo-final-3.svg describes history, not role. Prefer names that communicate intended use.
Use relationship tiers carefully
- Exact: likely duplicate export.
- Close variant: same identity with a meaningful or accidental treatment change.
- Related: shared construction that needs context.
- Different: no strong fingerprint relationship; still inspect manually.
Record the final decision
For every retained variant, document the approved name, role, background, color mode and minimum-size guidance. A visual score is only useful when it leads to a clear operational decision.