diff --git a/utils/logging_config.py b/utils/logging_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f5ef8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/logging_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import logging
+
+LOG_FORMAT = "%(asctime)s %(levelname)s [%(name)s] %(message)s"
+logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO, format=LOG_FORMAT)
+# reduce noise from overly-verbose libraries
+logging.getLogger("urllib3").setLevel(logging.WARNING)
+logging.getLogger("PIL").setLevel(logging.WARNING)
+
+# Expose a convenience function for other modules to use when they want
+# to ensure logging is configured (idempotent).
+
+def configure_logging(level: int = logging.INFO) -> None:
+    """Configure root logging for the application.
+
+    This is safe to call multiple times; subsequent calls will not reconfigure
+    handlers if they've already been set up by basicConfig.
+    """
+    logging.getLogger().setLevel(level)