The Art of the Watermark

One of the biggest debates I have seen since I started running a business greatly steeped in the handmade artisan scene is - watermarks.

A watermark is defined as (from wikipedia):

an identifying image or pattern placed on an image or image(s)

Watermarks can vary in size, color,  transparency - basically the possibilities are nearly as infinite as the population of this lovely planet we reside on.

The goal of a watermark in general is to provide an indelible way to link a photo to the original owner - the overall purpose being to prevent theft or unauthorized use of the image or the contents within the image. In the world of eCommerce (i.e. Etsy or Shopify for example) many use watermarks to prevent unauthorized used (either someone spoofing a listing using the image or examples to illicit a reproduction of the item in the photo) - the effectiveness of a watermark when it comes to eCommerce (or in general) appears to be largely anecdotal/hearsay for a few reasons:

• with poor placement, a watermark can be easily cropped out rendering the photo otherwise un-identifiable as the property of the original owner
• poor formatting (to large, too darkly colored or too brightly colored, etc.) can obscure the product image too much, making it difficult for potential customers to either tell what is "for sale" or discern more intricate details
• poorly stylized watermarks can distract from the intent of a photo, causing the watermark to become the focal point of the image rather than the intended focal point
• with the use of programs such as Photoshop or GIMP and a nominal amount of skill, a person can easily remove the watermark without damaging the usability of the image

Personally speaking I can see both sides - for and against - when it comes to the use of watermarks in the world of eCommerce:

• An improper watermark can take away from the photo much like a bad smell clinging to new clothing on the rack, whereas a well crafted watermark can enhance a photo elevating the overall style of the image
• Due to the skill and advanced programming even the most basically skilled computer user has these days the use of watermarks seems like a wasted effort - based on this premise while watermarks can't prevent theft and unauthorized use of images, it's safe to assume they may deter it from time to time

Should you want to use watermarks, on the "better safe than sorry" axiom, here are some tips I have found helpful for myself and those I work with: 

• make your watermark discreet - multiple colors can often be seen as an eye sore; black or white with 20-40% transparency often work well
• make them small and by that I mean TINY! Big watermarks are usually seen as obnoxious
• place the watermark on the photo in such a way where it is mostly likely to blend in but seen if one were to look hard enough
• place the watermark where it does not interfere with the focal points of the image in anyway - think of it like a person standing in front of you, the taller they are the less you can see right? same premise for water marks (except bigger rather than taller)
• do not use watermarks if it may otherwise interfere with the viewing of the image or otherwise harm your business (some ecommerce platforms don't allow the use of watermarks)
• use flikr or some other publicly view-able image portal to house a copy of your listing photos, and place the link to said portal somewhere on your business profiles across social media thus creating further evidence that you are the original owner of the image(s)