How can we protect our graphic designs, i mean no matter what i do i still see my design somewhere else on the internet, even after i have watermarked it
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How do we protect our own designs?
- Thread starter elisha cuthbert
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You could make the watermark obnoxiously large but, then it would be obnoxious. You could also make the picture smaller, but then it could be obnoxiously small.
hate to say this...
You can't. As a graphic designer I've had my stuff copied (most notoriously by a large department store chain based in Tennessee), and while I was flattered that they thought of me, I was a bit irritated at having been violated. Really, all you can do is make sure you've already been PAID for whatever it is that's been stolen. As an individual, you simply don't have the resources to track down and prosecute each and every offender. The only true way to protect yourself is not to post anything that hasn't already been sold...
having said that, what you might try is this:
don't post your artwork as .gif's or .jpg's on your website. Use a thumbnail graphic to show a piece of it, and then link the thumbnail to a .pdf document that opens in a new window. If you make the .pdf document in Acrobat Pro, you can read/write/print protect the document, so anyone who wants to steal it will be able to get only a screenshot of it. At 72ppi, that screenshot won't be worth much.
alternatively, you could try posting your artwork in a Flash document. You don't usually get the "Save Image As..." window when you try to download a Flash document, you just get the "Play" and "Rewind" options. It would still allow a screenshot to be taken, but here again at 72ppi that screenshot won't be worth a whole lot...
hope this helps
You can't. As a graphic designer I've had my stuff copied (most notoriously by a large department store chain based in Tennessee), and while I was flattered that they thought of me, I was a bit irritated at having been violated. Really, all you can do is make sure you've already been PAID for whatever it is that's been stolen. As an individual, you simply don't have the resources to track down and prosecute each and every offender. The only true way to protect yourself is not to post anything that hasn't already been sold...
having said that, what you might try is this:
don't post your artwork as .gif's or .jpg's on your website. Use a thumbnail graphic to show a piece of it, and then link the thumbnail to a .pdf document that opens in a new window. If you make the .pdf document in Acrobat Pro, you can read/write/print protect the document, so anyone who wants to steal it will be able to get only a screenshot of it. At 72ppi, that screenshot won't be worth much.
alternatively, you could try posting your artwork in a Flash document. You don't usually get the "Save Image As..." window when you try to download a Flash document, you just get the "Play" and "Rewind" options. It would still allow a screenshot to be taken, but here again at 72ppi that screenshot won't be worth a whole lot...
hope this helps
i've done the flash document route... that's good for keeping it from being literally stolen and reused, but as far as people seeing your work and then recreating it, there is no way to stop them.
i guess the best thing to do is become so good at your craft, and give so much attention to detail that no matter how hard they try, their recreation will never quite be as good as the original. and then, after you've done that, just feel flattered that someone liked your work enough to try to rip it off.
i guess the best thing to do is become so good at your craft, and give so much attention to detail that no matter how hard they try, their recreation will never quite be as good as the original. and then, after you've done that, just feel flattered that someone liked your work enough to try to rip it off.