Table of Contents
Watermark
Watermarks are used in various documents, images, and videos, as well as in currency, postage stamps, and many other files to denote authenticity and copyright. Creating clear and well-designed watermarks is a fundamental method to help graphic designers, photographers, videographers, content creators, businesses, organizations, and other professionals in protecting their works from being distributed without permission.
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Watermark Definition & Meaning
A watermark is a semitransparent text or graphic design placed and printed at the background of a page or a photo.
Watermarks can be in form of logos, texts, or patterns that are superimposed on other documents, images, or other materials to show copyright protection and legal marketing.
What Is a Watermark?
A watermark is a graphic design or text displayed with increased opacity or transparency and placed across a document, photo, or other material. It is a crucial tool for many brands, businesses, organizations, and professionals like artists, designers, photographers, and content creators when it comes to branding, copyrighting, and marketing their respective works.
10 Types of Watermarks
Business Watermark
An identifying symbol, logo, or text watermark is widely used in corporate businesses, small business firms, and medium-sized enterprises to protect their products, services, and contents against illegal usage and theft. Use this contemporary and stylish business watermark for your business documents, contents, and other files. Download our sample business watermark template here.
Digital Watermark
Digital watermarking is a method used by many digital and multimedia firms with a strong interest in protecting their ownership rights and preventing others from using their digital content for profit without their permission. A digital watermark is a one-of-a-kind identifier that can be embedded on a document, photo, or video to prove that the document, photo, or video is the property of the rightful owner. Simply use our sample digital watermark template below.
Premade Watermark
A premade watermark is a ready-made watermark design that can be used for graphic designers, photographers, event planners, interior designers, photographers, make-up artists, stylists, and many others. It can be a premade logo set watermark or a signature logo watermark that is used for branding one’s business professionally. We suggest that you download our customizable premade watermark template from our template collection.
Real Estate Watermark
One of the integral methods to protect your real estate photos is through watermarking. Use a visible watermark on your real estate photos to prevent someone from copying your original photos. We recommend you use our modern, sleek real estate watermark template with neutral tones.
Travel Watermark
A travel watermark is a type of watermark used by travel agencies for the branding and marketing of their content, products, and services. It may consist of the logo design of the travel agency or a customized logo watermark based on their travel services and other offerings. Thus, easily download and use our editable travel watermark template here below.
Picture Watermark
Stamp your JPG, PNG, or GIF pictures with your logo, image, or text watermark to claim that you are the rightful owner of your pictures. Create a logo design or image watermark using some arts and design apps and tools out there. You may also use our free sample picture watermark template that you can quickly personalize according to your needs and preferences.
Spa Watermark
Design an elegant and sleek watermark for your luxury spa business. Add a floral pattern, butterfly vector art, or your business logo icon for your watermark. Here is a sample spa watermark template that you can easily customize.
Design Watermark
Graphic designers and other visual artists and designers use transparent logo design watermarks for their graphic design business. These watermarks help them copyright their graphic design projects and other design outputs available online. Create a stylish and unique watermark for your designs using our simple design watermark template.
Camera Watermark
Make a sophisticated camera watermark to protect your images from your camera roll. Most smartphones these days come with a certain watermark feature that adds a watermark instantly to your captured photos. Or you may download and use our camera watermark template and quickly modify the visual elements there.
Transparent Watermark
A transparent watermark is created by keeping a specific icon, logo, or text like Draft or Confidential in the corner of your document, image, or video with the opacity set to around 50% or less. Construct a professional transparent watermark using different types of image editing programs. Save time and check out some predesigned samples that you can use for your brand, business, document, or project.
Watermark Uses, Purpose, Importance
Watermarks have various uses and purposes for artists, designers, photographers, content creators, businesses, and organizations. These opaque logos or texts layered on top of their images are necessary to protect images, documents, confidential files, and many others. Below is a list of the common uses, purposes, and importance of watermarks.
Asset Protection
Many artists, designers, business owners, and other professionals use watermarks in their documents, images, videos, and other files to protect their assets from being stolen and used, or altered without the owner’s permission. Without watermarks, numerous digital assets can be exposed to unauthorized use or content theft.
Brand Consistency
Watermarking is a unique process to keep your brand safe and remove the risk of your branding identity like your brand logo or icon from being misused. It gives a clear and solid confirmation when specific assets are intended to be viewed, but not shared.
Informative Tool
A watermark is placed in a document, photo, or video to display technical information about the file. For example, a photo taken with a digital camera or mobile camera contains a watermark that has crucial information embedded in it which is called EXIF data.
Audience Monitoring
Digital watermarking is a helpful method for businesses, brands, PRs, corporate firms, and e-commerce companies. Having digital watermarks of your images, documents and other visual files allows you to easily search for your images online, utilize text search when finding images containing your credit or copyright in their metadata, and certify that images and files found online were originally sourced by you.
What’s in a Watermark? Parts?
Text
A text is inserted as a watermark for legal documents and other confidential files. Use a text watermark if you need to include “DRAFT”, “CONFIDENTIAL”, “SAMPLE”, or “DO NOT COPY” to your documents.
Picture
Select a picture that you want to appear as the watermark for the background of your pages. Many businesses and content creators use a picture of their brand for their watermarks.
Logotype
The logotype can be a wordmark or brand name of the business. It is the major element of the watermark as it displays the name of the rightful owner.
Icon
Some businesses use a pictorial, an abstract symbol, or an icon for their business watermark. Use your business icon or symbol to communicate the image of your business and solidify your rights to your images, documents, and other files.
How to Design a Watermark
1. Choose a Watermark Size.
2. Think about the purpose of your Watermark.
3. Select the Watermark Template.
4. Insert your logo, wordmark, or brand name.
5. Adjust the opacity or transparency level of your watermark image.
6. Check, revise, and download your watermark.
Watermark vs. Trademark
A watermark is a translucent impression placed on a document, design, or sheet of paper during its manufacturing or production process.
A trademark is a design used in many businesses, organizations, and individuals to establish the common usage of a specific mark in their development or progress.
What’s the Difference Between a Watermark, Steganography & Logo?
A watermark is a common graphic design overlaid on top of an image for visual style or to indicate the copyright holder or source of the image.
Steganography is used for encrypting information in a specific medium in such a way that no one except the intended recipient is aware of its existence.
A logo is an identification mark and a pronounceable word that distinguishes a brand, business, individual, or product through lettermarks, symbols, or combination marks, widely used in branding.
Watermark Sizes
Watermarks have wide-ranging standard sizes, available in both digital and printed formats. The watermark size depends on the sizes of the documents, images, videos, and other files.
| Format | Size |
| Image (JPG, PNG, etc.) | 500 pixels x 500 pixels – 1000 pixels x 1000 pixels |
| Video | 150 pixels x 150 pixels or 100 pixels x 100 pixels |
| Letter (US) | 8.5 x 11 in. |
| A4 | 8.26 x 11.69 in. |
Watermark Ideas & Examples
There is a variety of ways to express your creative prowess when it comes to designing watermarks. Check out the following details for more watermark ideas and graphic design inspiration.
- Logo and Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Feather Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Confidential Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Makeup Artist Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Instagram Watermark Ideas and Examples
- School Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Copyright Watermark Ideas and Examples
- YouTube Watermark Ideas and Examples
- Photography Watermark Ideas and Examples
FAQs
Why do photographers put watermarks?
Photographers put watermarks on their photos to put protection on their work from being used without permission.
What should a watermark contain?
A watermark should contain essential information and contact details to protect the design or image content.
What is the impact of the watermark on business?
The watermark on businesses, specifically on their brands, products, and services, prevent or lessen the chance of their images and content being stolen or utilized without their permission.
What makes for a good photo watermark?
A good photo watermark should have a clear logo, graphics, and text, a transparent background, and remains visible without overpowering the visual contents of the photo.
How do watermarks work?
Watermarks work by superimposing a specific logo or text at the top of a document or photo.
What is a digital watermark used in forensics?
A digital watermark used in forensics is a particular code or a sequence of characters embedded in a digital or electronic document, photo, computer software, or video that recognizes its creator and authorized user.
Is watermark copyright?
No, a watermark is an instrument used to implement a business or an individual’s copyright.
How are watermarks created?
Watermarks are created by inserting your logo in your document or image, creating a transparent background for your watermark, adding the watermark image on top of your document or image, and adjusting the transparency or opacity of your watermark.
Why is removing watermarks illegal?
Removing watermarks is illegal according to Section 1202 of the U.S. Copyright Act because it is proof of infringement of copyrighted material, and it can get you sued for $150,000 for statutory damages.
What are the features of a watermark?
A watermark has basic features like a logo, text, and pattern
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