When
creating a visible watermark, the font selection has a significant
impact on both the watermark and any photos you overlay with it.
Unless you're schooled in the art of typography, finding the perfect
font can be a long trial-and-error process. Here are some tips to
help you find the right font for your watermark--a font that will add
to your watermark, brand and photos.
Look for Fonts That Show Up on Photographs
First
and foremost, the font you choose should show up well on photographs.
A visible watermark, after all, is intended to be seen. If your
font's letters aren't readily visible, the effectiveness of the
watermark will be reduced.
Many
fonts show up well, but a few that have abnormally skinny letters
don't. If you're planning on making the size of your watermark font
36-points or larger, you can probably use any but the skinniest of
fonts. If you want to keep your font size smaller so that it doesn't
cover the entire picture, a bold font that has thicker letters may
work well.
Limit Your Choices to Fonts That Are Consistent with Your Branding
Second,
a good font will be consistent with your current branding. Your
watermark may be the first branding that prospective clients are
exposed to, so it's important that your watermark conveys the same
message as the rest of your marketing and branding efforts.
To
find a font that is consistent with your branding message, first look
at the fonts on your website, business card and letterhead. If one of
these works well as a watermark font, your choice could be easy. If
none of the fonts you're currently using work well as a watermark,
you might want to change the fonts of your website, business card and
letterhead to match the font that you choose for your watermark.
Using the same font across all of these areas will ensure you have a
consistent brand message, at least as far as your font selection
goes.
Select a Font That Enhances Your Photos
Third,
the ideal font will enhance your photos. It won't overpower your
photos and detract from them. Conversely, it will add to them by
reinforcing the feelings that your images evoke.
Exactly
what font complements your photos will depend on what type of
photography you specialize in. For instance, if you take landscape
shots of rural barns, you'll want a different font than someone who
specializes in grunge portraits of inner-city youth. A flowing font
that resembles handwritten cursive may reinforce the old-fashioned,
relaxed feelings that barns in the country bring to mind, while a
font with block lettering might better suggest the graffiti that's
found in many inner-city neighborhoods.
If
you don't specialize in one type of photography, pick a generic,
clean font that can be used with most photos. If you're a general
photographer, it makes sense to have a generic, professional
watermark.
Consider Multiple Fonts for a Multi-Faceted Watermark
Ultimately,
you don't have to limit yourself to just one font. Using multiple
fonts can help you distinguish collections or styles from one
another, while creating consistency within each collection and using
fonts that enhance each collections' photos. Using several fonts
within a single watermark can even be helpful, as it makes
distinguishing the different components of your watermark easier and
lets you combine styles into a single watermark.
If
you're looking for the ideal font for your watermark, check out the
selection on Water Marquee. The platform not only gives photographers
a large number of fonts to choose from, but lets photographers use as
many fonts as they would like.