How to Choose the Right Colors for Your Watermark

The color used for a visible watermark greatly affects how noticeable the watermark is when it's overlaid onto an image. There isn't one color that all watermarks should be, as the right color for any particular watermark depends on the photographer's branding, photo the watermark is being used on and other factors. If you're designing a watermark for your digital photographs, here are some tips to help you settle on a color to use.

Only Consider Colors That Complement Your Branding 

 

With an almost infinite number of colors to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down your choices to a few finalists. To make the selection process easier--and ensure your watermark's color goes well with your branding--limit your selection to colors that are consistent with the branding you already have in place. You might want to consider:

. colors included in your logo
. neutral colors

. colors you've used in your website's background 

 

The colors included in your logo, obviously, match your branding, and you've likely already determined that any colors on your website's background goes well with your marketing scheme. Neutral colors, especially black, white and grey, will provide an alternative to the colors you've used elsewhere, but they'll still match since they go with anything.

Choose a Color That's Visible Yet Tasteful 

 

From the colors that complement your brand, the next step is to find one (or a few) that go well with your pictures. The color you use for a watermark should show up on images. You're making a visible watermark, after all. It shouldn't detract from your picture, though, since that's what clients are most interested in.

For instance, a white watermark likely won't show up well on a winter landscape picture that has lots of snow. For a bold look, a black watermark will be noticeable and might complement a striking, strong image well. Gray, however, is more likely to produce a watermark that's visible but doesn't take away from the photograph. A logo color may be suitable for some images, but it also could be too strong for a peaceful, relaxed winter scene.

Once you have a color that complements the picture well, you can adjust the location, size, font and opacity to increase or decrease its visibility. Finding the perfect combination of these factors is often a trial-and-error process.

Settle on One or Two Watermarks That Work Well with Most Images 

 

Because professional photographers take a lot of pictures, most streamline their workflow by creating two watermarks that work well with all their images. Some photographers have a watermark made from their logo's colors that they use on most pictures and a second that's neutrally colored for images that their logo-colored watermark clashes with. Other photographers have two grey watermarks, one that's light grey and another that's dark grey, and they use whichever shows up better on an image.

With a pair of versatile watermarks, you won't have to spend time creating a new watermark for each image. Instead, you'll be able to focus on taking more pictures and promoting yourself. To create a couple of watermarks that will go with many of your photographs, check out the selection available on Water Marquee. The platform lets photographers use any colors they'd like in their watermarks.