Pro Photo Show

How often do you go into a gallery and see a masterpiece that’s not signed?

by Gavin Seim Updated 07/10: If your name is not on your work, you’re missing the boat. The reality is that “selling” art is not about having a passion for making it, but about business. Is your work just piece of paper, or is it a piece if art? I usually find that people who don’t brand their images, do it under the guise of giving a higher level of quality. In reality it’s often because they’re inexperienced, lack confidence and don’t consider their images of high enough value to hang equally next to other art.

It’s no insult to have classy branding on an image. In fact it generally adds value. How often do you buy a book without the authors name on it? Even the cars we buy have logos on them. If you bought a Ferrari would you want it without the emblem? I think not. Why then should the art we make be unmarked? Are there exceptions? Sure, but not many. For example a commercial client will often require unbranded images, but they should also expect to pay a premium for that privilege. Artists have been branding their work for centuries and so should you.

Should I? How big? Where at? What color?
This whole topic is distraught with debate and uncertainty, especially among newer photographers. No doubt some people will disagree with me, but I’ve probably slaved more than most on this and I’ve come to a place where I have enough understanding of my brand to feel I’ve finally made this work. I’m always coming up with new approaches however and will update this post accordingly. Lets look at some options.

Branding for Blogs, Facebook, Flickr etc:
My preference is always to have people in my studio, viewing my large format hand signed wall portraits, but I can’t always have that. For web I generally post images around 800px wide. I don’t want huge files, but this is not 1995 and I want images large enough to be seen well. Sometimes viewers have to click the image to get the full 800px, because I want those with smaller browser windows to have a good experience.

My web images are more heavily branded than my prints. I’ve often placed an overlay bar on the bottom with my brand. It’s clear and bold. Some may think it too much and that’s OK because there are alternatives. Just remember we’re in a business to sell art and we want people to know who took the photos so they’ll hire us to take more. Sometimes I simply add my signature for web images. It’s not as visible as the bar, but it shows my name and it looks very clean.

Infringement Concerns: Some photographers want to eliminate the possibility of someone cropping their name off of their image and it being passed around with no branding. To combat this they sometimes plaster their name right across the middle of the image. While this makes it nearly impossible to remove their name, it also looks stupid. This is not 1995 and when you add a logo or watermark to the middle of your presentation it distracts from your work. Paranoia of infringement can be taken so far as to do more harm than good. Remember these are low res files and there’s only so much someone could do with them anyways. Balance is the best choice.

A happy medium I’ve recently come up with is the double corner branding (shown below). There’s various ways this could be applied, but the idea is to get your name in two opposite corners, without it being overbearing. It helps keep your brand clearly in view without totally distracting us from the image.

Portfolio Galleries:
Treated a little differently. I want the portfolio galleries on my site to be clean and classy, like an art gallery. I want branding of some kind because building my brand is valuable, but instead of placing a big logo these images  have my signature in the corner (as below). This keeps it subtle without ignoring it altogether.

High Res Disks:
My wedding and portrait clients can get a disk at certain package levels (usually after an album or wall portrait). It’s meant for them to make their own prints up to 8×12 , but should not be given away as the main product. It’s an expensive add on ($600-1000) or more often, a perk I use to get client to purchase larger packages that already include wall portraits or albums. The files are 2000px wide and yes I absolutely brand these. I have seen large groups of them appear on FB and clients may print and send them to friends. I’m not ashamed of my work and people should know who made it. How do I keep it classy? There’s no rule here, but lately I’ve been overlaying my signature in the corner rather than placing a logo. I feel a signature is more timeless than a logo. It’s subtle and gives the image class while still letting people know who made it. I’ve never had a complaint about it. Ever.

Small Studio Prints up to 16×20.
These are made similar to the way I do high res files. I don’t hand sign them. That’s reserved for my large signature pieces. My signature is overlaid in the corner as a batch on export from LR to send to my lab. Not too big, but easily readable and still classy. As long as you don’t overdo it, a client is not going to complain about your name on the corner of your images. In fact from my experience clients usually expect and even appreciate some identification. It’s basic professionalism.

Signature Wall Portraits:

These are what I focus on with nearly every job. These pieces (usually canvas) start at 24 inches wide, are extremely high quality and start at a over $500. I look to place at least a 24″ canvas on the wall of every new client (and usually do). I’m fine with them buying the disk and making their own 5×7′s as long as the real art is prepared to perfection by me and hanging on their wall. Yes clients do buy these. For more on selling wall portraits see this article.

I treat signature series images like a painter would treat an original piece. Their my best, they go out the door hand signed, with a certificate of authenticity (I bought a template here). They have a official title and some with a lifetime guarantee. Not placing my signature on these would be to devalue them. It would be like an original painting that had no artist signature.

Size & position:
Size matters. You want your name seen, yet you don’t want to look like a narcissistic jerk and you don’t want the the mark too distracting. As you can see I generally place markings in a corner. Just use common sense when it comes to size. Experiment and see how things look in print and on screen. As I said above, I’m not a big fan of the large “PROOF” mark or name across the whole image. While it may work to protect images, it does not make your brand look classy. You’ll never see it in my portfolio, though sometimes in my online proof galleries where an entire image collection is posted I do use it. Just be careful.

Not Branding at all:
You’re kidding right? Whether images are on your blog or prints on clients wall. Not branding is like giving away your free advertising, so you can pay for less effective advertising elsewhere. As I’ve said, there are exceptions. I’m speaking mainly of portraiture and fine art here. If you’re shooting commercial work the client will often require unmarked images. That’s OK, but they should be paying accordingly (and these images should still be branded in your portfolio).

Marking and signature tools:
Batch Marking. Nearly all my digital logos and branding are batch applied from Lightroom using Mogrify, a LR export plugin. It’s  fast, flexible and effective, allowing me place overlays on any file as I export, while giving me total control over size and position. I can mark hundreds of images without so much as a sore index finger. It’s also possible to use the “Place” command and make Photoshop actions that will overlay image. It’s not nearly as easy as with LR and Mogrify however.

Hand Signatures. Oh I’ve tried plenty of pens. In the end I usually stick with silver or gold metallic paint pens, because they overlay a heavy opaque stroke and the metallic stands out, while still looking professional. Gel and ballpoint ink pens can work, but often are too thin to see clearly. They also don’t well work on all paper surfaces and sometimes fizzle out in the middle of a signing (not good).

Currently my favorite for signing photos is the Sakura Pen Touch .7mm extra fine point paint pens. You can find them on Amazon or from Blick Art Supply. They work on  raw paper, canvas and metal prints alike and seem to maintain a smooth but bold line on all. Alternately I have also used the Y&C Extra Fine Metallic Marker. It’s good, though seems less consideration over all surfaces (ie, plain luster print vs canvased print). There’s also the Pilot Silver Marker Extra Fine Point that works pretty well.

Watch for spatters with paint pens. I have yet to find one that is completely free from them. Before you sign shake it up and get it flowing. If it seems drippy dab the tip gently with a paper towel. Run a few practice signatures to warm up your pen and your hand before signing the corner of a valuable print.

Don’t over stress when signing. Practice so you can consistently make a good signature but remember it’s a real signature and does not have to be perfect. When ready, place your image on a solid surface where you can get a comfortable hand position. If you mess it up a little, it’s usually better to leave it unique, then try to remove or add to it. This usually leads to a big mess that might end up with you buying a new print.

Other things I’ve tried:
I’m not kidding when I say I’ve slaved over this topic. I’ve tried so many things. Some were awful, some just didn’t suit me. Here’s  just a few of the things I tried and then retired.

Closing thoughts for good branding:

• You CAN overdo it. Stay balanced.
• Not knowing what to do is no excuse. Work it out.
• Keep is classy (simple is always a good place to start).
• Think like a client buying art (what do they see?).

I’m not the final word on this, but I think my experiences have taught me a lot. My ideas may change in the future as I’m always analyzing, listening and trying things. What does not change however is that branding and name recognition is critical. If you ignore it you’re just wasting precious time because you’ll have to work it out sooner or later. Finding your brand takes time however so don’t panic about it. Just start thinking it thru and find a way that works for you.

Finally. I sell all my work as art. An 8×10 does not compete with a beautiful painting. But produce that amazing image on a 30×40 canvas and the whole game changes. They’re in a whole other league and yes, clients will buy them. You can learn more about wall portrait selling and concepts in this article.

Good luck… Gav
Twitter – Facebook