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Watermark your low-res previews. Client tried to pass off my draft as final work.
Two months ago a logo client in Phoenix took my initial concept file, cleaned it up in Canva, and used it. No payment. I only found out because a friend spotted it on their website. Now I drop a big ugly watermark across every draft. Has anyone else had a client pull this?
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fisher.jessica3d ago
Oh come ON. I get that you're angry but a big ugly watermark on every draft? That's just pushing clients away before they even get a chance to work with you. Most people aren't scammers, and treating everyone like they might be is going to make you look desperate and unprofessional. I'd argue it's better to have a clear contract upfront that spells out what happens if they try to steal your work, and if they do steal it, you take them to small claims court. Watermarks just make you look like you don't trust your own clients, and that's a bad look for any designer.
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webb.hannah3d ago
Most people aren't scammers" - okay but I've had someone screenshot my draft from a zoom call once because they didn't want to pay the full rate and then tried to claim it was their "original concept." So I get where the instinct comes from even if I think big ugly watermarks look kinda... desperate? Like I'm a mess myself, I watermark my drafts but I put them in the corner and make them semi-transparent so they still look decent while making it obvious it's not final. You can still show the work without slapping a giant SAMPLE stamp across the whole thing.
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faithpatel3d ago
Small claims court isn't a magic bullet either (they actually have a pretty low cap on damages in most places, and good luck collecting if someone doesn't pay). A subtle watermark lets you share work openly while still having a little safety net, ya know?
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