New definition of photo watermark: Design of watermark camera material

Article Description: experience sharing: The key points of watermark camera material design.

Watermark Camera (Professional Edition) has been released for nearly half a year, the watermark has more than 130. In the design process of watermark material, the team often think about what kind of design can get good return, for the popular user's favorite, this is also the watermark material designer has been exploring the problem.

The author will be from the designer's point of view, with user research and use of data as a reference, with you to share in this project accumulated some experience, discovery and thinking.

New definition of photo "watermark"

What is a watermark? The traditional watermark is usually the copyright information, the author information or the anti-theft map information which is attached in the picture, the producer and the application are usually specialized groups.

Watermark Camera gives a new definition of "watermark", that is, a kind of intelligent, fast, decorative photo information presentation, photo information covers the time, location, environment, lens information, mood expression and other types, the information and content in the film is superimposed on the photo.

Watermark Camera also provides a variety of different types, themes and styles of watermark material for users to choose, and retain the ability to customize to meet the needs of the photographer record and creation.

In the process of designing more than 100 watermark materials, designers should do most of the information arrangement and choice, graphic creativity and expression, balance watermark and photo relationship, so that the watermark into and strengthen the narrative of the photo story. In the design, information overlay and graphic creative points have the following:

Don't shade the photos too much

At the beginning of the watermark material planning, we have made many attempts to the size of the watermark, from the simple embellishment to the block face cover, from the hollow transparent graphics to the large area occlusion, the scheme covers various sizes. Large-area photo decoration is a style of graphic design, it can modify the composition, but also can let the photo has the "avantgarde art" effect, but also the effect of the designer's passion.

In fact, "ordinary user" does not like the designer to particularly embrace this kind of graphic design wind watermark. In the data research and the user feedback, we understand that the user chooses the watermark to have certain restriction to the size and the form.

First of all, users like to choose a suitable area of watermark. The most popular 10 watermark samples for rough calculation, their size is mostly photo area 6%~12%, you can see that the photographer would like to give the main space for their own shooting of the main body, the watermark serves as a supporting role for decorative photos.

Second, users also prefer to use the location to pull over, more transparent, a small impact on the image of the watermark. Visible in the superposition of information at the same time, the photographer also care about the full presentation of the photo.

In addition, we have received some of the watermark removable function of the request (new version has been supported), in the actual use of the important part of the photo is obscured by the watermark to the situation, this puzzle also allows users to select the appropriate area of the watermark.

However, we can not infer that occlusion is too large to be undesirable. Whether the watermark is popular is related to its creativity, topic, style, even copywriting and many other factors.

Apart from the functional and operational aspects of the factors, the public users tend to have limited occlusion, the area of a suitable, modelling transparent watermark is understandable. Watermark, as the superimposed information on the screen, should be soft enough to fit into the photo.

Choose the emotional graphics

Each watermark theme in the creative, design stages have a lot of programs, individual themes in each version of the watermark camera to cover a variety of different designs to meet different permissions and different types of users. However, no matter what style of design, designers need to pay attention to and try to figure out the intuitive user experience of the design.

Watermark camera has been in the same period 2 db watermark, one is the decibel compass design, a falling leaves, singing birds, noisy horn as the element. We try to analyze different users ' different requirements for db watermarks to guess what elements they want to put on the screen. Finally with leaves, birds, horn and other graphics of the decibel watermark results are quite eye-catching.

The watermark contains the emotional graphics, which can visually record and display the current shooting environment, and also satisfy the emotional expression demand of the photographer's mood. At the same time, as the decibel value fluctuation and the change of cute graphics, the photographer also brought some use of surprise.

Watermark camera in the recent version of the update, borrow QQ space cartoon weather icon, shelves a lovely weather watermark, also immediately received a lot of support. Cartoon weather icons In addition to the current weather conditions, but also in a personification of the role of the way to convey the photographer's current mood state-the top of the blue sky, and was frustrated by the rainy weather and the frustration of travel. (Of course, the new weather icon will be more attractive than the old style, the past version of the single weather icon and color icon has been on the shelf for a long time, the old users will be happy to be stimulated by new things.) ）

In addition, Watermark camera mood classification of star watermark "Love Mood" series is a typical emotional "graphic" auxiliary "narrative" Photo Story case. Users can choose to conform to the current state of mind graphics and copy, to express the mood implicitly attached to the photo, a simple and moving graphics to let the photo story is rendered, for the receiver also gained a Lenovo space.

Set some basic money

What is a basic paragraph? For the watermark camera, the basic watermark is in each category, in a concise and clear form, complete the current information display task watermark, such as the location of the classification of "simple location" and time classification of "Simple time."

Most of the time, users will choose this simple, clear way to present their current information and mood, and because the style of this kind of watermark is simple enough, the purpose is single enough, the user will not produce aesthetic fatigue, you can repeatedly and repeatedly use it to add information to the picture.

Basic watermark applies To "record life", for example, in the course of travel recorded geographical migration, the passage of time; basic Watermark also follow the first key points, they are simple graphics, occupy less space, applicable to any picture of the composition.

At the same time, basic material is usually placed at the front of the selection list. On the one hand is the designer's intimate, lets the user first use to the most universal material, on the other hand, is also hoped can use this to affect the user the cognition, generally relies on the former material to have the great choice superiority. Therefore, in addition to the basic watermark to meet the simple, universal characteristics, but also need to add uniqueness, so that it with the imprint of the product spread open.

Conclusion

Watermark design is related to many, generally according to product strategy, sometimes have to follow the operation, many ideas also need technical support, standing in the perspective of visual designers, can talk about the content is still limited. The above three key points and some experience from the author of the watermark Material design practice, also applies to other photo decoration software, hope that through this sharing with your peers to do exchange and discussion.

Note: The design manuscript in this paper comes from Edith, Stan, fun, and QQ Space design team (Cartoon weather icon).
Tencent Isux (http://isux.tencent.com/storycamera-watermark-design.html)