Signatures & Credits on maps

[Sarithus]

Hey Guild. Apologies if this isn't the best place for this thread. I've been wondering about signatures on maps and what kind is the best. Personally I use my website name in small type because it's more useful than a signature, but of course a signature looks better. I've seen many of those signatures within a small square which look good, but I don't think they're that useful unless your signature is well known. However, a signature isn't going to become well known unless you put it there, is it?

Thoughts on the subject?

Thanks.

(I have an extra question but I'm not sure it's something people could answer. Obviously, Sarithus isn't my real name. If I decide to use a nice little signature from now on, should it be based on the name Sarithus, or my real name?)

[Jaxilon]

Interesting questions. My real name isn't Jaxilon either but it's my stage name for my fantasy art. Since it's the name I wish to continue using for this it's the one I keep using. There are lots of folks who use stage names for their professional careers (such as diskjockeys, actors, etc). There are some issues if you want to have payments made out to that name as in you have to establish it somewhat legally, at least enough for a bank. When I get paid I usually get paid via paypal which does reveal my real name but it's not a huge deal.

As far as how it looks, I keep looking at mine as well. I have to say I love DJ's signature and I think Arsheesh has a really cool one as well. Lots of artists come up with a sort of symbol or chalk mark to represent them but you can always just sign your name. I'm not up on trademarks and such but I'm sure you can go down the rabbit hole if you really want to.

I have taken to putting my website url along the corner of my works but I still think it's valid to have a signature/stamp/whatever of your own on the artwork itself. Just because it's easy to trim out the edge of a page and thereby use your art without you getting any benefit which is a low thing for someone to do but this is the internet after all.

You could put a watermark or fingerprint into your work which would be harder for them to remove but it probably depends how much you want to fight with idiots verses how much time you want to spend painting.

I'm probably no help at all, LOL.

[Gamerprinter]

In almost every map commission I do for publishers, my name, website is nowhere on the map. I do expect the notation of cartographer on the credits page, but that's it.

Sometimes if I am creating a map with a defined legend and title block, that allows me to post my name and possibly website as a possible for a signature. Since I don't make many world maps, most often creating encounter scale maps for miniatures/VT play, I don't include a title block/legend in those kinds of maps.

I have built a solid freelance cartography career, having become well known in the industry. I became known due to the quality, content and style of my maps (and speed for making tight deadlines), not for my Brand, in the form of name or company.

I'm sure others will have different opinions on this, so my point is certainly not the only way to go. For me, its my maps alone that build my reputation, not an attempt to be a map and business card.

[Chick]

For me, this is a form of professional art. I use my real name and I sign my artwork, maps just the same as my fractal art, and just the same as I would if I were an oil or watercolor artist.

I don't however, for the same reason, put things like web links on the artwork, not even for my own website, and certainly not for places like deviantart that even a lot of people who use it dislike.

For maps in novels and published games, I give the author the choice of having my signature logo on the map or putting it in the credits.

Since this is digital art, I use a digital signature logo (the little rectangle you mentioned) with my name in it.

[johnvanvliet]

i post everything under cc-by-sa

as to watermarks
they ??? sort-of ??? maybe ??? kind of ??? almost ??? work on video
it is a bit harder to remove in video codec's

in still images -- it is darn easy to remove
so i do not bother

for the now dead Facebook account ( i told FB to "GO SHOVE IT!!! " )
i used VISIBLE watermarks , but those CAN be removed too............

[Sarithus]

It does seem sort of tacky to include a signature and your website but I regret not adding my site to clichea now that is has blown up on reddit. I'm not making this post to gloat or anything, but I think I see a reason now why it's not a bad idea to include it. I mean, that'd be a lot more traffic to my site if people could get the link from the map and not have to scroll through comments and if the map ends up in other places there's a direct route to whoever made it. Unless you're very very popular people aren't going to know where to go to commission you based on a little symbol.

[J.Edward]

That was my entire point.

Out of curiosity, how did it end up on reddit?
And congrats on the 'explosion'.

[Sarithus]

That was my entire point.

Out of curiosity, how did it end up on reddit?
And congrats on the 'explosion'.

Well, if you don't mean 'how did it do on reddit' which you probably don't, it's there because I put it there. I can't believe it's currently 3rd on top of all time on /worldbuilding. I really wish I had put my website on there now. Going to do that in the future I think.

[Chick]

I suspect that if anyone on reddit is actually interested in commissioning a map, they will not have a lot of trouble finding your contact information. It might actually be a detriment to appear to have a blatant advertising mechanism on a map that is supposed to be artistic.

I could be wrong, but I don't think a lot of advertising is what brings in commissions. Anyone willing to pay a significant amount of money for a map drawn to their needs is going to search for exactly what they want, so having your work in the best places is more important. When people start looking for an artistic cartographer, they don't start with reddit

[TimPaul]

The simple answer is ask the person/company. For example, I prefer copyright [date] Tim Paul, www.timpaulmaps.com and if they can't do the site, then my name. Where that goes, depends on the company. For books, they might allow it as part of the art. And you will get credit on the credit page. With games, probably not.

But with all things, you can't get what you want, if you don't ask.

For exmaple: