Artist signatures
Ron Edwards:
Hello,
This is an individual publisher call, and literally no one can make a recommendation. You'll have to decide for yourself. Even citing "what's done" in general is not translatable into "industry standard" - there is no standard, regardless of the most common practice (if there is one).
My own individual call as a publisher is to recommend that artists contributing to my books do sign their work. I don't advocate that anyone else do this, or not to do it. I offer my policy specifically because it is the opposite of your own, to demonstrate the diversity of views that can be found.
Best, Ron
greyorm:
Quote from: drkrash on October 15, 2009, 04:03:04 AM
I have an artist who wants to have a small graphic as a signature, plus a printed signature, plus a website address all on her work. She wants this for her own protection. For my part, I think it's too much and draws you away from the use of the art in the book to evoke the game - to me, it reminds me that I'm looking at a picture someone has done and inserted into the text.
In my professional opinion, yes, that's far too much on one piece of work. Others have given you good advice of how things like this are most commonly handled in the industry.
One thing to do: you might want to ask her what exactly that amount of "protection" is protecting her from?
Think about what happens around here with new designers, who are terrified that someone is going to "steal" their game idea, and so don't want to share too much, etc. and what the reality about thefts like that actually are (nil). In the same way, lots of newbie or non-professional artists are terrified by urban legends about art theft that their work is going to be "stolen", and so go to ridiculous lengths to "protect" it from mostly imaginary thieves, often to such an extent that no one can enjoy the work because it is plastered with "protections" that do nothing more than make the work ugly and unpalatable to viewers.
You may even point out that once it is used in your book with her credited for it, it is VERY easy for her to prove the work is hers; there's really no better protection than its credited use in a publication. Either she wants someone to see her work (and in that case a small signature, or a graphic, or a website address is enough -- one, but not all three per image), or she wants someone to see her protections (and no one wants to pay to see an artist's name and protective devices spattered everywhere).
But ultimately, it is your call, as it is your product, and if you feel these additions would be distracting the reader from the text, then they will distract the reader from the text. As such, I'm hoping this is before the work is actually being done, as a part of the contract negotiations. In which case, if she refuses to budge, you can thank her for her time and find someone else. If she's already done the work, things are vastly more sticky, because now you're in the situation where she has done work for you, but you can't use it/it isn't what was requested (because she's changing it by adding multiple signatures and a website).
drkrash:
Thanks, everyone!
I expressed that I needed some time to consider her proposal - and then I ran here and asked for advice! :)
Before I could get back to her, she herself relented and simply asked for a contributor's bio, which I was planning on giving her anyway.
It's all good for both of us and I maintain a relationship with an artist that I like and who I think is simply phenomenal.
C
greyorm:
Quote from: drkrash on October 15, 2009, 12:26:18 PM
It's all good for both of us and I maintain a relationship with an artist that I like and who I think is simply phenomenal.
Awesome!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[*] Previous page