Check Whether Your Design Has Been Copied [Detailed Walkthrough].

In today's online world, design is everywhere across the digital landscape — whether on a company's website or in a designer's professional portfolio. While this has made the world of graphic design more accessible than ever, it has also made it easier for copy thieves to take advantage. The sad truth is that a design is just a screenshot away from ending up in unscrupulous hands. At the same time, it is possible that your design coincidentally resembles another design — therefore, you will want to check that it is not an accidental copy. Perhaps your client asked you to work with an image, and you must make sure that you are allowed to use it in your design. There can be many reasons to check where a design appears on the web. The good news is that the same internet that makes copying possible provides business owners and designers with tools to find these copies. For this reason, we have put together this guide to successfully check for copies of your designs.  

Why should I check the web for copies?

1. Professional designers should check whether their designs are being illegally used as part of normal portfolio maintenance. In this online world, you must market yourself by showing your designs to potential clients in a portfolio. Inevitably, potential thieves are also looking at your portfolio and may use your designs without permission. As the copyright owner of your own work (not sold to clients), it is your responsibility to take measures against copyright infringement.   2. You should double-check the license status of stock images used in your design. Some types of designs, such as brochures and web designs, include photos obtained from stock image agencies or third-party images. It is quite common for clients to ask designers to include stock images in a design where the license is unclear. And you don't want to use an image that you are not allowed to use. This is where a reverse image search can be useful for double-checking the source of the image, ensuring that the license allows it to be used in the design, and determining whether it needs to be purchased.   3. You should always check whether your designs accidentally resemble an existing design. This is especially important for logo designs, because to be brandable they need to be as unique as possible. It is entirely possible to create an elegantly simple, original logo design, only to later discover that it closely resembles competitors' logos. A logo would not be of much use to a client in this case, so you should always double-check your logo designs before sending them to a client. Next, let's look at the tools and techniques that all professional designers should use regularly to check and protect their designs.  

Which tools should I use?

Most people use the reverse image search feature in search engines to look for copies. Tineye, Pixsy, and Bing can be given as examples, but we will focus on tips for using Google image search, since it is the largest search engine with the largest database. Using Google image search is quite simple: all you need to do is upload an image file or drag and drop it into the search box. Then, you will see these sections in the search results: Other sizes of this image: This will only appear if other sizes are available. Visually similar images: They are visually similar to your image, but are not always a match. Don't worry about this section when looking for copies. Pages that include matching images: This is the most important section to pay attention to. This shows exact matches with your image, and is often accurate. Even if the image in your design has been altered from the original, it is still considered a derivative work, and Google will recognize it and show it here. If this section is empty, there are probably no known matching images online (or at least in Google's database). Now that we understand what each section of the search results means, here are 10 fundamental visual search techniques to apply when searching for potential infringement.  

Use these techniques to get better search results

1. Search using the original image file Let's say you are working to create a brochure design for a client and they have provided the original raw photo files for you to use in the design. In this case, you should double-check the copyright status of these raw photo files. Image files are more than just pixels; they often contain built-in information called metadata about the image's name, source, and copyright status. There are many different ways to search metadata, and the more metadata your image file has, the more information Google has to work with and provide you with better results. However, not all image files contain metadata, and it is easy to remove metadata by editing or screenshotting the image. Therefore, it is important to search with the original file when possible.   2. Search with high-quality, high-resolution image files Google image search only accepts these file formats: .jpg, .gif, .png, .bmp, .tif, or .webp. Using small, low-resolution images will not give you accurate results. If possible, provide a high-resolution .jpg file from the source files of the design or take a large screenshot of the image. It will be easier if you do your search on a desktop computer rather than a mobile device, as you may need to do some image manipulation in later steps, as you will see.   3. Isolate the main image If the image you are searching for is part of a larger design, such as a banner ad or poster, do not reverse image search the entire design. Text and other design elements only confuse the engine and lead to faulty results. Instead, make sure to crop everything except the main image you want to find and drag it into the search box.   4. Convert the image to black/white/grayscale Colors, especially if the tone has been changed in the copied design, can mislead the search engine. Therefore, if you cannot get far with your search results, try converting the image to grayscale. If you are searching for graphics rather than photos, make sure to increase the contrast so you get sharper lines and a fully black image on a white background.   5. Flip the image If your design has been stolen, the culprit may have changed or modified the orientation of the image. In this case, Google will have trouble producing results even if it is the same image, and flipping your image horizontally or vertically can compensate for this. Images of people or creatures tend to face right, so make sure to flip your image in this direction.   6. Rotate the image Slightly rotating an image can make a huge difference in your search results. It is important to think about how a stock image originally appeared on the stock site, because you need to search for an image as close to the original source as possible. If an image in your design appears to be rotated, bring it into Photoshop to adjust it correctly before dropping it into the search engine.   7. Invert the image If the design you are searching for is a vector graphic, the ideal image to search for is a black image on a white background, not the other way around. To invert an image, bring it into Photoshop and click Image > Adjustments > Invert.   8. Add a search term Including search terms related to the image can help Google find the source you are looking for, especially if you are trying to find a stock image that can be purchased. Try using words like "stock," "vector," "clipart," "photography," "shutterstock," and the names of other stock image sites.   9. Use multiple reverse image search engines When all else fails, it is definitely worth trying to double-check with another search engine. Tineye may have a smaller image database than Google, but it also uses a different algorithm that may lead to better results. Other search engines like Bing and Yandex can also help.   10. Use search results to find more search results. Sometimes, you will search with a small, low-resolution image that will not provide information about the original source of the image. However, some of these results will be larger versions of your image, so you should use them to continue searching by right-clicking and selecting "Search Google for Image." If you are researching the license information of a stock photo in your design, you may see that the stock image is being used on a website that is not the original source of the image. If this image is only being used on a website, it may be copyrighted and not for sale. However, if you right-click/inspect this search result, it will provide more information about the image or may lead to more search results if it is available for purchase on a stock site.  

Image search is your friend

It is important to remember that Google occasionally changes its algorithms, so on some days your searches will not be very effective. You will need to wait and try another day. Even if you check Google image search, it is always possible that a design has been copied somewhere. However, if you use all these tips during searches, you can be sure that your design has not been copied and that you have done your due diligence. You can find more information about intellectual property and copyright infringement here. Do you have a visual search tip? Share it in the comments below!