As a creative practitioner, I am always on the hunt for ways to develop my craft and with my goals for my future career being greater than my current position, one aspect that can have a large effect on my development and professional growth is the creation of my personal brand. Being an avid Instagram user, this is a topic that is covered by a wide range of the accounts I follow. As I prepare to take the next step in my professional career, could I incorporate creating a personal brand as a subtheme for my final major project? However, would this sub-theme create a distraction from the main outcomes for the final major project?
Since starting my university Instagram account, on the 7th of October 2020, I have reached 450 followers to date (11/01/21). Although the size of the following does not directly relate to success, it does, however, provide social proof for clients that may be looking to work with a graphic designer. Could creating a personal brand aid the growth of the account due to the professional appearance?
There are various factors that I must consider when creating my brand. On the surface, being both the client and the designer appears to be the perfect project. However, I am also under no illusion that this could also hinder the design process due to it being the most personal project I could ever tackle. Colour, typeface and logo will all be brought into consideration as the main elements for the personal brand, but some elements must be considered that may not be so obvious. For example, tone of voice, method of communication, imagery style, my vision and how this will all impact on the types of clients that will be attracted to the brand. In order to be successful, these are all aspects that I must thoroughly explore and investigate. How do I make my personality shine through the sea of freelancers on Instagram? It is important to note that this brand, once created, will be implemented not only on social media but also through various documentation that clients will interact with once they have been onboarded such as invoices, and creative package documents to name a few.
From a time scale point of view, I must be sure to not rush this process and explore every possible instance of the logo, each colour I believe to best represent my brand and me personally. I am self-aware enough to know that once I start to conceptualise the branding assets I will want to implement them as soon as possible on my Instagram account. But this project could be a test of patience. Setting a deadline of August/September to conceptualise and launch my personal brand. The first project launched with the new personal brand style being the final major project, Anthropocene and Extinction.
The next steps for this side venture? To research personal branding for other creatives and to undertake some personal research into my personality, my style and my skills. Only when I know this information can I begin to develop a personal brand that will see me through my professional career.
Articles such as the one below become valuable in learning best practice from industry leaders.
Comments