P R O C E S S
Evolution of a personal brand
When I started freelancing, I used graphics I had designed to get my next design job. I wanted it to reflect the fact that I do a lot of sketching in process and am creative. Softer skills for a softer sell. But as my business developed, I realized I was working more with marketing directors and small business owners. I needed to update the tone I was setting.
Developing a logo for yourself can be too much of a good thing. It can be anything you want! No client involved! Express yourself! A blank canvas can be too limitless. So, I did what a good creative director does and wrote myself a creative brief. Here are some highlights from my process.
Start by setting an objective.
Business objective: Expand my client base to larger companies in mid-sized cities in the region (Nashville, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Asheville, Lexington, Memphis, Chattanooga)
Marketing objective: Use LinkedIn and my website to generate more conversations and connections with potential new clients. Position myself as a creative yet dependable senior-level design partner.
Know your audience and your competition.
The people hiring me would be marketing directors and creative directors of mid-sized companies who have a marketing team and budget but may be understaffed in design or who may not have the need for a full-time creative director yet. I’m a good fit for B2B industries like healthcare, insurance, finance, biotechnology, manufacturing, other technical industries, NGOs/non-profits. My competitors are other freelancers and some small agencies.
Reminder to self: I don’t need to impress other designers. They are not my primary audience.
Define what makes you different.
I’m able to grasp complex objectives or content and turn them into clear, compelling designs. I can be creative within strict brand guidelines. I can provide design direction as needed without a full-time hire. I can provide the polish and strategy of agency work without the price tag.
Use that definition to create your brand personality.
To reflect my business and appeal to my audience, I needed something creative yet polished that set a professional tone—nothing too decorative. I want my skills for efficiency and simplicity to shine through even though there is deep thinking behind the simplicity. I respect message-driven design and strategic planning.
Develop concepts.
This is where it gets fun. Sketching and visual research helped me focus on parts of my personality that are relevant. I’ve spent half my career in publishing learning to love words and to fit tons of content in tiny spaces. I’ve been enthralled by poster design since I learned what a color separation was while creating posters for my high school theater. Toulouse Lautrec was my first design crush and still a favorite. But in and of themselves, these don’t matter to my audience, so I had to make it subtle.
Toulouse Lautrec’s signature + the paragraph symbol + flip and modify = tb
Build a system.
Once I had a mark I liked, I built off it to create a full visual system. A deep navy reinforced the professional, dependable tone I want to set. Brighter colors provide energy and emphasis. A base shape of a circle gave me a clean and simple visual language that I can easily manipulate to tell different stories.
So what do you think? Is it working? I’m always open to feedback. If you think I nailed it and want some help developing your brand, let’s chat!
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