Personal Branding: How Help Me Net Found It’s Feet

I was 6 months pregnant, dealing with hip dysplasia that left me barely mobile, and had a 2-year-old underfoot when someone asked me to build them a website. With my toddler off to childcare a couple of days a week and my limited mobility, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

It’s not a great origin story, as far as they go (except for the little bundle of mayhem and magic that sprung forth – the kid, not the business). But it is a very authentic one for most of us. You start where you are, with what you’ve got and you make the most of your unique talents and circumstances and see where it grows.

What I love about branding is that it gives you a persona – it’s a model of your best self that helps you live up to it. It’s not fake because it needs to be an extension of you. Branding elements encompass colour, look, feel, voice, logo, and images. They are the clothes you put on to show up. While it’s subjective, there’s a lot that goes into it – psychology, user experience. There’s really good branding, and there’s exceptionally poor branding resulting from poor decisions, lack of knowledge, or bad execution.

Here are a few pointers from the road

Throw away your first idea

When I started, I was convinced that a simple wire frame diamond would be a great symbol for my brand. It was all about precision, quality, and class. I had a graphic, and I thought it was going to be great. It really wasn’t. Diamonds are hard, cold, and elitist – I’ve never worn a diamond in my life. It in no way reflected me, my work, or the people I would be working for. It’s so common to have an idea, get excited about it, and then realise it doesn’t fit when you step back and think about it.

Instead of jumping into the first idea, have lots of them ideas. Write them down. Play with them. Try them on for size. There’s no shortage of ideas in the world. Evaluate each one from the outside before committing.

Find your hook and evolve it naturally

When developing your brand, start with where you are and remember that brands, products, and businesses all evolve.

Find a hook and grow it into a concept. For me, mountains became the perfect symbol – beautiful, calm, and serene, yet incredibly powerful. They have peaks and troughs, representing adventure. Plus, who doesn’t like pictures of mountains?

There were tons of allegories, similes, metaphors, and cool ideas that could be built upon for product names, processes, concepts, and storylines.

Don’t be rigid with your ideas

Let them percolate and see associations. Use resources like dictionaries, thesauruses, or Pinterest to gather ideas, information, and visuals to help your concept grow.

When seeking advice, be cautious

Friends and family may not be the best people to consult due to emotional investment or lack of understanding. Look for professionals whose work you admire and who are willing to work with you as partners, guiding you along the way while ensuring your voice is heard.

Remember, your business is your business. You don’t need to change something just because one person doesn’t like it. Instead, listen to multiple perspectives and look for patterns in feedback.

Start small with the basics – logo, color, and font

You can buy premade brand kits as an excellent first step, but be choosy. Your branding doesn’t have to be a big, expensive experience, but live it in everything you do.

When choosing fonts, make them readable and choose a pair that goes well together. Set the right tone and avoid overused or inappropriate fonts like Comic Sans unless your target audience is children. Consider special characters and choose high-quality fonts that display well on computers.

Don’t skimp on your logo design

A good starting point for a logo is $500-1000. If you want to start small, approach a good graphic designer whose work you admire. Have background information ready and inquire about their process.

Why so much? Because there are lots of things to consider and you want to ensure you get the right files in the right format that you need from the get go.

As your business evolves, be prepared to adjust your branding

Over nearly 4 years, my business has evolved tremendously. I now understand the market needs better and know my strengths more clearly. When looking to change things up, I go back and set my compass again. Through my brand’s evolution, I’ve moved from a typical web design site to a more wilderness-focused, people-centric approach. I realized that digital marketing, often fixated on technology, is actually all about people.

It’s as much about how you are in person as it is about what you do online

Develop your concepts and shape them to show your unique perspective. For me, that includes using grids to emphasize structure and add a distinctive look to my designs. Think about how you can stand out in a sea of similar visuals.

You can do much of this branding work yourself, but know when you need help. Your brand is an essential part of your business identity, so invest the time and effort to get it right.