I recently developed my personal brand

Can you believe I’ve spent the past ten years branding businesses and other people’s personal brands—but not my own? That’s crazy.

When the NAA asked me to host a workshop about social media last year, I knew it was time.

Something else I knew? I didn’t want to overthink it or spend too much time on it. I didn’t want to fall into the trap of starting and never finishing—which would land me right back at not doing it at all. So I decided: we’re going to do this quickly.

First, I wrote down what I was sure I wanted:

• A light, serious-but-fun brand.

• A strong color identity—colors inspired by my everyday life.

• A font that’s interesting to look at and use.

For the colors, I sifted through a few palettes I had saved on Pinterest.

After a process of elimination, I narrowed it down and asked people close to me, “Which of these looks and feels more like me?”

That’s how I ended up with this colour palette for my brand. Fitting, right?

Next was typography and applying my name to the design. I played around with some fonts until I found two that clicked.

Then came the layouts. I tried a few different options and narrowed them down. I asked my people again for their thoughts, though deep down, I already knew which one it was. Thankfully, we all agreed—this one looked most like me.

And that’s how my brand was developed.

I was able to do this quickly because I’ve spent my life figuring myself out—discovering and rediscovering my taste, what I like, and what I don’t. I’ve been doing the research subconsciously all along; I just needed to put it out there.

I’m very pleased with this branding. It’s simple, playful yet serious, and interesting to look at. And the colour palette? It’s made up of all the colours in my world.

I believe creating a personal brand will help me take myself more seriously—and get taken seriously. It’s a tool I’ll use to step into spaces I’ve always dreamed of being in and to further my career.

If you’re a creative or entrepreneur, consider this your sign to start developing your personal brand.

What I’ve done so far is just the visual foundation. There are still many moving parts to building a successful personal brand, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on over the next few months.

So far, I’ve:

• Developed the visual aspect of my brand.

• Created a dedicated platform where people can learn more about me, share knowledge and build my community (this website).

What’s next? I’m working on:

• My online content strategy.

• Refining my LinkedIn presence.

• Building a cohesive overall online presence.

I’ll share more of this journey as it unfolds.