How do you create an effective brand identity and design portfolio?

Your portfolio features carefully selected design examples demonstrating your ability to concept and apply your knowledge and skills to solving visual communication challenges. When developing any type of self-promotion, there are different components to your brand identity and portfolio you need to consider. You will utilize numerous points of contact and each serves a distinct function and purpose. This post is packed full of advice, arming you with the tools needed to create a first-rate brand identity and portfolio presentation.

Consistency of visual voice

I must start this conversation highlighting what I talked about in my previous post “Develop a personal branding experience” (http://dezignrogue.blogspot.com/2011/11/develop-personal-branding-experience.html) A consistent use of your brand elements allows others to get to know your brand and personally relate to it. If you're not consistent when promoting yourself, how can your clients or potential employers trust you to be able to do it for them? As you send out your marketing materials, keep in mind hiring managers and clients don't know you personally. They rely on your effective use of design elements to get a sense of who you are. All points of contact: your cover letter, resume, business card, website, promotional materials, etc. should visually relate and project a strong and steady message. If one piece of communication is conservative, another aggressive and yet another demure and soft-spoken, your visual voice can present as splintered or having multiple personalities. This will confuse anyone who doesn’t know you personally and is relying on your use of design elements to become familiar and comfortable with your brand. The end result: a consumer or client who doesn’t know what to expect each time they see a message from you, leaving them feeling uncomfortable and uneasy.

Different components to your brand identity and portfolio

As stated above, when developing any type of self-promotion, there are different components to your brand identity and portfolio you need to consider. You will utilize numerous points of contact and each serves a distinct function and purpose.

Traditional book portfolio

Whether you opt for a flipbook or a box portfolio, the traditional book portfolio consists of your work being printed out and bound or mounted onto boards. In most cases, this version of your portfolio comes into play after you’ve made some sort of initial contact and have been invited to meet with the company/client.

Attention to detail in design is a must in all aspect of design really, but extremely so when constructing this version of your portfolio. Make sure you aren’t using low-res imagery. Working as a creative director, I can tell you this is one surefire way to lose creditability. Using low-res imagery in a traditional book portfolio tells me you don’t know the difference between high-res (300pdi) and low-res (72dpi) equating to your portfolio being skipped and me moving onto the next potential candidate.

If you choose a box portfolio, I strongly suggest purchasing all of your boards at the same time. The colors of the boards can vary slightly depending on when they were produced and purchasing them from the same die-lot ensures they’re the same shade. Think beyond your immediate need and order extra boards too. You’ll be adding additional work at some point and you want to ensure the board shades remain consistent throughout the entire book. Also, the boards vary in color from front to back so take note what side you’re mounting the work on.

Watch those corners! You don’t want any dinged corners on any of the boards. It looks sloppy. When presenting using boards, I try my best to handle the boards myself to prevent any dinging. I find most creatives are respectful of what goes into creating a portfolio and do their best to be careful when handling them.

Absolutely no pencil marks on your boards. I know what you’re thinking, “Why not? I can erase them.” The eraser leaves smudges on the boards and alters the color of the board. Here’s a trick I use when mounting work onto boards: use a stickpin to mark where you want to position the paper. The tiny dot left from the pin is easy enough to see when you’re mounting the work, but also nicely disappears once the work is mounted to the board.

More and more I find the traditional book portfolio taking a less active role in design. Time and time again, I find myself showing work on screen as opposed to using my traditional book portfolio. In fact, it hasn’t been taken off the shelf in about 4 years?!

You need a web presence

Every designer needs to have a web presence. Did you catch that? Here’s a repeat: every designer needs to have a web presence. This can be as simple as uploading examples of your work to professional websites (I cover this below) or building a website for yourself.

While I hope you design your web presence (it’s another opportunity to showcase your design abilities) you can go the route of a website builder that uses a drag and drop platform as opposed to designing and coding the site yourself. These types of portfolio building sites allow you some sort of web-based portfolio without the coding issues.

Some drag and drop platform sites you can reference:

• www.wix.com

• www.editor.circlepad.com

• www.carbonmade.com

• www.webs.com

• www.homestead.com

• www.weebly.com

The point is to get your work out there and viewed by potential employers/clients. Even if your design focus isn’t interactive, your web presence helps get the conversation started. Creative directors are busy and in most cases don’t have the time to call you in to talk to you without seeing your work first.

A low-res pdf version of your portfolio

There’ll be times when you’re requested to send a pdf version of your portfolio via email or upload a pdf to a potential employer/client’s server. Please don’t email a 60MB file! You’ll certainly cause your intended recipient frustration and run the risk of taking yourself out of contention. Again, from a creative director perspective, I’d think to myself “this designer doesn’t even know what type of file is appropriate to send via email” and quickly put them into the “no thank you” pile. Creating a 72dpi document is more than adequate for on screen viewing. When sending out a low-res pdf, I include 72dpi in the name of the document so the recipient knows I know it’s low res. I also state in my written communication it’s a low-res file. A naming convention example for you: “DeanJamesBallas_INDUSTRY_WORK_72DPI.pdf”

Include a rationale for each featured project

These suggested guidelines should be applied to your traditional book, web-based and pdf portfolios.

We interact with designs differently depending on the medium. You surely don’t engage with a direct mail piece the same way you do a billboard. In direct mail, the viewer has a chance to sit and relax in the comfort of his/her own home and read through the materials at their leisure. An outdoor advertisement however, has to communicate its message in about 3 seconds. It’s all about exclamation not explanation. Don’t you think it would benefit the viewer of your portfolio to understand the context of the design?

Including headers and short, to the point descriptive texts for each portfolio piece serves to help the viewer better understand details about your design. They also act as reminder points for you when you’re presenting the work. What is the design medium? What is the concept? What is the goal of the design? Answering these types of questions for the viewer in your rationale helps cement why your design solution is a valid one in the viewer’s mind.

Formatting your header/descriptive text in the look and feel of your cover letter, resume, business card, website, promotional materials, etc. is a great way to allow these different pieces of graphic communication to connect. Remember, you’re branding yourself here with every piece of communication. Do not splinter your voice!

These helpful points should take a secondary role to the design piece being featured. Let the individual portfolio design piece take prominence and allow the headlines and copy to be there for clarification if it’s needed. Also, keep this header and descriptive text the same size and in the same position on each portfolio page. The viewer will begin to understand this is the area to refer to if clarification is needed.

Number of pieces

There is no set standard for how many pieces you need to include in your portfolio. Speaking generally, any number between 10-15 pieces is more than adequate to get a sense of your concepting, digital manipulation, effective use of type and image skills. I consider multiple-part projects (identity system for example) as one project. You’re showcasing your best of the best here. I’d much rather see ten exceptional pieces of visual communication than twenty safe, average, expected pieces.

Choosing an order: start strong and end strong

You know the saying: you only get one chance to make a first impression. You better make it count! Choose your strongest pieces to go first and last in your portfolio in a bookend type fashion. Doing so enables you to make a great first impression, drawing them into your portfolio. This also allows you to leave them with a great last impression.

Showcase your knowledge of designing for different mediums

The current trend in our industry places emphasis on the "jack of all trades" approach to design as opposed to a "master of one." A designer is required and expected to be proficient and competent in many skills not necessarily outstanding in any particular one. Your portfolio and use of different marketing platforms need to showcase this mindset. Featuring a variety of design media and showing how a concept is executed across different communication platforms is crucial to a successful portfolio. You may not be that confident in back end coding, but you can certainly highlight you understand user interface and how the end user interacts with online content. Featuring interactive design examples such as websites, eblasts, kiosks and iPad screens can accomplish this goal.

Include at least one set of thumbnails

A creative director is interested in learning how you create. Including the entire creative process, from concept through fruition, for one project is strongly advised. Feature research, initial concepts, thumbnails, roughs, marker comps… all development really. Simply scan them in, write a rationale for each stage of the process and place them in the back of your book.

Create an identity package

Your cover letter, resume, envelope, business card etc. need to visually relate and connect to your portfolio presentation. This statement reaffirms what I was talking about in the consistency of visual voice section above.

A Microsoft Word version of your resume and cover letter

There’ll be occasions when a potential employer asks you to submit a .doc version of your resume and cover letter. I’m a firm believer designers should “design” everything they come in contact with. While Microsoft Word limits what can be done in regards to design, you still have opportunities to work with layout and formatting to capture a streamlined version of your established brand. Perhaps you’re using a san serif font in your other marketing materials. Why not choose one for the .doc versions of your resume and cover letter? How about formatting each section header using the same color you use in your other materials’ headers? Catch my drift?!

Design a self-promotion piece

This is another way to get your creative foot in the door and stand out from the crowd. It could be a booklet featuring what you can contribute to the creative team, a cool pop up card or any type of communication that showcases who you are as a visual thinker and why you’re the best designer for the job. It’s that little something extra that keeps you on the potential employer/client’s mind. A friend of mine would bake cookies, package them in a design that connected to his brand and have them delivered to the office where he interviewed. Now who doesn’t like cookies or the guy who sent them?

Stock imagery

I’m a huge proponent of integrating your own photography and illustration into your visual solutions. This is especially true when it comes to the work featured in your portfolio. My suggestion: showcase as many of your abilities as you can. Stating in a presentation you not only concepted and executed a high-level design, but also took the photographs or illustrated the imagery is bound to get the creative director’s attention. This demonstrates you bring more to the creative table than just effective type and image. This added skill set can place you ahead of the other candidates. The purpose of effective design is to develop unique, stand out ideas right? How unique can you really be if you use stock imagery, imagery that everyone else has access to?

If you’ve used stock imagery and haven’t purchased the rights to the image, you can’t use it on the web. If you’ve paid for it then you’re OK.

Spell Check

Do I REALLY need to state this?!

Network, network, network!

There are many different design related websites you can join, post your work and interact with other designers. Below are some I use quite often:

• www.commarts.com

• www.www.aiga.org

• www.coroflot.com

• www.creativehotlist.com

• www.behance.net

• www.dribbble.com/session/new

In conclusion

Your portfolio and all of your marketing materials are representations of you. I’m certain as you work your way through school or work with clients; you receive numerous opinions about your work. Remember, you’re the captain of your own ship. When designing, follow your gut instinct. Doing so will help you find your own voice! You make the final decision as to how you want to present yourself and your work. You’re the one who must defend it after all!

I’ll leave you with a quote from graphic designer and writer Adrian Shaughnessy “You should never consider your portfolio finished, and you should always be dissatisfied with it. The day you sit back and say, “My portfolio is great,” is the day you are dead in the water. Your portfolio requires endless work and few things are more important than it. This never changes no matter how successful you have become. That’s really the only thing I’ve learned about portfolios.”

Some helpful resources as you develop your portfolio:

Preparing and Talking About Your Graphic Design Portfolio

http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/techniques/preparing-and-talking-about-your-graphic-design-portfolio/

7 Tips For Creating a Print-Based Design Portfolio

http://nubbytwiglet.com/blog/2009/07/27/7-tips-for-creating-a-print-based-design-portfolio/

10 Steps to the Perfect Portfolio Website

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/02/26/10-steps-to-the-perfect-portfolio-website/

Develop a personal branding experience.

To understand branding, it’s important to know what brands are. A brand is the idea or image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with, by identifying the name, logo, slogan or design of the company who owns the idea or image.

Branding is when that idea or image is marketed so that it is recognizable by more and more people and identified with a certain service or product when there are many other companies offering the same service or product. Designers work on branding not only to build brand recognition, but also to build good reputations and a set of standards to which the company should strive to maintain or surpass. (1)

You can brand yourself!

You can establish a strong brand for yourself as an individual. This is especially important if you want to stand out from other candidates. Branding yourself enables you to be distinctive.

Who are you? Who cares?

With proper personal branding, not only will you find out who you are, you will make the right people care, opening up many opportunities specifically tailored for you. (2)

Personal branding

Personal branding is a strong personal identity based on a clear perception about:

• what you stand for

• what sets you apart from others

• the added value you bring to a job or situation

Your personal brand is the sum total of:

• other people's feelings about your attributes and capabilities

• how you perform

• their perceptions about what you are worth

Aspects of a successful personal brand

Consistency

Can we expect the same quality in everything you say/touch/do?

Below is a photo of my best friend, Antonio. Think of his hairstyle, eye color, smile and mannerisms as his personal brand. Every time I see him, engage in conversation with him, it’s a consistent connection. I’m familiar with his hair color, eye color, smile, mannerisms, what he sounds like, his likes/dislikes, etc. Every time, it’s a clear, consistent message.

Now, take a look at him without a consistent use of his personal attributes. I don’t even recognize him! A splintered effect occurs. This makes me uncertain, uncomfortable, hesitant and not very happy to see him.

Now, directly connect this mindset to your own marketing materials. A consistent use of your brand elements allows others to get to know your brand and personally relate to it. If you're not consistent when promoting yourself, how can your clients or potential employers trust you to be able to do it for them? As you send out your marketing materials, keep in mind hiring managers and clients don't know you personally. They rely on your effective use of design elements to get a sense of who you are.

Understand your target audience

• Who are you talking to?

• Research your audience!

• Talk to them in their language.

We are all rather egocentric when it comes to design. Most graphic communication is created on a mass scale; meant to be read by numerous viewers and yet we all engage with it as if the design is speaking directly to us. When viewing graphic messages, everyone asks “what’s in it for me?” Get a mental picture of the person you want to communicate to and talk directly to them. It’s important to keep in mind: you can’t be all things to all people.

Creative design | personal brand identity

It may seem superficial. It may be unfair. We may not like it. After all, why should you be judged by your looks? Self-presentation – your visual identity – is important because of the link people make between what something looks like on the outside and what’s on the inside. We do this today despite all the familiar admonitions, such as, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” (3) The way you look, carry yourself, the clothes you chose, the way you decorate your home, how you present your brand have a profound influence on other people’s judgment of you. (4)

Do your visuals reflect what you are saying? People attribute personality to your identity. All points of contact: your cover letter, resume, business card, website, promotional materials, etc. should visually relate and project a strong and steady message. I like to think of it as visually connecting the dots. If one piece of communication is conservative, another aggressive and yet another demure and soft-spoken, your visual voice can present as splintered or having multiple personalities. This will surely confuse anyone who doesn’t know you personally and is relying on your use of design elements to become familiar and comfortable with your brand. The end result: a consumer or client who doesn’t know what to expect each time they see a message from you, leaving them feeling uncomfortable and uneasy.

You’re creating a branding element that identities you:

• McDonald’s has the golden arches.

• Bono has his tinted, wraparound sunglasses.

• Larry King has suspenders.

• Now I must ask: what do YOU have?

Relevance

Is what you’re communicating making sense to the potential employer or consumer? What are their needs? How can you fulfill them? Remember, you’re marketing, PR, advertising and branding yourself!

7 Steps to establish your own personal brand (5)

Step 1, identify what you value

Your personal brand is ultimately a reflection of everything you value. For example, if you value knowledge, then your brand will likely incorporate the way you acquire, use and communicate information.

Step 2, identify what makes you unique

With your values as your foundation, determine your specific uniqueness. Everyone is unique and special in some way. How are you different as an individual? How are your skills different? Incorporate this uniqueness into your personal brand. A good way to start this line of questioning is to conduct a S.W.O.T. Analysis and list your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Step 3, identify how you want to be perceived

As discussed above, branding is about other people’s perceptions of you. You have the power to control most of these perceptions with your actions and presentation. Consider how you want to be perceived in your potential employer or client’s mind. Whether you like it or not, you already have a reputation with the people you know. Maybe you’re branded as the funny one in the group, or the big mouth; whatever it is, you have a brand.

Step 4, identify your specialty

Consider what specialty you want to be known for and take action to achieve it. When you’re consistent with your specialty, everyone will know you for it.

Step 5, identify your target market

The personal branding goal is to build employer/client loyalty. Determine your target market and speak directly to them. You want your target audience to feel they need your expertise. You don’t want them to say, “He/She’s good.” You want them to say, “We’ve got to have him/her on our team!”

Step 6, write your brand

A brand is a phrase that jumps out at you from the page and grabs your emotions. Write a statement. Start by incorporating at least one action verb. Then keep it short and simple. Make it unique, memorable and repeatable. You want to ring an emotional bell that causes potential employers and clients to focus on you, and you alone when they need your type of service.

Step 7, visualize, walk and talk your brand

Once you have created your personal brand, publicize it. Talk about it and ask others to spread the word. Establish a group of advocates who understand you and can publicize your personal brand to all the people they know. This will create a word of mouth buzz.

Conclusion

Effective personal branding enables a potential employer or client to get to know you through your choice and consistent use of type, imagery and messaging. Every piece of communication coming form you should establish a comfort level and instill confidence in your capabilities proving you’re the right person for the job. Not only do your concepting skills and designs need to be top notch, your personal branding needs to be too. No pressure there!

Blog Resources:

(1) http://www.brickmarketing.com/define-branding.htm

(2) http://artofselfbranding.com/

(3) http://www.imakenews.com/worldwit/e_article000588446.cfm?x=b11,0,w

(4) http://www.selfbrand.com/art10strategies.shtml

(5) http://www.myarticlearchive.com/articles/5/078.htm

Visual Identity Creative Process: Part 2

In September, I posted Visual Identity Creative Process: Part 1 which is the first in a series of blog posts following the development process of a visual identity system. Before reading any further, please reference Part 1 first to help get you better acquainted with the topic! ( http://dezignrogue.blogspot.com/2011/09/visual-identity-creative-process-part-1.html ).

I concluded Part 1’s post with five distinctive symbols that were presented to the client. When presenting initial symbols, I typically don’t bring color into the discussion. I present these initial concepts in black and white. I don’t want color to influence the client’s decision. Once the symbol is chosen, then color is explored.

After much discussion with the client, we narrowed the selection down to the following:

This symbol is a solid solution for it closely aligns with the concept outlined at the onset of the creative process: a focus on the meaning of the word “united.” United Tax Solutions wants to position themselves as allies with the consumer, helping them through a stressful and often confusing situation. The word united offers a sense of one on one personal support. United Tax Solutions can use these strong, emotional connectors to instill confidence and trust in their clients.

When reviewing the colors with the client, I made certain to introduce a very similar line of questioning that I asked you in Part 1: How does your customer feel when they are coming in to get their taxes done? When they hear “April 15^th” what happens to their blood pressure? Their symbol needs to offer a sense of friendly energy and put the tax clients at ease. Asking United Tax Services to observe the colors through their own client’s perspective makes the decision process much easier. This “walk a mile in my customers’ shoes” practice is especially helpful when you’re working with clients who aren’t accustomed to making creative decisions.

Three distinct color palette areas were presented:

All American (row one of symbols)

If you recall, the name United Tax Services was originally chosen to reflect the company’s patriotism. Including some sort of Americana color scheme had to be considered. That being said, the vibrant colors found on the American flag are way too overstated and literal. The suggested muted blue, burgundy and steel gray (to replace white) color palette alludes to the “patriotic” but is toned down and is more approachable.

Looking at the world through “red” colored glasses (row two of symbols)

The client has a fondness for red and specifically asked to see versions of the symbol in shades of red. This is a perfect example of appeasing my client’s wishes, showing I’m a team player and allowing them to take an active part in the creative process. Let me be crystal clear on something: my intent was to show variations of red as requested, but more importantly, convince the client their passion for red isn’t necessarily speaking to or communicating the right message to their intended audience. This supports the “walk a mile in your customers’ shoes” statement above.

There is a risk involved in this approach. What happens if the client sees red and red is the “one?” I’m not comfortable presenting any work I don’t believe in so I’m not about to just throw red versions into the mix and hope for the best. I make certain I’m content with the red palette that’s presented. Even though I listened to their initial request, an all red symbol is too aggressive. I added a few grays to some versions to counterbalance the intense red. Call this my attempt at compromise or meeting the client in the middle. A little give and take perhaps?

It’s not easy being green (row three of symbols)

Clean, fresh, contemporary and approachable. All that, and alludes to money too! ;) Every point of contact United Tax Services has with the customer must speak in the same visual voice or their voice runs the risk of becoming splintered and confusing the consumer. What does this mean exactly? Every piece of communication coming from United Tax Services has to consistently look, feel and sound like every other piece so the viewer gets to know and becomes comfortable with the brand. One design can’t be aggressive, another demure and yet another design obnoxious. If this happens, United Tax Solutions will present as though it has some sort of multiple personality! How can anyone be comfortable with a brand and build a relationship with this type of confusing, inconsistent communication?

Their identity system reaches so far beyond just the symbol design. Yes, the symbol is the foundation of the brand, but once this foundation is firmly established, the rest of the identity system can be built upon it. United Tax Solutions’ identity system reaches into environmental design too. I worked directly with the client and contractors to redesign the entire office space to be reflective of their new visual voice.

The it’s not easy being green series is a direct reflection of this mindset. The green color palettes are extracted from the actual, dimensional space of the office. Here’s a scenario for you. You’re a potential client of United Tax Solutions and you receive some sort of graphic communication from them in the mail. Your dialogue begins and you get acquainted with the brand. You then walk into the office and you’re completely submerged in the same, familiar voice of the brand! You can touch it, feel it, experience it… Do you see how vital this consistent presentation is to the consumer?

So which one is the final winner? TaDa!

Here are proposed digital mock-ups of the stationary set:

Letterhead

The backside of the letterhead prints with a flood coat of green. The abstracted version of the three figures holding hands is printed in a clear, glossy spot varnish that shimmers when the light hits it and seems to disappear when not reflecting the light.

Envelope

The inside of the envelope prints a flood coat of green. The abstracted version of the three figures holding hands is printed in a clear, glossy spot varnish that shimmers when the light hits it and seems to disappear when not reflecting the light.

Business Card

The translucent plastic business card alludes to the materials utilized throughout the office space: floor to ceiling frosted Plexiglas wall panels/doors, frosted glass lighting fixtures, etc.

Dimensional Design 

Dimensional, environmental graphics were also used to connect the United Tax Solutions symbol to other aspects of the office space. Many elements in the space (the modular furniture, door and cabinet hardware, lighting fixtures and accents throughout) are made of brushed nickel. Below is a digital mock up of the dimensional logo mounted to the wall facing the front door.

Today (Friday, November 11), the interior signage was installed. The installation was scheduled for 1PM. I arrived at the office only to find the images below staring back at me. The installation time was moved up to 12PM without my knowledge.

It’s always good to have a little sugar with your lemons so here is some sugar. The close up detail of the laser cut metal letterforms was exciting to see. The letters are mounted about an inch away from the wall surface so there is a cool shadow effect created. The sign commands attention when you walk into the space. This is exactly what I intended the signage to do.

Now for the lemons... I almost fell over when I saw the text was moved to the right of the symbol. You know, we designers are an obsessively detail-oriented people. I gave the sign company vector files with measurements and digital mock ups of what the sign should look like when mounted to the wall. I coordinated with the client and the sign company to ensure all were present at the time of installation. I didn’t anticipate the install time being moved. My bad. Guess what happens when a client and vendor get together without the keeper of the brand guidelines present?

Remember what I just wrote a few paragraphs above? In this case it’s certainly worth a repeat: every point of contact United Tax Services has with the customer must speak in the same visual voice or their voice runs the risk of becoming splintered and confusing the consumer. What does this mean exactly? Every piece of communication coming from United Tax Services has to look, feel and sound like every other piece so the viewer gets to know and become comfortable with the brand. All other collateral has the logo and type stacked but the interior signage has it placed left to right. Houston, we have a problem.

In Conclusion

I intend to continue to discuss this emerging brand as it develops and will keep you posted on any developments. I began Part 1 stating each of us has an individual way of creating: bringing distinctive experiences, diverse talents and a unique voice to the creative table. If we took the time to learn others’ processes, we might be able to enhance our own, in a sense build better creative tools to use when we are designing. The more I learn about my own process the more I seem to learn about myself. Have you documented your own process before? What have you gotten from the experience? If not, now is a good time to try. I can’t be the only designer who does stuff like this?! ;)