Creating your Professional Brand

Okay, maybe when it comes to canned veggies and frozen desserts, store-bought is fine, but when it’s you, branding is key, and taking the time now to think through your personal brand will pay large dividends later.

To build your personal branding consider the following:

• What colors do you want people to associate with you? Choose 2-3, use them consistently and thoroughly.
• What keywords describe your working style and personality? Add those into the way you describe yourself in your online profiles, elevator pitch, and promotional materials.
• Find a photo of yourself that reflects your professional brand and use it as your avatar across social media, professional sites, and printed materials.
• What’s your professional aesthetic? Clean and simple? Boho? Nature-adjacent? Whimsical? Modern? Retro? Determine what your general guidelines are and stick to them when you make decisions about designing your online portfolio, your graphics, and your brand icon.

The most important thing to remember about creating your professional brand is to choose items that feel right for you and then cultivate that into a cohesive whole. Nothing needs to be difficult, elaborate, or intensive (unless you want it to be)! Remember, Steve Jobs created a professional brand out of a black turtleneck and sneakers—you’ve got this!