Personal Branding

Initial Brainstorm:
In order to start developing a more coherent personal brand I've reflected on who I am as design and what I want to go into. I currently feel that I sit more as a freelance graphic designer, as I don't want to work in a studio as the majority of my work is based in traditional forms of graphic design such as branding, packaging and editorial. However I'm looking to go into more 3-dimensional work, but my portfolio doesn't reflect this. Therefore for my current situation, I've branded myself as a freelance graphic designer as I plan to do some freelance work as I explore my own practice and develop more self-initiated projects within set/stage design and 3-dimensional design.

Figure 1

Initial Type Experiments:
In order to develop a logo I've experimented with creating letterforms based on characteristics within some of my favourite typefaces (see figures 2-4). Throughout these experiments terminals and stokes have been edited to create a modern type with a slight unique element which aims to represent the less traditional graphic design work (see figures 5-6). Although these experiments created more unique outcomes that simply using an existing typeface I didn't think they were good enough and also didn't fit with the aesthetic of my existing material which I feel better reflects my work.

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Sabon/Website:
Upon reflection of my initial type experiments, I've decided to explore the use of Sabon which I've used throughout my website as I felt the unique characteristics of the strokes and serifs add a modern and unusual element to the typeface which represents the less traditional aspects of my work. In order to create more of an identity I've looked to develop a pattern from the strokes, terminals and serifs I find interesting with the characters of my name (see figures 6-7). This lead to a bold chunky pattern as I felt the thinner lines used initially overpowered the text rather than complimented. Multiple colour vaiaritons where explored based on colours within my recent work and combinations that I liked however I felt these where too garish and wouldn't work well within my other material especially my website. Therefore black and white were used in order to create a consistent identity across my print and digital material (see figures 8-9). The black pattern will be printed using black ink, adding a natural spot gloss to the business cards creating a more professional and high quality feel to the cards.

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Invoice/Envelop:
In order to present myself as a freelance designer, I've created a template for invoices based on my personal branding. As the main aim of the invoice is to be legible and easy to understand I've kept the design simple and clear after some experiments. Throughout this process, it was difficult to identify how each section of information should be grouped and organised so the client can easily read and find the necessary information (see figures 10). The final layout is simple to understand and features all of the relevant information needed for sucessful payment (see figure 11). In order to create a more consistent identiy, a custom envelope has been developed which featured the pattern used on my business cards to add a more professional touch (see figure 12).

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