Logo Design and Visual Identity for Your Personal Brand
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Written by Paddy McGrath
You probably realize by now that your logo isn’t your brand. It won’t make or break your business, or bring you fame and riches. Its purpose, in my eyes, is to give people an easy way to remember you. That’s it.
To stand out in a busy marketplace you need to plant a seed in people’s minds. They’ll likely come across dozens of people or businesses who do exactly what you do, so you need to be the one who they remember. One of the best ways to do this is to tell a story — YOUR story. Your logo is the “memory hook” that recalls this story in their mind whenever they see it.
As a logo designer, I challenge you to question exactly what you want to be remembered for, then boil this idea down into a simple and memorable symbol. Here are some insights for you to consider:
Your visual identity is about visual storytelling.
If you think back to when you were at school, the lessons that probably stick your mind are the ones that were taught through storytelling. This is how you capture people’s attention and get them to notice you. So this is how you should view your messaging, as a story that will draw people in and show them that you’re a little bit like them. Whether it’s your logo, business card, color scheme or social media banner, your visual identity is about visual storytelling.
You must be brave and be prepared to show the real you. And if you frame it in a way that shows you’re there to help, you’ll make the buying/hiring decision so much easier.
A logo designer is like a tattoo artist.
When you get a tattoo, you’ve pretty much got an infinite choice. Some people have portraits of lost friends or loved ones, or they might show their allegiance to a political party or football team. Others though are happy with “tribal pattern no. 33” on their lower back. What I’m saying is, you can make it mean as much or as little as you choose — there’s no right or…
