Personal Branding Workshop Recap: Tips to Help you Create Your own Personal Brand

“Can you tell me about yourself?”

Whether you’ve heard that question in a job interview or a networking event, you might dread responding. How do you distill your background, career, expertise, and goals into a quick elevator pitch? That’s no easy feat, especially for designers and creatives. If you’ve found yourself stressing about this, you’re not alone.

AIGA Chicago recently hosted a workshop with Ari Krzyzek on how to navigate personal branding. As the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Chicago-based digital brand consultancy Chykalophia, Ari’s experience gives her a broad perspective on how to define your personal brand. Before diving into a few of her tips, let’s talk about the broader idea of personal branding.

What is a personal brand and why does it matter?

Simply put, a personal brand is how you define yourself, often in a professional setting. Ari defines it as “aligning who you are with what you do.” For designers, the personal branding process might not seem so foreign; take your standard method for defining a brand for a client and apply it to yourself. But as we all know, that’s easier said than done.

Crafting your personal brand takes time and energy, but it’s well worth it. According to Forbes, personal branding is crucial going through the hiring process, making and maintaining professional connections, and positioning yourself as a leader. Ari’s workshop mirrored similar findings; when personal branding is done right, it helps:

• Set you apart from other candidates for job opportunities
• Create emotional bonds and inspire others in your network
• Leave a positive impression and win the attention of your ideal audience

How to get started creating your personal brand.

If you’re lost on where to start, Ari suggests some inner and outer reflection. In her words, “Personal branding is not just about you: it’s about you and the people around you. Your abilities reach beyond just yourself.” While your brand may be personal, you need to figure out how it relates to your audience and broader creative ecosystem. Here are some questions Ari poses for consideration:

• Think about your favorite celebrity, idol, or favorite successful designer: why do you follow or believe in them? What makes them stand out or memorable?
• Why might people follow or believe in you? What unique story can you share with the world?
• Who is your target audience and how can you connect with them? What value do you provide?
• What makes you stand out? What are your passions? What problems are you trying to solve?

Create your own positioning statement.

Once you have the answers to the above questions, you can create a positioning statement for your own personal brand. Ari’s formula is as follows:

I’m (your name), (what you want to be known for). I help (your audience) (problem you’re trying to solve) with/by (your unique approach/solutions).

Ari’s example reads as:

I’m Ari Krzyzek, Mentor & Speaker. I help women in tech and design break into the industry and succeed in it by mentoring on personal branding, career development, and creative entrepreneurship.

From there, building a solid brand statement creates a structured and inspired foundation for other channels and applications, including your website, social, résumé, or visual identity. Ari’s formula is a perfect method to brainstorm and test out what you want to convey. So the next time someone asks you to describe yourself, you’re armed and ready with a stellar answer.

See some of Ari’s past work, follow her on social, or reach out to book a mentoring session if you want some one-on-one assistance. And as always, keep an eye out for more events and educational workshops from AIGA Chicago!