Personal Brand Design
Features: Print Design, Promotion, Brand Identity
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Timeline:
Phase 1: January 2023 - March 2023
Phase 2: March 2024
Client Background:
During the process of creating this portfolio, I wanted to create a brand for myself to showcase my skills and attract potential clients.
The following is a case study that outlines the process I went through to create my personal brand, Jennifer Noelle, which includes designing a logo, creating social media accounts, and developing business documents such as a resume, portfolio, brand guide and business cards.
Process of Phase 1:
January 2023
To begin, I looked through old logos and branding that I created throughout my years in college to pick out what I like about each one, versus what I do not like. I also completed a thorough visual analysis to see what other graphic designer logos in the industry look like. This helped me create a clear vision for my brand and guide the design process.
(1/5) These are logo comps from one of my very first design classes in my freshman year of college. I incorporated lots of shades of blue, green and purple into my different comps because I felt those colors represented me the best.
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This logo was my main logo mark when I made the first version of my portfolio last year. I hand wrote 'Jnoelle' in script and had "Designs" in a simplistic font underneath. I paired my logo with a pink color scheme in my website and branding.
Analysis Findings:
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After looking at my own previous designs and what is currently in the industry, I wanted to make sure my color palette was professional and elegant, but is still able to represent my personality.
I found myself gravitating towards liking designs with a darker shade color, along with a pale color to make things stand out. Some combinations I looked into were navy/royal blue and pale yellow, dark red and pale pink, and forest green and mint green.
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As much as I love logos with calligraphic typography and I tried to incorporate that into my designs in the past, I wanted a series of typefaces that are readable and clean in any scenario I use them in, so I began leaning towards serif and san-serif pairings for my new branding.
Logo:
Once I had my research and possible ideas for what I wanted my logo to look like, I started to sketch all of them out. I went through multiple critique sessions and multiple pages of my sketchbook before I started narrowing down my choices.
I then refined the concepts based on the feedback I received and presented the final designs to a group of fellow designers for critique. After several iterations, I settled on a clean and modern design featuring butterflies in my branding. I created a brand board to show my different design choices.
Social Media & Business Documents:
Once I had my logo, fonts and colors picked out, I developed my business documents, including my resume, cover letter, envelope and business cards. I also rebranded my social media accounts for my brand on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
I used consistent branding elements such as my logo, color palette, and design style to create a cohesive look and feel across all platforms and documents. I also developed a social media strategy that I would be able to use to showcase my design work while engaging with my audience.
Why Butterflies?
My grandmother, Esther Piazza, was one of the most positive people you could ever come across, and she always inspired and encouraged me to pursue my dreams. She always came off as a warm and welcoming soul with the biggest heart.
She always was happy to help anyone she met and she positively transformed people’s lives. When she passed away almost 10 years ago, my mother and I began seeing blue butterflies in public any time we started thinking of her.
I wanted her legacy and her values to be represented in my designs, as my main goal above anything else is to be able to positively transform people’s ideas into reality.
Results of Phase 1, Process of Phase 2:
Results:
My personal brand was well-received by my family, friends, colleagues, and clients. My social media accounts have also gained a following prior to my portfolio release last year, and I have been able to begin to establish myself as a professional designer in the industry.
But It Doesn’t End There
While my branding last year was very successful, after a year of growing professionally as a designer, I saw things that could be improved. I wanted the colors to be intentional. I have improved in my illustrative abilities, and have grown more confident as a designer. I wanted these things to be reflected in the revision of my brand.
Creation
Since for this phase I was not starting from scratch, I took a look at this case study and made notes about what I wanted to keep from my original branding, and what I didn’t want to keep. I liked the main header font that I used, and I still wanted to keep the butterfly as a large association of my brand.
However, I wanted to make sure a transition between a hopeful designer and a professional designer was apparent. I noticed that by having the butterfly next to the J in my original logo, I was accepting of change in the industry and hopeful to grow, but I did not fully embrace change at the time. Now I do. In my new branding, I introduced a shade of emerald green to symbolize new beginnings and growth, in addition to empathy and hope that I show through the blue and yellow in my branding. I also wove in the butterfly and an infinity sign within the uppercase J (Previously lowercase). I did this to show improvement, confidence, and how I embrace and welcome change in the design industry.
Results:
The final product was a visually pleasing branding guide and brand board that I feel confidently shows all of the values I want to portray as a designer.
I also applied the new branding to my social media, resume, business cards, letter head, cover letters and more.