DISCOVERY

Dening Your Own Brand Attributes

youve worked on?

A good place to start thinking about your own brand statement is by

reecting about the work youve done, the person you are, and the
creative professional you want to be. In order to do this, there are some

Are these qualities communicated through any of the pieces

What do you have to offer a company or client?

What types of experiences engage you?

What do you nd most interesting about the world around you?

What do you nd most interesting about photography, art, and/or

key questions that you should ask yourself. Write down the answers
that you come up. Trust yourself and listen to your intuition throughout
this process. You should also think about getting the opinions of others
whom you trust. Ask faculty, clients, fellow designers, photographers,
artists, etc., how they would characterize the work you do and the

design?

Whose work inuences, attracts, and inspires you? Why?

creative person they perceive you to be. Ultimately, you want to focus
in on descriptive key wordsadjectives and adverbs that can begin to
dene your brand statement.

Reect on Your Future

Ask yourself some key questions:

Reect on Your Work

What kind of work do you want to do?

Ask yourself some key questions:

What kind of creative do you want to be?

Are you doing the kinds of things now that you want to be doing

What kind of work do you like to do?

What kind of work do you do best?

Was there a particular project that you really enjoyed working on?

How would you dene your talents and skill set?

How would you describe the styles, forms, and concepts with

in the future?

If not, how can you position yourself to get to where you want to be?

What kind of company or client do you want to work for?

What kind of company would t your lifestyle? Are there

compromises you are willing or not willing to make (travel,

which you prefer to work?

moving to a different location, long hours, etc.)?

How would others describe your talents and the work you do?
(If you dont know, ask.)

What does your body of work say about you?

Is there something missing from your body of work that you think

Where do you see yourself in one, two, or ve years?

Is there someone in the eld who you admire? Would want to

emulate? Why? How did they get to where they are?

you need?

This is your opportunity to invent yourself for the rst time, or reinvent
yourself all over again. Think about where youd like to be two years

Reect on Yourself and Interests

Ask yourself some key questions:

How would you describe yourself as a creative professional?

How would you describe yourself in general - your personality,

work ethic, beliefs, etc.?

How would others describe you? (If you dont know, ask.)

from now. How about ve or ten years? People change jobs and even
careers often throughout their lifetime. Now is the time to think about
what you want out of your career.
By dening what you show based on what you truly are and what
you want to do, you create a self-selection process: you are not for
everyone. You are different. Be courageous enough to show that you
see in a way no one else does.4
Doug Menuez, Photographer

16 NO PLASTIC SLEEVES

There are many different places where one can nd sources of

Photographers should look to both photo history as well as

inspiration. Keep in mind that you cant create in a vacuum. Find what

contemporary approaches found in commercial photographic

will help get your creative juices owing.

production. Perhaps your work is more in keeping with the late

20th-century study of typologies coming out of German photography

Looking Outward

or you like the freewheeling framing of Winogrand. Look to fashion

Try looking outside of yourself for things that inspire and appeal to

photography, which has always repurposed historical forms such

you. Go to museums and galleries; browse the shelves at libraries and

as: reportage, early color, alternative process, Polaroid, snapshot

bookstores; ip through industry magazines and online portfolios. Look

aesthetics, and plastic or alternative cameras.

at the work that other people have made and ask yourself whether or

Explore a variety of mediums and forms in your search for inspiration.

not you want to create similar work. If so, try to dene what you are

If a particular genre or artist inspires you, try to determine what it is

looking at or experiencing. Try to gure out what characteristics dene

about their work that you nd so appealing. Think about how this is or

a particular piece that you are drawn to. What makes it stand out?

is not reected in your own work and the type of work you want to do.

What makes it meaningful to you? What does it communicate about the

Does a particular design style match up with how you dene yourself

artist who made it? Try to be conscious of the various visual things that

and your work? Will referencing it help communicate your unique

you are drawn to: patterns, signs, graphics, images, lms, typefaces,

qualities as a creative individual?

or anything else to which you feel a connection. You should take some
time to explore the things around you.

Process

Genres and Styles

Keep a sketchbook of inspiration as you search and explore. This

process may take some time. If the end result is to be meaningful, it is

While there are many places from which to draw inspiration, an easy

important that you dene a brand that is reective of your own unique

place to start is with a history of anthology or style book. These

vision, talents, abilities, and personality. In the end, you should feel

types of books explore numerous genres throughout the history of a

condent about your own creative identity.

particular discipline. Youll nd artists who have explored any number

of concepts, styles, and techniques. You may nd that you are drawn to
the postmodern, deconstructed typographic styles of Ray Gun and Fuse
in the 1990s; or the vibrant psychedelic posters of the 1960s; or the
sardonic images of a 1930s photomontage. Perhaps you will connect
with the clean, clear objective design of the Swiss Typographic style
or the expressive illustrations of Push Pin Studios. Perhaps you will
be drawn to American modernism and the abstract, symbolic graphics
of Paul Rand, Lester Beall, and Saul Bass. Maybe still, a painting will
inspire you, or a landscape, photograph, texture, or pattern.

17 BRANDING

INSPIRATION

The girl in the image is my mother-in-law from 1930. The bird was
my wonderfully goofy pet ecelectus parrot, Saul. The patterns used
here are not of a particular era; even though I do get inspiration from
vintage colors, patterns, etc., I try to make the patterns/colors t the
subject. I generally like to work with bright colorful patterns in my
pieces as a layering effect, incorporated with painted backgrounds.
Judy Reed Silver

J U D Y

R E E D - S I L V E R,

P R O M O T I O N A L

M A T E R I A L S,

Calabasas, CA.

N A O M I

H A R R I S,

P O R T F O L I O

W E B S I T E,

New York, NY.

Naomis website plays with the look of 1970s kitsch.

18 NO PLASTIC SLEEVES

This piece, inuenced by postmodern digital and

urban grafti trends, combines grafti and digital
type, comic book symbols, bold shapes, symbols,
lines, and eclectic cutout images to communicate a
dynamic, raw, and experimental feel. Keeping the
design limited to grayscale helps to unify all the
elements together into one cohesive piece.
K E N N Y

K I M,

S T U D E N T

P O R T F O L I O

A N D

P R O M O T I O N A L

M A T E R I A L S,

Kansas City Art Institute.

Trends
Consider that certain industries tend to align themselves with certain
trends. Think about what is popular in concept and style for the
moment. Look to industry leaders, organizations, and publications to
nd articles and visual examples of what is being called the latest and
greatest. Consider trends not only from the market you are currently
in, but also trends evident in the industry that you want to break into.
Ask yourself: What concepts, visual forms, or attitudes are being
represented? Then consider if you are already aligned with these or
even if want to be.

19 BRANDING