When I was in graduate school and sitting in a brand management class, I raised my hand and asked my teacher if he thought there was something to branding yourself before you can brand for your clients. This seemed logical to me, I'd heard about the books "You are a brand" and others and thought it would make sense. He said to me "no, you just go out and do it". And that was that. I felt a little foolish but didn't think about it again until two years later. Then it started not settling so well with me. I had since read much of the book You are a brand, and various other articles and publications that pointed to what I was asking my teacher. In his defense I don't think he really understood what I was asking, I think he was deeply involved in the thought of branding a product and wasn't putting two and two together, so he's off the hook for that. I'm going to convey my thoughts on this and how it translates to your work.
The first thing that strikes me is the mindset. My brother recently made fun of me saying that I'd lost my edge and that I didn't have that "screw you, I'll show you who's right in the end!" attitude. I told him that it was just me being married and refining myself to be more patient and understanding and taking constructive criticism better. Now, I agree with him to a certain extent, I think I have lost that edge and I finally think I'm starting to get that back. This is extremely important to success. I don't think being a jerk is what it takes but I think being bold and stating your opinion and sticking by it but acknowledging when you are wrong are important to your development as a professional. Ultimately you need to have your own opinion of who you are and what you believe and think about something.
Let me give an example of this. I was doing a consulting project in Las Vegas, Sin City. I walked into this board room with a lot of big wigs who had a lot of money. I sat there fresh faced out of grad school... in my mind I had no right to be there. It was a sink or swim moment, I piped up and asked a question to the CEO and just like that he thought I knew what I was talking about (little did he know...) he said he liked my style and asked how old I was. I learned right then and there in a professional setting that none really knows... if you have an opinion and you can back it with something logical and it makes sense, you're just as right as the next guy.
I truly feel sorry for certain people that have what it takes but for one reason or another aren't able to be themselves with the brand. It'd be like me branding Tampax Tampons... it just wouldn't work well. Then there is the corporate face of branding, I talked to a guy who works for a big CPG company, he said that he liked the job but the brands had no identity other than a fabricated numbers driven face that the corporation put on the brand. You know what, he's right... but the crazy thing is it works! They are a category leader so how can you fault that? Branding with your brand is less visible in big corporations... this fellow with whom I talked said that he was saddened by that and said that his ability as an artist was minimized. He held out hope though, said that one day he'll be able to put his stamp on it (jokingly he said he'd be able to change a font). I then looked at some of the other brands that surround me.
Being here in the rocky mountains there is a resort community being established on Bear Lake on the Idaho side of the border. I talked to the designer and essentially the brand manager there. He seemed so out of his element when it came the designs. They were brilliant and
beautiful but he is somewhat of an emo/metro guy. The design and branding was very uppity outdoors style. Something you would see in Jackson Hole, WY. He mentioned that he really enjoyed the work but I could just tell that it was hard for him to really buy into the whole thing. He's a graphic designer by trait and throughout the visual work he'd done every once in a while you could see his personality come through.What does this all mean? I feel that it's essential to brand what you enjoy. If you enjoy the subject matter and are passionate about what you are doing then your best work comes through. I met a brand manager for an all natural herbal supplement company who was just that, all natural! It worked, he fit the bill and really really enjoyed it. He had a successful line of products. Now what came first the chicken or the egg, I dunno, did they hire someone who was like minded or did the like minded person seek out the brand... probably both but the point is it worked. He had recognized who he was, what he wanted, his desires and lifestyle. He took those attributes and combined that his branding knowledge and it was a match made in heaven.
That is the personality of branding coming into effect. This is an old cliche but do what you like to do. It's true, seek out those opportunities to brand the things you like, you'll be more successful, have a better idea and more than anything you'll have passion for it. It will be easier to talk the talk, walk the walk, and make the brand better.
Now, coming full circle... I'm not going to tell you what I really want, love, or enjoy doing. I've posted it many times before but that's not to say that I don't have passions for other things. My thought is this. You brand how you are... find something that needs your brand.
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