For the first part of our PPP module we are going to attempt to brand ourselves and prepare an individual identity. This brand would need to communicate who I am, what I'm good at and the services I offer. To begin with we need to design and produce business cards but all the while consider how the tone and design of them will later inform other promotional material, web design and the personal brand as a whole.
The first problem I encountered was defining myself, I know who I am but summing myself up is something I (and most other people) struggle with. So in a small group we decided to pass around pieces of paper with our names on the top and got each person to write what words came into their heads for what they first notice about each person and then what words they would relate to their work on the other side.
The results were very uplifting and also very informative. I had a series of buzz words I could now use to inspire ideas about communicating myself through a brand.
I then began to think of some different ideas for a funky original business cards, some of them were utter unrealistic but I just wanted to think creatively before I had to bring reality into it. I really wanted to produce something that could work as a set so people felt the incentive to collect my business cards and keep hold of them, it would also mean I could potentially communicate different parts of my talents and personality each on a different card.
I thought about making a flip book out of different materials, or perhaps using 'pop out' doors and flaps that would reveal images underneath.
I also thought of possibly making a tiny comic book or newspaper. There was also an idea based on collecting, where each card would have a hole on the top left corner so the could be kept together as a set.
I also thought of producing a set of cards that made a little story when they were placed together, this could allow for some different styles and designs as well as the collectable element. There was a possibility of also making the business cards into stickers and having a sticker book for them, either a collectable sticker book or a make your own story sticker book.
There was another collectable design idea that focused on a similar theme to collectable cards such as yu-gi-oh or magic the gathering where different skills were personified into magic creatures or assistant cards, things such as the idea's wizard, the grid, the vision etc.
I also wanted to play with an idea that represented my piercings as a lot of people had commented that this was something they first noticed when looking at me. The idea was to foil my piercings into a card to it gave a slight embossed and shiny look.
Whilst doodling ideas I also did some general doodles, which I do a lot, and I began messing about with the shapes that make up my piercings and I suddenly realised this would be an excellent logo design, it communicates what people visually think of when they see me, as well as the slight pinky/goth culture I've always consistently added to my dress sense since I was 13 and moody as hell.
In a separate lesson where I should've really been paying attention to what was being said I was struck with an excellent business card idea (funny that ideas always show up when you just don't have the time to pay attention to them) so I quickly jotted down the idea and sketched it quickly in a break.
I thought that perhaps I could do little cutouts of illustrations of myself that stand up, either free standing ones with a little flap to make them stand up at the back or pop out ones that you put together. I think that my illustrations and drawings are very important in communicating myself because although I am a graphic designer I do try to draw something for every project I produce and the whole reason I got into design was because I was an obsessed doodler as a kid. Also it demonstrates a critical skill of mine that could set me apart from other designers 'Need a graphic designer and an illustrator? Pay for one, get both!'
I spent some more should be working time doing a quick pen concept doodle of myself (I am the designer, it makes sense that the illustrations are me) to get a feel for the style I'd be going for. This style is easy to produce and not only cute but fun, it communicates me well. I could draw something more detailed but it's be difficult to produce more than one illustration and too much detail wouldn't a good business card make.
This idea also works on the collective set I wanted so badly, I just make about 6 different poses, and they still all retain a similar look and style whilst being individual and unique.
