license to Still

Today is the second part in an ongoing series of blog posts outlining my goals for the coming year…ish

Friday:  Develop my Visual Language (the big one)

Today: Brand Identity

Monday: Hassie Set-up

Tuesday: Workflow: From Scanning to Printing

Wednesday: New Blog and Folio Sites

Thursday: Car 2 Sleep In

Friday: NYC 2011
I buttoned up my shirt metaphorically, I put on my business face, and had a sit-down conversation over the phone with my friend Andrea.

The topic?  Branding.

Drea, as the cool kidz call her, made a career out of this stuff in NYC.  Once I started to explore the idea of my brand I knew she was the first person to ask.

Below, the Branding Sensei shows off her ‘sweet’ skillzzz

I came to the conclusion quickly that my brand needed to reflect my own personality as much as possible.  I’ve mentioned before, that to do anything else would be disingenuous.  So when Drea asked me some probing brand-related-questions, really she was was asking me about who I really thought I was, and what did I want to present to the world.

In creating my brand, I’m less creating something new, than creating myself as the person I’ve always been, and just didn’t know it.

Be true to myself and excel at the things I enjoy.

I can’t help but think of this whole branding thing as keeping everything congruent; like a guideline or a roadmap, for my business and my life.

When they come out shortly, my new logo, blog site, and folio site, will more accurately reflect who I am and the experience you will have when you meet me, know me, or hire me.

Below, I’ve attached a short list of questions that really helped me get started in thinking about my brand, and if you’re doing the same feel free to look at them.

Things to consider when forming your brand:

1. What are your personal values and philosophies?
2. Who are you as a photographer? What defines your work? It’s strengths? Where would you like it to go?
3. Who do you want as clients?
4. Who’s your competition. What are they doing they you do/don’t like, and where do you want to be as a brand, compared to them? Where do you see opportunities?
5. Brand experience – Where/how will people be interacting with you/your brand? Touch points? What will they take away from that experience?

Getting into branding/identity

A. Verbalize your brand
B. Visualize you brand
C. Name your brand
E. Position your brand (clients, competition) This has a lot to do with how others view you in the scheme of things.
E. Long & short term goals (what do you hope to accomplish with the brand now, and what can you do in the future?