Start to develop a personal brand
Your uniqueness is your greatest strength! Your perspective is different from everyone else’s and will help you stand out from other UX designers. Developing your personal brand is an excellent way to show people who you are as a designer and why your work is special.
Start by thinking of a few words and core values that you feel accurately sum up you and your work. For example, you might find that you value modern and futuristic styles, or maybe your work is playful and colorful. You’ll want to reflect these personal and stylistic preferences in your personal brand.
Your personal brand should be recognizable across all of your online presence, such as your portfolio website, LinkedIn, and UX design community profiles like Dribbble and Behance, which you’ll learn about soon. Here are some pro tips to help you start to develop your personal brand.
A logo that speaks to you and your work is a great way to provide a quick visual of what you’re all about. While a personal logo is not required, it helps you leave a lasting impression and makes your personal brand easily recognizable. Make your logo as sleek or as quirky as you’d like, as long as it accurately reflects you as a designer! For example, your logo could build upon your initials or a symbol that represents your personality. Your personal logo should be included in your portfolio, on your social media accounts, and on your business cards, if you have them.
Fonts and colors strongly influence a user’s experience with any product. Consider this: How do you feel when you see the color blue? Do you feel any differently when you see the color red? Fonts and colors can be polarizing, and chances are, certain fonts or colors make you feel a certain way!
Be sure that the font and color scheme you choose to represent yourself are in line with the way you want people to think of you as a UX designer. It’s a good idea to use the same fonts and colors on your portfolio website, personal logo, resume and online profiles, in order to maintain consistency in your personal brand.
The written content that appears in your portfolio website and across your online profiles should have a similar voice. Your writing might be a bit more professional on your LinkedIn profile, but you want it to sound like the same person who’s writing in your portfolio. If your brand is relaxed and humorous, don’t be afraid to add a bit of that humor into your online profiles (where appropriate, of course).
Imagery is another great way to cultivate your personal brand. You can make your own graphics and animations to add personality to your online profiles and highlight important information. You can also showcase your personal brand through photography, by using a consistent style or editing photos in a similar way.
Being authentic to who you are means you are less likely to do and say things that are “off-brand,” which can confuse your audience. Center your brand around who you truly are and portray an image that is the real you. The easiest way to do this is to not overthink! Post what feels natural to you and aligns with your interests, without thinking too hard about appearing a certain way.
Sources: Google UX Design Professional Certificate
Coursera | Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs
