Case Study: The Sampersand Brand
A a graphic designer looking to make my mark in the world, I decided to embark on a project of personal branding. Follow me through my journey to see a detailed look at the branding process.
Why Personal Branding?
The term "personal branding" sometimes results in eye rolls and ideas that it is a cliché term overused by marketers and wanna be Instagram influencers. The truth is that we all have a personal brand whether we know it or not. Our personal brand is a combination of we present ourselves, and our reputation.
Brand vs. Logo
Generally when people hear the word "brand," their first thoughts are somewhere along the lines of the Nike Swoosh, the Coca-Cola Script, or Starbucks Green. But a brand isn't a logo, a brand is a company's reputation with the market. A logo, color palette, and typeface aren't a brand, they are part of a brand identity used to differentiate a product or company.
The Discovery Phase
Who Am I?
I am a graphic designer and small business owner with a dedication to beautiful letters. I have a refined eye for typography, and practice both calligraphy and hand lettering in a simple, elegant style. My attention to detail and my understanding of letterforms and their proper placements guide me when setting out type and laying out information.
Why Sampersand? Sam + Ampersand = Sampersand. I am Sam, and the ampersand is a typographic glyph that many refer to as the "and" symbol. Typophiles and calligraphers have a special love for the beauty and significance of this character. As someone who practices design, lettering, AND calligraphy, and who loves puns, the name seemed like an obvious choice.
Defining the Brand
To help others represent themselves through beautiful and expressive letterforms
Mission Statement:
To bring excitement, inspiration, and organization through type
Purpose:
A world that is more elegant, expressive, and organized
Vision:
Elegance, individuality, originality, quality, open-mindedness
Values:
I create beautiful, type-driven design with legibility and elegance for expressive individuals who seek to elevate themselves and others
Value Proposition:
Discipline, persistence, innovation, adaptability, meticulousness, inquisivity, playfulness
Guiding Attributes:
Strategy
There are two major considerations to make when it comes to strategy: competition and audience.
As a newly minted graphic designer, my competition is all other fresh graduates beginning freelancers. That is an incredibly large market, and a difficult one to pin down. My strategy to stand out is to position myself as an established designer with a refined process. Designing my own personal brand identity is the ideal way to do that. This project would show that I understand cohesive, personal, and intentional design that does more than look good, but actually solves a problem.
My audience can be broken down into two groups: future employers and potential clients. Below I break down target audiences.
Employers
An employee who understands how to define and solve creative problems. Has an understanding of design fundamentals and a working knowledge of adobe Software
Needs:
Functional
Competent, reliable, ambitious, meticulous, pleasant, malleable, flexible, earnest
Emotional:
Creative output that exceeds the financial investment
Financial:
Segmentation:
Professional adults, ages 30-60, employed and highly educated
Demographics:
Mostly local, St. Petersburg /Tampa, Florida. Possibly nationally in large cities such as New York City
Geographic:
Working professionals, serious, focused, organized, ambitious, creative, experienced
Behavioral:
Goal-oriented, critical, specific, sophisticated, succinct
Attitudinal:
Clients
An expert in calligraphy and lettering a variety of mediums and can suggest projects that will help turn fantasy into reality
Needs:
Functional:
Reassuring, competent, qualified, service-oriented, emotionally invested, dependable, timely
Emotional:
Doesn't always understand the cost for quality hand-made work, needs to be educated
Financial:
Segmentation:
Educated adults, ages 25-28, upper-middle class, with a refined taste
Demographics:
Mostly local, St. Petersburg /Tampa, Florida. Possibly nationally through online sales
Geographic:
Organized, social, classy, flashy
Behavioral:
Elegant, aesthetic, personal