Building a personal brand as an artist

When people think of a personal brand for an artist, they often think of the work the artist produces, and that’s a part of it. Your personal brand, however, goes beyond just the aesthetics of your work or even the messages you convey through your work. Your brand is also the promise you make to the world about the meaning behind your work and your life. The values that motivate you are at the core of your brand.

Consider one of the most iconic brands in the world – Coca Cola. We have certain expectations about what the brand stands for, about how they will and will not promote with their brand. It has become both recognizable and yet at the same time flexible. You don’t see Coca Cola competing or comparing their brand to others. They don’t need to because they are number one. They simply promote values and attitudes that they believe are aspirational for their audience. If I were to sum up a core Coca Cola value in one word, it would be connection, and that’s a pretty good universal value to hang your brand on. What one word would you choose as a personal brand you want to create as an artist?

Consider a brand with a person behind it – Virgin – as in Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Books, Virgin Galactic, and so on. The Virgin brand is synonymous with its founder Richard Branson – obsessed with never standing still in pursuit of “providing unique and exceptional customer experiences.” He has created a personal brand based on values that create an affinity among consumers across all Virgin’s diverse services. What values do you espouse that breathe life into your work?

It's noteworthy that both of these iconic brands chose to model their logos on hand-written versions of their names. The Coca Cola logo was simply written in a popular cursive style at the time of the trademark application. This act of using a hand-written script lends itself to making a human connection. We have seen this with artists for generations, where their distinctive signatures become part of their brand identities.

A big part of the brand identity you present to the world is your consistency of style. Can someone look at a piece and guess it’s your work? Getting to a consistent style in art takes work. The discovery alone can span half or more of your career. And consistency doesn’t mean everything you do has to look the same. In fact, following the progression of an artist’s style is part of the joy of learning about (and from) great artists.

Consistency also isn’t a matter of look. It may be scale or medium or any number of aspects of expression. Your consistency may be less about the look of your work and more about the meaning behind your work. What part of yourself are you putting into the work? What brand will shine through? What promises does your work make?

And if you have landed on your style, your meaning, and your brand identity, how are you sharing it with the world? We live in a time of unprecedented access to world-wide communication. The internet is a great equalizer in reaching the masses. What are you doing to put your stamp on the digital space that represents your identity? How are you displaying and offering your work to the world?

You don’t need to be a web designer to get your message out. Simply taking time each week or month to share a little about what you’re working on and why it matters to you can have a cumulative effect. Before you know it, people will be sharing the story of you as they share your work. Also, making it easy for people to see and acquire your work builds your brand. No one will talk up your work more than someone who has purchased a piece – well, no one except your mother.

If you haven’t formalized your brand as an artist, it’s never too late. Start today to make your consistent mark and find a place in social media to tell the world who you are.