My last project for IXD 103 module is to design our personal brand. Even though we only have around 3 weeks left till our hand in, I’m very excited about this project as it is one of the most personal and self-expressive project to date. I often see personal business cards and package designs when I purchase from hand-made shops or on Instagram, now I get the chance to make my own.
I begin by thinking about who I am as a person, my hobbies, interests, and how I want to be received.
I quickly realised that this task is more difficult than I originally perceived it to be, as I never thought about myself and my personality that deeply before, at least I never had the challenge of putting that down on paper. Human beings are so complex, there is an array of things that I would like to show, but putting all my different ideas of me into one branding is just not possible.
In the end i decide that next best thing was to first look at my hobbies and art styles that i find attractive, perhaps i will learn something of myself and
Apart from my love of art, particularly textiles, illustrations and design. I also love gardening, and this has influenced my love of floral patterns and bright/ colourful things. Speaking of bright and colourful things, one of my favourite aesthetics is the retro flower power/pop style. I have many accessories which reflect this style, some of which being hairband and earrings ;
One of my favourite clothing brand to get inspirations from, called Marimekko, also reflect my love of floral textiles;
( all photos taken from the book – “Marimekko, the art of printing”)
I would like to think that these fashion pieces come from a modern take on the Mary Quant style and the Swinging 60s. What I love is the retro nostalgic feels, the bright colours, irregular shapes yet predictable patterns, and simple and clean designs. It really reminds me of perhaps a old style panic in an cottage garden on a warm spring afternoon.
I have seen such patterns in a few branding before, in my opinion, they convey someone who is very bold and creative, fun and outgoing, their work is attention-grabbing and loud but not messy.
In the perhaps the opposite end of the spectrum, my other favourite style is simple black and white. One of my favourite hairstring, which i have kept since i was a child ( ist been so long the white is starting to turn yellow) is reflective of this;
I think another reason why I like black and white so much is seeing my mother wearing the colour scheme. She pretty much exclusively wears black and white, but throughout the ages its never gets old. Its always classy and can be worn by people of all ages. Looking back on design, especially textile design, although every era has a different style, back and white is always a colour scheme that is included in every era.
black and white are also associated with simplicity and class ( eg, black tie events), but when used with other fun shapes and ideas it really helps a design stand out from the crowd;
( pictures are taken from the book “You‘re Invited! Invitation Design for Every Occasion.” and “Marimekko, the art of printing”
I really do think black and white patterns may suit my brand well also, it’s timeless, clean and simple. When I see black and white in someone barding, I think of high-end, no fuss, maturity, hard working and professional.
I would like my brand to convey that I’m hardworking and professional, but at the same time, I’m creative and outgoing with a little quirkiness and warmth in my personality. Maybe for my own brand, I would like a mix of both styles, a retro vintage feel created by shapes and this combined with the black and white colour scheme. Maybe even the black and white colour scheme itself is retro enough if branded correctly ;
(Nike Dunk Low Retro White Black (2021))
Having learnt from branding my bank, I know that nothing is ever set in stone. I will keep the 2 styles in mind when I go and design my monogram, but I know throughout the branding process maybe I’ll discover new ideas and things will change.