My brand was something that escaped me for a long time. I knew my interests and could easily identify what kind of art and design I enjoyed experiencing, but I could never put my finger on how I wanted to be perceived, worrying that by leaning one way, I would show I wasn't flexible enough to design in another direction.
So, I treated myself like a client, using a checklist to get to the root of what I wanted to see and what my brand meant to me personally. I found that it was quite different from what I thought it was, and certainly different from how I portrayed myself while looking for work.
I've always leaned heavily into illustration just as much as graphic design, with black and white artwork, muted color palettes, and screentone dots like you'd see in comics and mangas. I wanted to express this with my portfolio.
While I in no way needed to create a brand kit for myself—since, outside of my logo, I don't have a need for backgrounds, patterns, or mockups of graffiti—I had fun.
It was great to put pen to paper and then digital pen to screen, creating something new that felt mine. Design shouldn’t appeal to everything, and I’m looking forward to carving out my niche.
