A lot of people talk about branding. I thought to add my own contribution by making the topic really simple and focused on application in the real life.

You know what branding is, and you have a personal brand – it’s how others perceive you and your offerings. In analog life, when you’re neatly dressed people will tend to think higher of you. But how do we apply this online? With visual identity.

I have prepared a few simple steps to help you consciously brand yourself should you want to.

• Use your image for profiles on social media – preferably one with a smile and visible teeth.
  There is some research (Filkuková & Jørgensen, 2020) suggesting that it can influence others in your favour, communicating warmth and, in some cultures (Krys et al., 2016), intelligence.

• You can make a logo but you don’t really need it for a personal brand. If you still want it, there are plenty of freemium tools, like Canva, that you can use to make one yourself.

• Think about how you want to come across, it’s ok to be a little cliche here – we can all be driven professionals, it’s ok.

• Now, think about what makes you different – and maybe let me know in the comments below, I’d really like to get to know you better. My thing is that I’m really blunt! And, I’ve decided to harness this flaw into a strength.

• Associate yourself with a colour or, even better, a colour pair – humans are wired to notice colours quickly and this is the best way to be visually consistent. There are good resources for that, too, like Coolors. If you’d like a cheat sheet for colour psychology, I’ve dropped Canva’s below this post.

• Consider associating yourself with a symbol – like an emoji. For me it’s 🔹, but I’m weird. If you’re an interpreter, 🎤🎙️🎧 are good. If you’re a translator or a writer 📜🖊️✍️ are very good. 💻is nice for the tech experts – you get it.

And that’s literally it.
Also, if you want to go beyond the visual: 

• Think about your tone and voice – in both written and spoken discourse. I know it’s not technically visual, but can be useful, tooIf you want to show that you’re a professional, look how your industry communicates and go from there. I’ll give you a tip, if you want to influence lawyers. you want to be more formal and avoid contractions.

Please let me know if you’d like me to expand on any of these points!
Resources:
Canva: https://loom.ly/BjIpAqw
Coolors: https://loom.ly/PMHC_ww
Reading:
Filkuková, P., & Jørgensen, M. (2020). How to pose for a professional photo: The effect of three facial expressions on perception of competence of a software developer.
Krys et al., (2016) Be Careful Where You Smile: Culture Shapes Judgments of Intelligence and Honesty of Smiling Individuals, at https://loom.ly/jQdZP3k