Creating My New Personal Brand

Learning something new has always excited me, and sharing that knowledge is why I started this blog. Now, it’s time for a fresh look and rebranding.

I realized that while I enjoy experimenting, building, and refining my skills across different areas, a lot of that knowledge and experience disappears into the void. I rarely track my progress or share my insights. But what if there are people out there who would actually find value in my journey? What if my work could inspire or help others who are on a similar path?

As someone who naturally jumps between disciplines—a true multipotentialite —I’ve accepted that my projects won’t always lead to direct financial gain or a specific area of expertise. And that’s okay. The variety, the process of exploration, and the sheer joy of creating are more important to me. But I also want to be more intentional about sharing my work. So, I decided to bring my blog back to life and give it a fresh start.

Reviving My Blog: The First Step—Branding

A new start means new branding. And for me, one of the most exciting parts of any project is designing the logo. There’s something fascinating about the process of translating ideas and values into a single, recognizable symbol. It feels like uncovering something that was already there, waiting to be found.

When designing a brand identity, I always go back to what I learned in university about style, shape, color, iconography, and typography. With the right understanding of brand values and intentions, a logo almost designs itself. It might sound odd, but asking the right questions and following solid design principles makes the process feel natural and intuitive.

The New Logo: Defining the Requirements

Before jumping into design, I set a few guidelines for my new personal brand identity. I wanted my logo to:

• Be typography-based, without an icon.
• Maintain a minimalist aesthetic.
• Be easily recognizable, even at a small size.
• Represent my core values.

With these criteria in mind, I opened Illustrator and started experimenting with fonts and shapes.

The Challenge of Initials: S & H

Since my initials are S and H, I naturally began exploring how to integrate them into the design. But I quickly ran into an issue: the letter S has a very distinct, fluid shape, while H is rigid and boxy. Unlike letters with similar vertical structures (like M or N), the contrast between these two made them difficult to harmonize.

To address this, I first focused on simplifying the H. I wanted to break it down into a more geometric, minimal shape while keeping it recognizable. That part was relatively easy. The real challenge was the S.

The organic curves of the letter S felt completely out of place next to the structured form of the H. To create unity, I needed to simplify the S to match the geometric nature of the H. I started by deconstructing the letter into its most basic form: a circle.

By slicing a circle in half and rotating the pieces, I found an abstract representation of S that still felt readable. Adjusting angles and proportions, I discovered that a 50-degree tilt gave it the best balance. However, the cut halves of the circle still felt too heavy in contrast to the H. To solve this, I cut out a smaller circle inside, ensuring the stroke thickness matched that of the H. Finally, both letters felt like they belonged to the same type family.

Choosing Brand Colors

Color plays a crucial role in shaping the perception of a brand. Each hue carries its own psychological associations, which influence how people feel when interacting with it. For my personal brand, I wanted a palette that conveyed trust, calmness, and thoughtfulness. That led me to choose light blue as my primary color, complemented by different shades of gray and black.

I also wanted a secondary color to create contrast and highlight key elements. After some exploration, I landed on a slightly desaturated light blue. It serves as a shaded color to primary blue and adds just the right amount of highlight without feeling overpowering.

Typography: Classic and Functional

Like many designers, I have an obsession with collecting fonts. I love discovering new typefaces, but when it comes to real-world use, I often find myself returning to the classics. There’s a reason Helvetica and its modern alternatives remain so widely used—they just work.

For my brand, I opted for Poppins and Roboto, both with a clean and highly versatile typeface. They offer enough weight variations to create strong visual hierarchy while remaining simple and functional. They also pair well with the logo, reinforcing the overall aesthetic of the brand.

Brand Guidelines: A Personal Identity System

Back in my days as a graphic designer, I created many corporate identity manuals and brand guidelines for clients. That was over 15 years ago, but the discipline of defining rules for a brand still feels essential to me. While I don’t need an extensive brand manual for myself, I decided to put together a simple guide that outlines the core elements of my visual identity.

Having this guideline helps maintain consistency across different formats—whether it’s for my website, social media, or any future projects I might create with this brand.

Reflections and Takeaways

Looking back, this whole process has been an interesting journey. It reminded me how certain skills and principles stick with you over the years, becoming an ingrained part of your way of thinking. Even after all this time, my design instincts remain the same, and the way I approach branding still follows the same core logic.

More importantly, this experience reinforced my commitment to sharing my creative process. Writing this post and breaking down my steps made me realize how much I enjoy explaining my thoughts and design choices. This is just the beginning of my journey in documenting and sharing my work. Let’s see where it takes me next.

If you found any of this useful—or if you have feedback or ideas—feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts!