I received this question via e-mail, and asked the sender if she’d be down with me posting it for answering here.  She kindly agreed:

“So, short of me hiring a branding professional (which will be something I’ll do in the distant future) what’s your advice about melding your favorites into your brand. i.e. I have my logo, but I love Anthropologie but I also love the mini boden catalogs and old school hip hop and R&B and Gershwin. I love jeans and t-shirts but I also love a classy pair of black heels and a mini dress. All of my loves are no where represented in my logo, aside form my favorite color orange. I am soooo confused. Am I over thinking this?”

I have to be honest, here: I like all those things, too.  Without vision and planning, my brand would look like the lovechild of a Florida tourist, a punk rock flea market vendor, and a snobby Parisian barista.

While knowing what you love is a vital part of the branding process, the next step is deciding which of those elements to play up in your brand.

Hip hop and the little black dress?  Vintage clothing and Gershwin lyrics?  Jeans and black heels?  There are endless combinations of nifty elements that could create fabulous brands.  What will YOUR brand represent?

Perhaps an easier question to help narrow your focus, here: which of those elements you love would your ideal client like to see included in your brand?

If you’re going for the modern mom who sports designer handbags and vacations in Cape Cod, your brand won’t look the same as when you attract the ultra-hip Senior or the posh but quirky bride and groom.  You’re the same artist with the same interests — but your ideal clients determine the way your brand looks, in many cases.

Working backwards from your ideal client, then, can determine which aspects of your personality and your style will translate into a strong, cohesive, and distinct brand.