8 Ways to Build a Strong Personal Brand

“Branding, to me, is the identity of a product or service. It’s the name, the logo, the design, or a combination of those that people use to identify, and differentiate, what they’re about to buy. A good brand should deliver a clear message, provide credibility, connect with customers emotionally, motivate the buyer, and create user loyalty.”
-Gini Dietrich

As a graphic designer, I care a lot about branding. I’ve been known to buy more (or less) expensive products at the grocery store because of the way the package is designed. I often look at billboards while driving and ask my husband, “Why do you think they used that font?” As I’ve focused on branding for companies and organizations, I’ve also focused on branding myself. I maintain a professional brand for my design work, Rebecca Peterson Studio. But I also have a personal brand. I want people to know who Rebecca Peterson is and what they can expect from me, both in-person and online.

Here are 8 crucial elements I’ve discovered for developing a strong personal brand.

1. Take High-Quality Headshots

Having a professional portrait will help you stand out online, especially on social media. I find it beneficial to use the same picture across all online profiles, so anyone who’s looking can see that all accounts belong to the same person.

2. Create Deliberate Desk Space

The way your office looks says a lot about you. Decorating your desk with baskets, pencil cups, and coffee table books that you love will help you stand out, even if you work at home.

3. Establish a Meaningful Mantra

Most companies have a tagline or a motto that summarizes what they do or what they believe. Try the same thing for yourself. It can be a bible verse, a favorite quote, or even just a saying that you relate to. My mantra is “A Well-Designed Life,” which is where I got the name for this blog!

4. Use Consistent Colors

You may have a few favorite colors. Or you may have certain color schemes that you prefer more than others (warm/cool, saturated/unsaturated). These are your brand colors. Wear them, decorate with them, and find other creative ways to bring these colors into your life.

5. Make a Working Wardrobe

For anyone who sees you regularly, what you wear is one of the biggest parts of your personal brand. You don’t have to put on heels if that’s not your style, but taking some time to evaluate what you wear and why will help you dress for each day with confidence.

6. Develop a Signature Style

Your personal brand should have your personal touch. Evaluate your handwriting and your signature and make sure they represent the kind of person you want to be. Bonus points if you have a favorite pen or writing tool.

7. Find Mindful Mentors

If there’s someone who embodies the kind of personal brand you’d like to have, connect with them. Observe how they behave online and in-person and adopt those strategies yourself.

8. Start Seeking to Share

How will anybody know who you are if you don’t tell them? When you see something online or in real life that embodies your brand, share it with your friends and followers. They will appreciate the insight, and they may even start sharing similar things with you!

I love these pictures because they feel like "me!"

Creating a strong personal brand is all about one thing--you! As you embrace your unique talents, desires, and aesthetic preferences, you’ll be able to develop a distinctive, authentic brand. And trust me, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing other people recognize “you,” too.

♡♡♡
Rebecca

My (Obsessively Simple) Makeup Routine

I have a problem. I love makeup. I spend at least ~$30~ a month on makeup, which I’m not proud of, but I can’t help myself! I’m always looking for the best products/best coverage/best value. I’m definitely not a beauty blogger, but I thought I would share my makeup routine so other people could see how I get my “look.”

I think it’s important to note that it’s very important for me to have a makeup look that is:

• Professional (classy and age-appropriate) 
• Simple (minimal layers on my face) 
• Affordable (shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg) 
• Easy (sometimes I do my makeup in the car) 

Step 1: Moisturize

I always start with a clean face. I use “Dermasil Daily Retinol Lotion” as a moisturizer and it’s only $1 from the Dollar Tree! I’m telling you, this stuff is MAGIC. It tightens your pores and leaves your skin feeling soft without any shine or grease.

Step 2: Foundation

I use L’Oreal True Match Lumi foundation in the shade Cool C3. I have tried literally almost every foundation in the world and right now this one is my favorite. To me, it’s more important to have a foundation that matches my skin and has a natural, smooth finish, than to have a foundation that covers ALL my blemishes and lasts all day. I also have pretty clear skin right now so that makes a big difference in what I want to use. I apply my foundation with a Real Techniques Expert Face brush.

Step 3: Powder

I set my foundation with Coty Airspun Loose Powder using the Real Techniques setting brush. I only set it underneath my eyes and around my t-zone, otherwise my makeup starts looking cakey.

Step 4: Blush

I switch off using the Pixi blush from Target and the Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso. I apply it using a Real Techniques blending brush and I start from the edge of my cheekbones and blend in. The Pixi blush is a little more pink and the Milani blush is a little more coral and pigmented. I try to keep my blush really minimal because some days I feel like I go to work looking like a clown, and nobody likes that!

Step 5: Eyebrows

I use the Maybelline “Brow Precise” pencil in soft brown for my eyebrows. I just fill in the spots that are a little sparse and then brush through it. I don’t like really harsh or dramatic brows, I just try to fill in the brows that I already have.


Step 6: Mascara

I wear the L’Oreal Million Lashes mascara in black. I put on pretty thick mascara on my top lashes and a very very thin layer on my bottom lashes. When I need to look good all day, I’ll wear the waterproof version and it stays on all day. (It actually would stay on forever if I didn’t take it off, that stuff is super long-lasting).

Step 7: Lips

I have A LOT of lip products that I love. I feel like sometimes my lips look really product-heavy, so I’m trying to simplify in that area. Most days, I wear Maybelline Baby Lips in “Pink Glow.” This is a lip balm that changes color depending on the Ph balance in your lips, so it always matches your skin perfectly. I love it!

♡♡♡
Rebecca

My Top 3 Organization Tips

My sister-in-law (Hey Marianne!) asked me what my top 3 organization tips are this summer and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. There are a lot of “productivity gurus” out there in the world, and some of them have better advice than others, but because I spend so much time reading and contemplating this kind of stuff, I thought I might have something valuable to share. I thought about labelling this as “Top 3 Life Organization Tips” or “Top 3 Home Organization Tips” but I decided to challenge myself and choose the absolute best tips overall.

Here's a random picture of some cute "organizational tools"

1. The 2-Minute Rule

If you’ve ever asked me for organizational help, I’ve probably told you about the 2-minute rule. This is a principle from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done, which is kind of like the bible of organization/productivity. Allen says that if a task will take you 2 minutes or less, you should do it RIGHT NOW, because the time it takes you to create a reminder for the task and then actually remember to do it is probably more than 2 minutes. I’ve expanded this rule to 5 minutes and it is a life-saver. Have a 5 minute phone call you need to make? Do it now. Need to send an email? Do it now. Don’t bother putting it on your to-do list, JUST DO IT. 

2. Inbox-ing

This is another David Allen idea that I have fallen in love with. This trick is based on the idea of an email inbox. “Stuff” comes into your inbox. Some stuff is tasks, some is events, some is random ideas, and some is just junk. Your email collects this “stuff’, and you go through your email and decide what action needs to be taken. Once an email is dealt with, it no longer lives in your inbox. I know not everyone organizes their email this way--even though you should!--but the principle is this: An inbox just collects stuff temporarily, and you go through it regularly and clean it out. I have 2 inboxes. I’ll tell you how I use them and how they help me stay organized. 

physical inbox
One is a physical box (it’s actually a basket) on my dresser that says, “Reb’s Inbox.” Think of it as a pile of “Things to Go Through.” Stuff that I don’t immediately know what to do with goes in that basket. I try to go through the basket every week, although sometimes I get lazy and only look at it once a month. David Allen recommends clearing out your inbox every day. Here’s how I do it: I pick up the first thing in the inbox, decide what to do with it, and I don’t put it down until it has a home or I decide to throw it away. Then I move on to the next thing. If it’s a quote from church that I want to save, I put it in my filing cabinet. If it’s a receipt, I usually toss it in the trash. Sometimes I write ideas on blank pieces of paper and toss them in my inbox, because I want to deal with them at some point, but they’re not urgent. Then when I go through my inbox, I look at the piece of paper and decide what to do with that idea. If it’s something I want to do immediately, I put it on my to-do list. If it’s something I want to do in the future but not right now, I put it on a Google Doc. You get the idea. When you don’t have an inbox, your brain is always busy remembering things instead of being free to think creatively or problem solve. You’ll be surprised how much headspace you have when you know that all those miscellaneous tasks/ideas are captured somewhere, AND when you know that they’ll be dealt with in a timely manner. It also helps with clutter at home.

notebook inbox
The other inbox I have is in my notebook. Every day, I turn to a new page and title it “Inbox.” This is the list version of the basket I keep at home. Ideas, thoughts, notes, and other random tasks get listed here. Anything that’s on my mind, big or small, gets on this page. I can then transfer necessary things to my daily to-do list, put events on my calendar, and sometimes I even rip out this page and put it in my basket at home, to be dealt with like other physical items. The principle for both inboxes is the same, I just don’t want to bring a big basket around with me all day to put my things in.

3. Don’t Put To-Do’s on Your Calendar

First things first: You HAVE to have a calendar. You can’t rely on random sticky notes, text messages, or other people to tell you where you need to be and when. Take 100% responsibility for your life and get a calendar. I enjoyed using a paper calendar/planner for many years, but I switched to Google calendar to better manage my schedule with my husband’s schedule, and it has worked really well for me. You can use whatever is easier for you. Once you have a calendar that you like, it’s VITAL that you use it as a hard landscape for your time. You need to know when you’re available and when you’re not. It’s all about trusting the system. If you have To-Dos on your calendar instead of just events, you won’t be able to tell when you’re really free. Listing negotiable items like “do laundry” on your calendar instead of a To-Do list means that sometimes the things on your calendar aren’t really happening and that makes it easy to ignore other appointments. Then the whole system breaks down. You need to know that when you look at your calendar, the time that’s blocked off is really blocked off. This principle has honestly changed my life because I can schedule appointments with total confidence. I never worry that I’m double booking myself or that I’m going to forget something, because I know that all my necessary appointments/meetings/events/etc are captured on my calendar.

I think it’s appropriate to put “Reminders” on your calendar, but I think that only really works if you use something like Google calendar where you can turn off the reminders when you’re looking at your schedule. 

I hope this is helpful! Here’s a cutesy graphic I made with shortened versions of all these tips.

♡♡♡

Rebecca

Baby Boy Nursery Inspiration

I’m getting ready to have a baby (in November! Eek!) and to fuel my nesting desires, I made a little inspiration board to help me envision what I want the nursery to look like. I was really inspired by this nursery, but I wanted something a little simpler, and I have a slightly different color scheme in mind.

This beautiful nursery is from www.lynzyandco.com!

I have a really small room to work with, so there won’t be much there besides the crib and a rocker, but I still want to make it a soothing space for the baby. I’m sticking to a gray and white color scheme, with soft navy blue as an accent. I’d love to choose an “animal” that I could get as a stuffed animal or a mobile, kind of as a subtle theme, but I haven’t found the perfect animal yet. To be honest, it’s been a lot harder than I thought it would be to find things that I like. Baby stuff is all so multi-colored and ugly! #firstworldproblems. Hahaha I’ll have to share a picture of the nursery when it’s all finalized!

Links to all the items on my inspiration board are below. Everything is from Ikea, Target, and TJ Maxx, so it’s all pretty affordable.


rug

crib

candle

rocker

art

shelf

vase


One thing I didn’t include on this inspiration board that I would love to find is a vintage rocking horse. I found one that I LOVE from Restoration Hardware, but it was like $600. No thank you!

I can’t wait to meet this baby in just a few months!


♡♡♡
Rebecca

Studio Photography Cheat Sheet

A few years ago, I decided that I was tired of having dark, blurry Instagram photos and I wanted to level-up my photography skills. I started working with my iPhone 4 and slowly progressed to where I am today. I don’t claim to be a professional, but I do think my photography skills have improved a LOT and I’ve picked up some useful tricks along the way. Even though I'm more interested in product photography and photo styling than portrait photography, the general principles are the same, so I thought I would share what I know.

Lighting

Note: I prefer a soft, natural light look (I would also say I prefer cooler colors over warmer colors) so if that's not your style, go ahead and skip this part.

• If you don’t have natural light, put your camera away and do something else. Seriously. It’s really not possible to get a good photo when it’s high noon or really dark or overcast. 
• Shoot with your subject facing the window for more even light.
• If you’re shooting something on the floor, place it closer to the window.
• If you’re shooting something on a table, place it farther away from the window so you avoid the harsh direct light.
• Avoid using different light sources. When using natural light, turn off the lights in the room.

Photography is my favorite way to document my love of beauty and design.

Camera Settings

Shooting in manual is the only way to get great photos. After you’ve figured out what f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO mean, the next step is understanding the hierarchy of those settings.

• Aperture/f-stop is the most important setting (I never change my aperture from 1.8 because I really like that soft focus).
• Shutter speed is the next most important setting. To make sure your photos are sharp, never shoot below 1/125. Annie, my photography mentor, never shoots below 1/250, but if I don’t have great light (which I never do), I’ll go as low as 1/125.
• ISO is the last setting you should adjust. I keep my ISO at 100 because my camera images get really grainy at higher ISOs, but nicer cameras can look good anywhere from 100 to 800.
• If you can’t avoid using a high ISO, put the picture in B&W and go for an “editorial” type shot.
• Always shoot in RAW and export in JPG. RAW allows you to capture more detail (for me that means light) and gives you more elements to edit.
• If you’re shooting outside and it’s too bright, bump up your shutter speed instead of your aperture so you don’t lose your soft focus. If you can, lower your ISO.

Styling

You can generally use the same settings for portrait photography and product photography.

• Always put things closer together than you think they should be.
• People should always be touching.
• Never cut people off at the edge of their limb. Cut them off in the middle of the limb and your eye will fill in the rest.
• Follow the rule of thirds. This was a rule I didn’t understand for a long time (even though I had it explained to me a million times). This is the secret: Have the focus of your photo only cross at ONE point on the grid. That makes a big difference in where your eye ends up.
• Any well-composed photo should have three things: Color, pattern, and texture. If you include those 3 elements, you’ll always have a great photo. (I'm going to write another article about how to use the principle of color-pattern-texture to level-up everything in your life!)

I still have a lot to learn about photography, but having a list of tips always makes me feel better! I'm excited to see how my pictures improve as I practice taking more photos and learn more about using my camera.

♡♡♡
Rebecca