Your signature brand is unique to you. It is something you become know for. As a leader, speaker, influencer or manager how you look, behave, present and connect will have a particular style about it that will form your own personal signature brand.
This is a good thing if you are in business. Creating a brand and reputation that is memorable for all the right reasons will serve you well moving forward. It becomes a very cool personal signature for you. You’ll want one!
Consider Bono’s glasses. He’s known for them. He’s also known for influencing a great number of people for the greater good. Donald Trump is known for the sweeping comb over. We all think it looks shocking but he loves it! He’s turned it into a signature. Important to note that he is so big as a brand that he can pretty much get away with whatever he wants. Same goes for Lady Gaga with her unconventional and outrageous fashion sense. Her branding can carry it. Audrey Hepburn's signature brand style was unique and timeless.
Let’s look at a more conservative profession such as law. Male Melbourne barristers have been known to wear outrageously coloured striped socks under their conservative and expensive suits and court attire. It’s interesting to acknowledge that what is required is a consistent and congruent image and one that is also appropriate for the occasion and the client. The barrister is all of these things and then sports an outrageous sock at the same time!
A professional speaker along Australia’s East Coast is known for wearing a block of the same colour every time she speaks. This is an important part of her signature brand style. But what impact does it have on her audience? And more importantly on her? She admitted quietly that she hates that suit that she wears on the platform. She’s bored with it and no longer feels empowered wearing it. Colour is hugely impactfuly and has a particular energy around it. While you may need yellow in your life for a time, it really does wear thin, when being worn as a suit for several years. The human eye is drawn to distraction. We do tend to notice what is wrong or distracting. Imagewise, when something is working, we don't notice. We hear the message and take in what you are saying rather than what you are wearing. Take care about making your signature brand style colour related in a big way. It can make it really tough to evolve as you grown personally and professionally.
Take the Macdonalds logo as an example. It’s a recognizable brand and it has evolved and changed ever so slightly over the years. Have you noticed? Each change has been so slight that most people would not even know. Think about building your signature brand style so that it can be freshened up to keep you current and still remain consistent and reliable.
So what might your signature brand style look like? The first thing to take into consideration is your unique style expression. This is all about looking at who you are as a person. If you have a more relaxed style expression, soft comfortable fabrics will be more important to you than how it all looks. A classic style expression will insist on quality garments and a reputable label may factor highly. An innovative style expression is all about being that little bit different and forward thinking. If this is you, then a garment or accessory that is different to everyone else will be important for you.
Once your unique style expression is evident, the next step is to craft your signature brand style based on who you are, what your message is and who the market is that you appeal to.
Important to remember that this style must be unique to you. Many elements will come into play to create a signature brand style that you can live with to serve your business or career as you progress. If you are ready to create or recreate your signature brand style, contact Helen at www.imagequest.com.au for a conversation now.
