Katarina - Nguyen mai

Brand Out
to Stand Out

When first entering the job market, all you hear is “learn to market yourself”, “learn to network”, and more specifically “develop your brand”. Traditionally, branding is correlated with corporations and products which makes developing a personal brand, essentially turning ourselves into a product, sound so strange and dystopian. We are told to stand out, but are told to use and follow specific strategies and materials. My thesis explores this tension through the creation of a brand manual and challenges the ideas of what personal branding is and can be.

Portfolio PDF↗

Thesis Statement:

This thesis explores and challenges the development of a personal brand using corporate branding strategies and materials through the creation of a brand manual-like binder.

Research Questions:
‍

Question 1:
When and why did personal branding become a thing?

Question 2:
How and what makes it effective in the professional world?

Question 3:
What and why are there similarities between corporate and personal branding?

Outcome:

I learned that although there is a typical approach to personal branding (logos, business cards, resumés), there should be a push for creative defiance to really stand out.

Advisors:

Yoon Chung Han | Advisor
SJSU Professor, Graphic Designer

Earl Gee | Advisor
SJSU Professor, Graphic Designer

Jane Brown | Advisor
Business Owner, Creative Director

Brand Out to Stand Out

Thesis Statement:

This thesis explores and challenges the development of a personal brand using corporate branding strategies and materials through the creation of a brand manual-like binder.

Brand Out
to Stand Out