When it comes to identity on the web, we seldom think of ourselves as having or needing any kind of personal brand. What I mean is, nothing quite as drastic as burning a mark of some kind on your thigh, but rather, a identifier that people recognize and remember as a symbol, beyond your name.
Those who’ve known me for awhile can tell you that I’ve tried this myself a few times, with little success. The logos I’ve chosen never really seemed to make much of a difference on audience saturation, memorability, or even feedback. I rarely heard about the success (or failure) of the icons, since the most memorable thing that people seemed to take away from my site (or even myself) was my name.
Dropping the old made-up names (80p Studios, Spine-Arrest) was easy. I had decided to just go by Anton. I think this is a good move for my future because it’s always been my name and my art that people remember most about me. However, something that I hadn’t considered was whether or not I still needed some kind of an iconic logo that best represented, in a symbol, who I am, and what I am about.
When Jon Hicks recently redesigned his logo, he chose something that (I think) represents his style and personality quite well. I’m not sure that his audience has been very forgiving, but I beg to ask, how important is it that your audience “likes” your logo? Wouldn’t you think that the importance should rely on how well the logo fits the personal brand of the individual wearing the badge? We can’t after all, make everyone happy, now can we…?
So, with that in mind, I am going to attempt to create a logo for myself that accurately represents who I am, and what I do. It’s important to me that people like it, but not nearly as important as coming up with something that just FITS me (probably a cute lizard, or small dragon, or something…).
Think about logos that you’ve seen around the web. What works, and what doesn’t? Are some far too obscure to be recognizable? Is yours so personal that you have to explain it every time you show it off? What about the mood of the icon - does it convey a soft smile, or just bring terror into the hearts of all those who look upon it? If that’s your thing, then by all means, go forth and be scary!
Next entry: Oh snap!
Previous entry: Target is doing fine!