I have been planning for quite a while to break free from the accidental Sean McCambridge Design—accidental because this site/brand/blog was only meant to be my online portfolio and blog before I got frustrated with my then-employer and quit my day job. Branding ideas have been floating about in my head for months now. But how do you define and develop your brand?
This is more of a question than an answer. I have read and read about branding and marketing over the last few months since my path into this industry as graphic designer -> web designer -> web developer -> web marketer sort of found its own way. So I’m not going to drone on in a how-to because I really don’t have my own how-to yet.
Rather, I’m going to lead you down the branding road as I craft my own brand. This post is meant to be a little background as I move from Sean McCambridge Design to _________________.
By the way, am I right to leave my current brand behind? As much as I see Sean McCambridge Design as limiting, is there something positive about it that I should be careful not to lose?
Please leave your remarks on Twitter! I’m @mccambridge.
So here’s the background:
I build websites for a living. I do a little client work, and I work as a subcontractor for web companies who need help with their design. But more recently, I’m catching the permission marketing wave, and I’m starting to get (okay, starting: no, I don’t even have a newsletter sign up on this site—part of that is b/c I’ve been planning on re-branding for so long) excited about how the web is revolutionizing marketing. And instead of taking cues from the marketing types I know, I’m learning how to do it myself.
So as I move forward, the plan is to expand beyond straight web design and development to comprehensive online marketing that even dabbles into traditional marketing.
I still plan on working alone and with subcontractors for the time being, but as time moves along, I want my company to move along with it and grow into a 5-7 person “enterprise” where everyone is competent and happy.
How do you create a brand?
Logo, color-scheme, purpose, attitude, market, etc. It all starts to overwhelm you as you brainstorm away.
Lea Alcantara wrote a piece on her blog called The Art of Self-Branding. But how do you plan self branding when your plan is to grow beyond yourself?
Again, these are questions more than answers, so I’ll stop here for now. I’d like to create a dialogue as this series continues. Give me a shout at @mccambridge on Twitter or send me an email at ... thanks!!
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