Side note: Are branding and familiarity intertwined? If I remember John’s face but not Mary’s, despite meeting them the same time, does that mean John is more of a brand?

I used to work in graphic arts (prior to anybody knowing what a personal brand was). There are two types of designers: those that are active in the community and strive to become known, and those that figure their work should speak totally on its own merit and view any promotion as beneath them. I was the former.

Throughout my 12-14 years in that field, I feel I did good work. I did not work for myself, but clients would follow me wherever I went. I had 6 employers in that period and I never actively looked for a job. People came to me and asked me if I wanted to work for them. Toward the end of my career in that industry, I found out that I was making almost double what the other people at the (now-defunct) firm were making.

Was I twice as good or worth twice as much? As much as I’d like to think so, the answer is “probably not”. But I was a known entity that popped into people’s minds when they needed Photoshop or pre-press work done.

The guy that sat next to me at my final graphic arts job was the self-proclaimed rebel that never went out into the community, believed that the work should stand totally on its own, and that it didn’t matter what people thought of him or his attitude… or if they even liked him. Last I knew, he’s had 4 jobs in the past 6 years with each job making progressively less than the job before. Nobody knows his name. He’s not a sought-after talent, even though he was way more talented than I was.

We both had personal brands. The difference was I made my brand work for me. The other guy was forced to work for his brand.