Rebranding

The image above recently won a contest on logomyway.com as part of my “rebranding” efforts. And yes, I used to hate the term “personal brand” but I have come to accept that it is important. As I said last year in “Stand Out!”:

It is not enough to know who you are and what niche you might be able to fill at your company or in society generally. You also have to bend your reputation so that it matches your intended niche.

With that in mind, I’ve taken time to consider how I would describe myself. Trainer or training manager, sounds to me like I’m a gym rat. A “talent development manager” sounds too Hollywood and “staff development” is only slightly better. But basically, I’m an in-house teacher and performance coach. I’m also an author, having written tweets, blogs, editorials, speeches, screenplays, training manuals, short stories, and novels. And lastly, I consider myself a “creative nerd.”

What does “creative nerd” mean?

I’m not quite sure yet, but I think of it as recognizing some contradicting impulses – my number-crunching, fact-based honesty, and my sci-fi loving, fiction-writing self.

When I looked at my logo recently on various social media, I realized that it no longer reflect who I am. I mean, look at this:

This logo is a more political logo. The button, the checkmark next to my name, the simple and reusable design. It all spoke to my previous ambition to get involved in politics, possibly as a speechwriter. Now, I wouldn’t mind a job doing that kind of work, but I don’t think I’d be as happy as I would be if I were involved in training or education, or if I could write fiction full-time.

So that brings me back to my new logo. I had several other good designs, but the winner was very helpful and gave me a lot of different options, some of which you’ll see as I roll out the rebranding. The green coloring and the old checkmark are still there, but updated as part of an overall design that gives off a more literary vibe.

I like it. What do you think?