The of Advertising
Art
When developing your personal brand it is key to remain consistent, constant, and clear with your message and the techniques you use to deliver your message. In doing this you are able to establish patterns that help reinforce your personal message and brand. The techniques that you use to present your personal brand stem from advertising techniques that initially were used in print advertisements and have developed into being applied in digital advertisements and now personal branding. Some of these techniques include the application of the Gestalt Principles, color psychology, and typography selection.
Gestalt Principles
At the center of the Gestalt Principles is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In advertising and personal branding, the Gestalt Principles apply because the individual elements of a post of a brand are more powerful as a whole than they are independently and then summed. Additionally, the Gestalt Principles focus on how a viewer interprets the whole image that is presented and how the individual parts combine to form the whole. The key Gestalt Principles that apply to personal branding are proximity, figure-ground, closure, and symmetry (PilelienÄ—).
Symmetry:
When a group of objects or subjects is placed close together people associate them with one another.
It is key to separate the figure subject from the background otherwise the audience cannot identify it.
Viewers will close gaps and draw conclusion on their own so be sure to remain clear with your message and brand
You must balance different sizes, shapes, colors, positioning, and both positive and negative space.
(PilelienÄ—)
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(PilelienÄ—)
Figure-ground:
Proximity:
Closure:
This image was one of six posted by Caroline Gardner (@carolinegardner10) on Instagram. It demonstrates proximity because the people are standing beside each other so they become associated with one another. The post also makes the figures stand out from the background by having the figures be featured in the center and by having the figures portrayed in more detail than the background. Additionally, the post balances the positive and negative space by balancing the space that the figures take up with the amount of space dedicated to the background.
Color Psychology
Color choice and the use of color schemes have played a major role in marketing and advertising throughout history. People associate different colors with different emotions, experiences, and values. It is important when crafting your personal brand to take into account which colors you include in your posts whether it be the colors in the background, the subject's colors, or the color of the text associated with the image. Also when considering colors to include you should be aware that color associations vary across cultures and can still vary between individuals. When making decisions regarding their posts people unconsciously apply color psychology often gravitating towards certain colors, that form their brand and aesthetic (Cherry).
Red:
associated with danger, warning, aggression, passion, power, and desire
(Cherry)
Orange:
associated with warmth, enthusiasm, attention, and freshness
(Cherry)
Yellow:
associated with energy, warmth, cheerfulness, and aggression due to its intentsity
(Cherry)
Purple:
associated with royalty, regalness, wisdom, and the exotic
(Cherry)
Blue:
associated with calmness, secureness, tranquility, sadness, and trust
(Cherry)
Green:
associated with nature, good luck, jealousy, and optimism
(Cherry)
Pink:
associated with calmness, romance, kindness, femininity, and nuturing
(Cherry)
Brown:
associated with strength, earth, reliability, isolation, loneliness, and dependability
(Cherry)
Black:
associated with power, mystery, death, evil, and unhappiness
(Cherry)
White:
associated with innocence, purity, clarity, freshness, and emptiness
(Cherry)
These two posts were made by Adam Kristick on his Instagram account, @wheres_adam. These two images capture consistency in the color scheme between posts. These posts feature various shades of brown that are often associated with the earth. The theme of nature and the earth is reinforced through the incorporation of shades of green. This is similar to how across different advertisements a company will use similar color schemes. An example of this is how Patagonia consistently features brown and green shades in their advertisements in order to create the feeling of nature. By using a consistent color scheme the posts are associated with one another. Additionally, the posts are an example of the application of one of the three C's, consistency, which is key to creating a personal brand.
Typography
Color schemes apply not only the colors in the post but also to any type that is present in the image or associated with the post. The art of typography has existed as long as people have been reading and writing. Through the art of typography, every letter, word, and message that you have read has been crafted to be interpreted in a specific way. The art of typography has played a key part in advertising however the importance of typography can be seen in our everyday lives as well. For example, today when students and professionals begin to craft an essay or a document they must select which typography or font they want to use. Typography allows the reader to get a sense of what the text is about before reading a word. By combining the art of typography with your message you can strengthen your personal brand and message (Dadich).
Heavy and Bold
Thin and Subtle
When selecting a font there are many factors to consider including the weight, height, character spacing, and color. A font that is heavy and bold creates the feeling of immediacy while a font that is thin creates a simple and classical feeling. An old English style font will create the feeling of sophistication while a typewriter font will create the feeling of news because of its association with newspapers (Dadich).
The post made by Isy Kristick (@mymiak) on her Instagram story captures the combination of typography with the message she wants to convey. By selecting a heavy and bold font Kristick conveys the urgency associated with her message, calling viewers to vote. This is combined with an image of a recognizable character, Mickey Mouse, using a phone to register to vote. Additionally, by using black and white font Kristick has associated her message with power and clarity.