One of the biggest decisions you'll face as a designer building your business is figuring out how to present yourself to the world. Do you put your own name on your work, or create a cool studio name? This choice affects everything from how clients see you to where your business can go in the future.
I've seen many designers struggle with this crossroads, whether they're just starting out or thinking about rebranding. Let's break down both approaches in a way that helps you figure out which path feels right for you and your dreams.
Personal Branding: Using Your Own Name
Think about designers like Jessica Hische or Aaron Draplin – their names are their brands. When clients hire them, they know exactly who they're getting. But is this the right move for you?
The Benefits of Personal Branding
It Feels Real: Using your name creates an instant connection. Clients feel like they're working with a real person, not some mysterious entity. In design, where relationships and trust matter so much, this can be super powerful.
You're Already Unique: Your name is all yours! No need to spend weeks brainstorming the perfect studio name – you've had your brand since birth.
Your Reputation Grows Directly: When clients love your work, they associate that awesomeness directly with you. Word spreads with your name attached, which can lead to more referrals and opportunities.
Less Setup Headache: You don't have to create an entire brand persona from scratch – you're just being yourself, which is way easier to maintain.
Doors Open for You Personally: Want to speak at conferences or write articles? Publications and event organizers often prefer featuring actual people rather than studio representatives.
Perfect for Certain Niches: If you do work where personal style matters – like illustration or custom logo design – clients often want to hire YOU specifically for your unique touch.
The Not-So-Great Parts of Personal Branding
Growing Gets Tricky: As you get busier, clients might still expect to work directly with you. This can make it hard to scale beyond just yourself.
Work-Life Blending: When your business carries your name, the line between personal and professional gets blurry. You're essentially "always on," representing your brand even when you're just being you.
Team Dynamics Get Weird: If you bring on other designers, they might feel like they're working "for you" rather than being part of something bigger together.
Selling Your Business Later? Good Luck: If your business is literally your name, selling it down the road becomes complicated. Buyers might question what they're actually getting if you're not included!
Personal Stuff Affects Business: Had a public mishap? When your personal and business reputations are one and the same, personal issues can directly impact your business.
Some Big Clients Get Nervous: Larger companies sometimes hesitate to work with individuals, worrying about capacity or stability compared to established studios.
Studio Branding: Creating a Business Identity
From Pentagram to smaller boutique studios, many designers choose to create a distinct business name. This approach comes with its own set of perks and challenges.
The Benefits of Studio Branding
Room to Grow: A studio brand creates space for your business to become bigger than just you. You can bring on team members and expand your services more naturally.
Freedom to Evolve: Want to shift your focus from web design to branding? A studio identity gives you flexibility to change direction without conflicting with your personal reputation.
Big Clients Take You Seriously: Enterprise clients often feel more comfortable hiring studios, seeing them as more stable and capable of handling larger projects.
Your Life Stays Yours: A studio brand creates healthy boundaries between your personal identity and your work. You can go to the grocery store without feeling like you're representing your brand!
Easier to Sell Later: If you eventually want to sell your business or bring on partners, having a distinct brand makes the transition much smoother.
Showcase More Diverse Work: A studio can feature projects from different team members, creating a stronger and more varied portfolio than what you might create alone.
The Not-So-Great Parts of Studio Branding
More Work Upfront: Creating a compelling studio brand takes effort – you need a name, visual identity, brand voice, and time to build recognition.
Marketing Takes More Effort: Without the natural networking advantage of your personal connections, studio brands often need more intentional marketing to build awareness.
Less Personal Connection: Some clients really value working directly with the designer. A studio brand can feel like it creates distance between you and the client.
Solo But Pretending?: If you're actually working alone but presenting as a studio, it can feel awkward when clients discover you're a one-person show.
Keeping Your Voice Consistent: Maintaining a consistent brand voice beyond your natural way of talking takes work and often written guidelines.
Getting the Best of Both Worlds
Many designers find happy middle ground between these approaches:
[Your Name] Studio: Using something like "Emma Jones Design" or "Mike Smith Creative" acknowledges you as the founder while creating room for growth.
Feature Yourself Within Your Studio: Some studios have distinct brands but prominently feature their founders in their marketing – giving clients that personal connection while building a separate business entity.
Mix It Up Based on Context: Some designers use personal branding for networking and speaking gigs, but present studio branding for client work and team projects.
Start Personal, Grow Into Studio: Many successful designers begin with personal branding and transition to studio branding as they grow – using their established reputation as a launching pad.
Finding What's Right for You
To figure out which approach fits you best, ask yourself:
What does your future dream look like?
- Do you hope to sell your business someday?
- Do you want to grow beyond what you can personally handle?
- Are you planning to stick with your current specialty or branch out?
Who are your dream clients?
- Do they care more about personal relationships or working with established companies?
- Are you targeting small businesses or larger corporations?
- What's normal in your specific corner of the design world?
What feels like the real you?
- Are you comfortable being the face of your business?
- Do you prefer collaboration over individual recognition?
- How important is keeping your work and personal life separate?
What are others in your space doing?
- How do your competitors present themselves?
- Is there an opportunity to stand out by taking a different approach?
Making Personal Branding Work
If putting your name on the door feels right:
Share Your Story: People connect with stories, so develop a genuine narrative about your design journey and what drives your work.
Look Consistent Everywhere: Make sure your personal brand looks professional and consistent across your website, social profiles, and business materials.
Get Specific About What You Do Best: Clearly communicate your specific expertise rather than trying to be everything to everyone.
Set Some Boundaries: Create systems that protect your personal time, like dedicated business communication channels and clear working hours.
Making Studio Branding Work
If creating a studio brand is more your style:
Choose a Name With Meaning: Pick a studio name that reflects what matters to you while being memorable and available as a domain name and social handles.
Craft Your Why: Develop a compelling story about why your studio exists – what unique perspective or approach do you bring to clients?
Design a Flexible Identity: Create a visual identity that can grow with you and work across different types of projects.
Be Clear About Your Team: Decide how to present team members (even if it's just you at first) to create transparency for clients.
Real-World Success Stories
Personal Brand Win: Jessica Hische
Jessica has built an amazing personal brand as a lettering artist and designer. By leaning into her unique style and voice, she's created a distinctive position that's brought her work with major clients like Wes Anderson and The New York Times. Her personal brand has expanded beyond client work to include books and speaking engagements.
Studio Brand Win: Instrument
Starting small, Instrument has grown into an agency with hundreds of employees working with clients like Google and Nike. Their studio branding allowed them to expand their services and team far beyond what the founders could do on their own.
Successful Mix: Michael Bierut
Starting with personal name recognition, Michael Bierut joined Pentagram as a partner, showing how personal reputation can work within a studio structure. He maintains his personal voice through writing and speaking while operating within the Pentagram framework.
Wrapping It Up
There's no right or wrong choice between personal branding and studio branding – each has its perks and challenges based on your situation and dreams. The most successful designers make this choice intentionally, aligning their branding approach with their values, client needs, and vision for the future.
Remember that as your career grows and changes, your branding can evolve too! Many designers have shifted their approach as their businesses expanded and their goals changed.
Take some time this week to think about your current branding approach. Is it supporting where you want to go, or might it be time for a change? Your brand sets the foundation for everything else in your business – make sure it's helping you build the future you want!
