NM3217 Final Project Blog Post
Post forum presentation, I added a cover page to my brand style guide to provide a quick introduction of myself to the reader instead of showcasing my brand logo straightaway which was too abrupt. My name “Marcus” and “Brand Style Guide” are given the brand gold colour so that they stand out to the reader and capture their attention first because they are the most important information on the cover page.
As my intention is to enter the events and hospitality industry primarily catered towards high-level clientele, I decided that I wanted my personal brand and hence, brand logo to look classy and luxurious. I chose to create a simplistic version of a crown, like a king, to signify elegance and grandeur. This logo takes inspiration from the Rolex logo, the difference being that the crown is simplified through abstraction and personalised to my brand. In the space enclosed between the 2 triangles, diamond and line used to create the crown, you can see the letter ‘M’ shape form which matches the initial of my name “Marcus”. The logo also has 2 variations, 1 suited for use against white backgrounds and 1 suited for use against dark backgrounds. The logo used against white backgrounds has a duller gold colour so that the contrast between the logo and white background is greater, making the logo more prominent. For the logo used against a dark background, a gold gradient is used to make the logo pop and shine just like a reflection. In most instances, using the logo with the gold gradient colour should be used unless it affects visibility such as when it is placed against a white background. The chosen typeface for the logo is a serif display font (Minion Variable Concept Display Medium) which is meant to be eye-catching while maintaining the luxurious vibe of the brand.
For the business card, I wanted the luxury theme of my personal brand to be kept consistent, so I decided to also use another serif typeface (Georgia) for the finer details such as email, phone number and LinkedIn on the back of the business card. This provided some contrast between the header typeface (name and job designation), which utilised Minion Variable Concept Display Medium and the contact information. A dark green colour was chosen as the background of the business card because it represents luxury, professionalism and calmness which are qualities that I want to exhibit when conducting myself in the aforementioned events and hospitality industry. My name is kept in the gold gradient colour because I want that to be the most noticeable feature when others first look at the business card. The other details are kept in a cream colour, which is a duller version of white as it provides a good contrast to the dark green background while being easier on the eye compared to a pure white colour. The amount of information kept on the business card is meant to be as minimal as possible, with only the most important details being left on it, as I wanted it to look refined and not overwhelm the person looking at it.
A mock-up of how the business card looks like while displayed. Textured paper and cardstock material are used when printing out the business card.
For my resume, I chose the most important factors such as language proficiency, technical skills, soft skills, personal information, educational history, work experience and contact information to be featured inside because these are key aspects that employers look out for when hiring job applicants. The resume is meant to display a clean, structured and organised look that emits a feeling of professionalism and masterfulness. My name and the headers use the brand gold colour to make them stand out and clearly demarcate each section of the resume. For the remaining body copy, they utilise the cream colour which allows the resume to be easily read against the dark grey background. The text in the resume is kept either left-aligned or justified to provide easy reading for the viewer. Post forum presentation, I made the “About Me” section easier to read by breaking it up into 2 paragraphs while reducing the amount of text present inside. I also increased the spacing (leading) between each point under “Ministry of Social and Family Development” in the “Work Experience” section to allow readers to digest the information more easily.
After testing different variations of the logo, I have curated a list of DO NOTs regarding the usage of the logo which is presented above.
Some modifications that are allowed to be made to the logo include allowing the crown (the entire crown) to be used in isolation without my name “Marcus Ee”. Reducing the transparency (not the same as blurring) of the logo is also allowed. These techniques are demonstrated on the back of the business card if you look carefully at the background.
Only serif typefaces were chosen because I wanted to maintain the highly luxurious feel of my personal brand and allow viewers to easily read the text displayed on my logo, business card and resume. San-serif typefaces did not fit the aesthetic of my brand even though it may have provided better contrast, hence the decision to use 2 different serif typefaces instead. The Minion Variable Concept typeface also has many different weights (16 in total) which adds to the versatility of its usage when necessary. I have included only Minion Variable Concept Display Medium and Bold in my brand style because they were used in the creation of my logo, business card and resume. Post-presentation, I removed a lot of unnecessary text under the description of the typography system and separated it into 2 different paragraphs that define the reasoning behind my use of each typeface.
These colours are perfect for representing my personal brand which stands for elegance, sophistication yet retaining formality and professionalism. I believe these 3 colours are sufficient in portraying my personal brand while keeping the colour palette minimal so that the colours feel pleasant and inviting to the viewer.
7 different variations of the gold colour were used to create the gold glimmering effect which is seen in the logo. The colours were arranged starting from the top left, going down the column, then moving onto the right column along the gradient scale. Post forum presentation, the brand gold gradient colour was added on the bottom right to give the reader a clearer view of the distribution of the gradient colour (eg: which parts are bright/darker, colours move vertically or at an angle, etc) and also provide balance to the brand style page.










