crafting your visual identity
· Create a logotype
Your name should have a specific, consistent type treatment. It's not a logo in the strictest sense – you're an artist, not a corporation! But it's helpful for viewers to have a certain font to associate with your name. You can be a little less restrained with your logotype compared with body text on your materials. For example, you can use all capitals or no capitals at all in your logotype, according to what you feel best suits you. You can also use what's known as a "display face": a font that doesn't work in large chunks of text, but looks great for a few words at a medium to large size. Display faces are a bit more elaborate than your more versatile workhorse typeface. If you find it hard to use traditional or minimal fonts, you can let go a little and choose a display face for your logotype. When you find a font you think works, look at it in both a large format and a small format to make sure it can be applied to anything from a poster to a business card. Your name should not have to cram to the edges of your business card just to be readable! For more on how to select a typeface, check out font guidance.
· Choose a couple fonts and stick with them
The right typeface sets the tone for the look and feel of your design identity. Think about who you are and what your work is trying to say or do. Are you a classical figure painter? Maybe a traditional serif like Jenson or Caslon will work for you. Do you do cutting edge performance or new media work? You might be complimented by a bold, sans-serif typeface in all caps for your logotype.
· Choose a color palette
For your logotype and other titles, you can use color in your professional materials. You should keep body text your body text black, and don't apply colors to your resume, CV, or artist's statement – those should stay plain black too. But for other applications like a business card or exhibition announcement, you can choose a few colors to use consistently as your palette. Choose colors that represent different parts of the spectrum and different light/dark values. Keep it under 5 colors so there's consistency, unless you're launching a media bonanza of some sort! If you're making a website, look up the hex codes of the colors you choose and write them down for reference.
· Details make a difference
Even the way you display your address and other contact information can be a design statement. When you write your phone number, it can be in myriad different ways: 555 555 5555, 555.555.5555, {555} 555-555, and so on. Choose a way of displaying your information and stick with it. Identities are made up of repeated elements that extend across different media, and even small issues of typing and spacing are part of that.