Since my first graphic design course in college, the importance of effective, simple logo design and branding has been emphasized. As it pertains to a graphic designer, one's personal branding is essential to their success. This is especially true for those who plan to freelance, either full or part-time.

-Aaron Johnson

As I grew over the first few years of my design career, my personal brand got off to a rocky, cluttered and inconsistent start. My original concept, a combination of a letterform and pictorial mark, eventually demonstrated many areas of improvement. After about a year of use, I decided to drastically simplify my mark. I was pleased with the results, however, I was still dissatisfied with my personal brand as I continued to create identities for other individuals and businesses that I found to be far stronger than my own. I wanted to be proud of my work and my image.
After another year, many sketches and failed attempts, I was able to develop my personal logo. I decided to ditch any pictorial elements as I found it to be distracting in my efforts of minimalism. The result is a simple, clean monogram. My personal branding remains one of my favorite projects to work on and to see in use.

-Aaron Johnson

About Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson is graphic designer who studied advertising at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Aaron has always had a creative eye and his passion for design was sparked through his love for photography, which first introduced him to the Adobe Creative Suite. Initially working as an freelancer - albeit unsuccessfully - for the first two years of his design career, Aaron took on many free projects and constantly submitted designs on several crowdsourcing sites including 99Deigns and DesignCrowd, hungry for design. He saw little success. Aaron believes that the best experience is found through failure and accredits his work to his humble beginnings. Aaron now works full-time as a senior graphic designer at Stewart Design in Morgantown, West Virginia where he moved to be with his fiancee and best friend, Kayla. They are getting married in August. You can find more about Aaron on his personal site, ajgraphicdesign.com. You can also follow his work on Instagram and Behance.