brand you
Don't wait to polish up your professional image!
Investing in your personal brand goes beyond new shoes and updated wardrobe. Everyone is becoming their own paparazzi and brand proponents in today's world.
Resume's should be well designed and with access to digital tools more expectations of online portfolio for any profession is expected. What you need is a design coach to guide you through the design brand process to create consistency across all platforms just like a digital wardrobe.
BRAND YOU program starts with an evaluation and coaching consultation. Sign up for an initial conversation here. Will discuss your needs and goals for creating your comprehensive brand collateral which will give you a typographic and color system along with potentially a logo that will be used to create a visual system from resume to digital profiles to an online portfolio.
In this self-driven evaluation, you'll examine your strengths and weaknesses, skills and a goal assessment. You'll be asked to pull together examples of your work - from writing, to marketing campaigns, to design and beyond.
You will then go through a branding design lesson that will include basic design and typography. Then we'll discuss creative thinking process on how to develop concepts that will lead to your final brand execution.
Along the way, you'll be able to have me as your coach checking in on your progress and giving you feedback. I am not your design director and will never tell you what to do per se, but as a coach I will offer critique, ask questions to make you think, and give suggestions.
Elevate yourself above the blah!
Don't wait until you don't have time to do this while you may be immersed in a new job search. The best time to implement this is when you already have a job/career. It's a good time to document and organize your work in a visible way for career advancement.
Are you in that necessary 1-5 years of experience gathering to advance to the next level or your dream employer or position? Then this is the time to set aside a few hours a week on yourself.
Working with me, you will go through a brief evaluation and interview process to assess your personality and 3 top skills that set you apart from the pack. Remember that people are hiring whom they want to work with if in fact all the prospects are of relatively equal qualifications. The network you build and your digital representation of your skills combined can make you a vital asset for anyone's team.
Elevate your brand beyond templates and auto-generators to instill your individuality and personality into all of the material that represents YOU!
Your brand with just a subtle hint of your personality and skills that are communicated through typography, color, layout can set you apart.
This course incorporates one-on-one coaching so that you can create the best BRAND YOU including:
- a skills analysis and goal assessment
- overview of branding and brand stories
- what is figure/ground, gestalt, and visual hierarchy in the design process
- concept development: using the skills analysis and goal assessment you'll embark on a creative thinking process to begin your own brand design process
- design your own brand and brand story
- discover the importance of a brand identity guideline (skills that could be added to your arsenal)
- learn how to design your resume to be clear, legible, and written in a way that is cohesive while showing qualitative and quantifying data - go beyond bullet points!
- discover simple approach to translating your brand across the digital platform
- get feedback on creating a simple online portfolio (if you choose to go in this direction)
- receive coaching feedback on your online profiles such as LinkedIn or Indeed
- learn about resources available to produce your print collateral - such as having a business card to share on your nomad journey or the network events you attend
- discover tips for writing cover letters
Sign up for a free initial conversation to discuss your goals.
2019
introductory offer
kick off the new year
with a
BRAND YOU
overhaul
$449 usd
*Pricing includes coaching sessions to aid you in moving from an evaluation process to a self brand completion of a logo and resume with feedback on translating that system across your digital platform. Website recommendations will be up to you as to the hosting platform and all expenses for websites, domains, email addresses, print collateral, etc. are not included in this program fee and are expected to be paid as needed by the individual.
Lessons included in this program include an overview of branding, introduction to typography and resources for finding the best solution once you've gone through the design process, as well as design principles of visual hierarchy, gestalt, and figure/ground. This process averages between 2 and 6 months depending on how much time you invest on your end with the lessons and progress on the design. After the initial free consultation, you will receive an invoice and contractual information on what is covered in the program fee. Once your brand goal is achieved, additional coaching sessions may be purchased at a discount.
What does Val do
as your design coach?
01
I GET
TO KNOW YOU
AS A
CREATIVE
PROBLEM-SOLVER
& ASSESS YOUR
CREATIVE BOX
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP.
02
I POINT OUT
THE TENDENCIES
YOU HAVE
(composition, use of design elements, & typography)
& ENCOURAGE
YOU TO EXPAND
OR CHALLENGE THEM.
03
I CHALLENGE YOU
WITH CREATIVE CALISTHENICS
THAT WILL
IMPROVE YOUR
DESIGN SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.
with more than 20 years working with people like you.
04
IN A SAFE
ENVIRONMENT,
ENCOURAGE
FAILURES & LEARNING FROM HAPPY ACCIDENTS
THAT WILL MAKE YOU
A STRONGER
CREATIVE
PROBLEM-SOLVER
Are you interested in adding more graphic design and creative thinking skills to your resume for that job promotion or better-than -lateral move?
Check out my the program I've created for you!
Based on years of moving from professor to coach and creating a dynamic, fun, and innovative curriculum, I have developed a core sequence of 5 courses that are a condensed version of the required 10 classes typical for a design degree (the rest is usually general education or other requirements to reach 40 classes at U.S. standards) at average cost of $3500-5000 usd at most Universities.
So for the price of less than one class you can learn the ins and outs of graphic design and creative thinking that could boost your qualifications and skill set to nab that new job you have your eyes on. Keep scrolling for more info!
MEMBERSHIP PLANS & BUNDLES
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Choose any TWO lessons and receive 20% off.
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Choose any THREE lessons and receive 30% off.
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PAY MONTHLY FOR 12 MONTHS AND RECEIVE 35% OFF ALL 7 LESSONS
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PREPAY FOR ALL 7 LESSONS AND RECEIVE 40% OFF
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Become a patron member for $30/month includes one scheduled 20 min call a month plus 10% off any lesson,
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Become a patron member for $40/month includes two scheduled 20 min call (or one 45 minute session) plus 15% off any lesson.
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Critique your portfolio - $35 includes 20-30 min skype consult
WANT MORE THAN JUST A LESSON?
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MOST PEOPLE TEACH THE WAY THEY WERE TAUGHT. I'VE SPENT THE LAST 2 DECADES CHALLENGING THAT AND MOVED FROM PROFESSOR TO COACH EARLY ON.
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MANY TRADITIONAL PROGRAMS AT THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY LEVEL ARE STILL GROUNDED IN A MODERNIST APPROACH IN A POSTMODERN WORLD.
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CURRICULUM IN INSTITUTIONS TAKES A LONG TIME TO CHANGE DUE TO THE INTERNAL SYSTEMS, CHECKS AND BALANCES OFTEN TIMES THROUGH AN APPROVAL PROCESS THAT INCLUDES MAJORITY NON-DESIGNER FACULTY.
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THIS PROGRAM CONDENSES THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A CURRICULUM INCLUDING 10 CLASSES (that on average costs 25k) INTO 5 COURSES, plus an in person experience. Take into consideration that 5 college classes average 2,500-3,500 per class or on avg 12.5k if taken one at a time. 5 classes is typical load for one semester so divide tuition which is a bulk rate by 2).
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THE METHODOLOGY FOR THESE CLASSES INCLUDES SPEED PROBLEMS WHICH ARE TO FLEX THE CREATIVE MUSCLES IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, DEMONSTRATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY FOR EACH LEVEL, REFERENCES TO CONTEMPORARY AND HISTORICAL DESIGN EXAMPLES, AND MULTIPLE PROJECTS THAT TAKE YOU THROUGH A COMPLETE DESIGN PROCESS. You will be encouraged to explore in the design process and learn to recognize happy accidents as a creative philosophy for innovation.
WONDER 100
FIRST COURSE
This course emphasizes the creative process of wonder, experimentation, observation, and excitement that is integral to the design process and key traits of successful graphic designers. It is exploratory in nature and will provide solid foundation of design principles and elements through investigation of various assignments that require you to be curious, inquisitive, and a risk-taker. You will be encouraged in the coaching process to understand how to recognize happy accidents, implementing trial and error in learning, observation turned into practice, and a bit of fun thrown into the mix.
Course outcomes:
• Learning and utilizing graphic design principles and elements and creating compositions.
• Learning various tools including handcraft, ie. sketching and collage that leads to basics of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Discovering concepts such as figure/ground and gestalt that provide fundamentals for design problem solving.
• Exploration of the design process which includes brainstorming, research, ideation, conceptualization, exploration, and actualization.
Projects will include smaller speed problems that are not necessarily completed; an image-based assignment in place emphasizing Photoshop and InDesign; and creating shapes, marks, characters from hand and digital for a final fun project.
VALUE:
$1000 usd
BRAND:ME
FOURTH COURSE
Branding is storytelling. In this section of the program you will use skills developed in the previous classes to hone in on brand identity. The primary client is yourself for personal branding, resume development, portfolio production. You'll be asked to go through a skills and goals assessment process to begin the foundation for concept development. Because it's tricky to design for yourself, you will try out this methodology for two other brands first which will provide a broad array of portfolio quality work. In addition, you will work on creating your personal website and brand space on various social networks such as indeed, linkedin and behance.
Course outcomes:
• transforming the design process into a self-evaluation in creating one's own brand.
• Learn about skill assessment and goal setting to use also as concept development for your brand.
• Reinforce the use of gestalt, figure/ground, and innovative typography in your visual solutions.
• Exhibit understanding of brand identity and brand story through creation of identity manual and collateral material.
• Create a comprehensive portfolio, resume, and website that reinforces your personal brand.
We'll start with your own goal assessment and brainstorming process, but to allow the brain to mull all that over you will move into two smaller brand projects along with exercises to stretch your creative muscles with symbols.
VALUE:
$1000 usd
WANDER 100
SECOND COURSE
Step to is to become a wanderer in the mind and in physical action. This course is a combination of thinking and making. You will be introduced to the basics of typography including anatomy, history, and classification. You'll be encouraged to explore hand lettering versus digital solutions and within the digital become adept at hand-eye coordination of composition. The design process is emphasized and the projects become more complex building on what you learned in WONDER100. An emphasis will be placed on the meaning of words (connotation vs denotation) and the personality of typographic expression.
Course outcomes:
• Learning and utilizing typographic forms from hand lettering and hand craft to digital solutions.
• Understanding the historical context of typography and the classification and anatomy to be able to make good conceptual and aesthetic decisions.
• Exploration of the design process and a more complex problem-solving challenges including grids.
• Become a wanderer by allowing for experiments in the design process.
• Understand how meaning is communicated with word & image.
Projects will include smaller speed problems that are not necessarily completed; a a research based exploration of the typographic form, and at least one actualized project with expressive typography. This will include digital solutions but have less digital instruction than WONDER 100.
VALUE:
$1000 usd
EXPLORER
FIFTH COURSE
This is an advanced level graphic design course. What is the role of the designer in society? What does it mean to be a citizen designer? What are the more advanced creative innovation tools one can use to become a design thinker? You'll explore forms of visual rhetoric and examine symbols and communication with a semiotic matrix as part of the design process for the assignments in this module.
You'll become an explorer physically and mentally as you develop the skills for advanced critical thinking.
Course outcomes:
• Understanding of creative innovation tools including visual rhetoric and semiotics.
• Become an explorer as you examine objects, time and place in developing a creative artifact.
• Integrate all of the skills you have learned so far, but with coaching continue to stretch yourself.
The assignments will have creative prompts but open ended as far as solution to allow the process to determine outcome using the ideation tools you'll discover and practice more than once.
VALUE:
$1000 usd
TIME TRVL
THIRD COURSE
This is a journey into the history of graphic design. We'll start in the 1980s with the introduction of the Macintosh and jump back in time to discover threads between cultures, social, economic and historical contexts. Having a contextual foundation for the discipline of design and how cultures communicate can inspire and inform your decision-making in the design process. Perhaps you are an appropriator or attempt to be a pure modernist. This course will include reading, links to contextual videos in content that exists in the interwebs along with short lecture style overviews of course material, and critical thinking exercises to make connections over time. You will be encouraged to produce a short writing assignment that will be integrated into a design project that emphasizes the book format producing your own document using InDesign primarily and other digital or hand craft tools to complete the visualization process. Throw out the test anxiety syndrome and take this course for the love of learning and discovery as if you were a time traveler.
Course outcomes:
• Understanding of the historical context and significance of graphic design and visual communication throughout recorded time.
• Flex muscles in a creative way in a research investigation as a time traveler.
• Utilize your evolving design aesthetics for actualizing design artifacts that integrate copy.
• Overview of the grid and visual hierarchy, how to structure a book format, and creating a unifying visual statement.
One large project combining word and image in a multi-page document with a smaller assignment sprinkled through the production of the other work to give your brain the breaks it needs for a-ha moments.
VALUE:
$1000 usd
IN PERSON
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
Taste. Trek. Globetripping.
Three unique in person workshops including travel opportunities.
Once you complete the sequence of five modules, it is highly recommended that you participate in at least one in person workshop with several others (maximum 12 participants). Taste is all about food and design, from farm to table experience gardening, cooking, and even making pottery not only as creative inspiration but as potential subject matter for creative project.
Globetripping is a travel experience emphasizing designer as author as you explore an immersion in place. Some destinations include Dublin, Japan, Italy, and Spain.
VALUE:
$750 + up