Vivian Iya Personal Brand Identity
Designing a visual identity that finally felt like me.
Summer 2026
Project Overview
As I started building my professional portfolio, I realized I needed more than just a logo. I needed a visual identity that felt like me. This project focused on creating a personal brand identity that included a custom wordmark, monogram, color palette, and typography hierarchy, all in a one-page style guide that I can continue using as my portfolio grows.
Tools Used: Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Pinterest
The Problem
When I first started this project, I thought I wanted my personal brand to feel dark, dramatic, and luxurious. I was inspired by high-end fashion brands like YSL, so I built my first concepts around black backgrounds, deep burgundy accents, and elegant typography. Even though the designs looked polished, something just felt off.
As someone who wants to work in creative direction and branding, I wanted my portfolio to immediately communicate who I am as a designer/brand. The first version looked professional, but it didn’t feel personal. It felt like I was designing what I thought a creative portfolio should look like instead of creating something that reflected my own style.
I needed a brand identity that felt authentic and flexible enough to grow with me throughout my career.
The Solution
The biggest turning point in this project happened when I started looking for new inspiration. I found myself saving images and fonts that were completely different from where I started. Instead of luxury branding, I was drawn to independent films, vintage books, creative journals, soft color palettes, and editorial layouts. I realized I was inspired by storytelling… Not expensive brands.
Get Bakervivian’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Once I recognized that, I decided to completely change the direction of the project. I replaced my original dark color palette with softer blues, warm cream tones, and subtle yellows that felt more cinematic and inviting. The new colors reminded me of film photography, which matched the feeling I wanted my brand to create.
Typography became one of the most important parts of the identity. After exploring several different fonts (and still exploring for the perfect one), I chose one that felt expressive while still remaining clean and professional. I paired “Open sauce bold” with a simple supporting typeface to create a clear hierarchy for headings and body text.
I also redesigned my logo system. Instead of creating one standalone logo, I made a wordmark, a monogram, and a favicon so the identity could work across different platforms. Every design decision came back to one question: Does this actually feel like me? If the answer was no, I kept refining it until it did.
The final style guide brings all of these elements together into one cohesive identity system that I can continue using as my portfolio grows.
Results
This project taught me that branding is much more than creating a logo. Every decision from typography and color to layout and spacing helps tell a story about who you are as a designer.
The biggest lesson I learned was that it’s okay to completely change direction if something doesn’t feel authentic. Starting over with a new aesthetic was the best decision I made because the final design feels much more like my personality and creative style.
Although I plan on continuously growing and expect my brand identity to change, the finished style guide has become the foundation of my personal brand right now. Moving forward, I plan to use this identity throughout my portfolio, resume, presentations, and future design projects so that everything feels consistent and recognizable.
