As mentioned previously, Matt and I recently gave a presentation about personal branding to a local professional association. We talked about how some simple brand strategies and tactics often reserved for businesses could be applied to help a young professional stand out in a crowd and differentiate them from their competition. It was a fun lecture to give and seemed well received.

In a response to David Armano’s recent Advertising Age article on personal branding, our old friend Kevin Broome raises some good points about the digital shadow we all leave behind online and the impact that virtual wake can have on our personal brands—what he calls “Brand Periphery Profile” (a term which will now become part of his own digital shadow)—smart boy that Kevin.

If it’s true—and I belive it is—that the first thing most people do after reviewing someone’s resume is to Google them, then it’s one thing to make sure the search result reveals something that helps you stand out from a crowd, but what unexpected search query will point to you, revealing curious elements of your Brand Periphery?

We’ve had quite a spat of designers falling down and breaking bones lately, but don’t get the wrong idea. Just because Kevin broke his elbow, or Leigh crushed her foot, we’re not going to let them off easy. On the contrary—Kevin is now quite good at mousing with his left hand and Leigh has found a way to get comfortable in front of her Mac (see above) so she can keep cranking out brilliant web designs. But serious gang, no more falling down!

A hearty congratulations to IBC Senior Designer Kevin Broome for being granted professional designer designation by The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada [GDC]. A finer or more deserving MGDC you’ll likely never meet.