Personal Brand: Font

Why taking the time to choose a font is important.

One of the most important assets you can cultivate in your career and among your network is your Personal Brand. This likely isn't shocking news to you - in fact, I'm willing to bet that you've heard this before and have likely even spent time thinking about and/or working on your Personal Brand.

Just like a customer-facing brand, your Personal Brand should contemplate and consistently reflect things like: Values, Positioning, Story/Narrative, Tone, Color Usage, Visual Style, etc.

We spend a lot of time cultivating our personal brands. We define our values, craft our professional narrative, and carefully select the right tone for our audience. We curate our headshots and even choose brand colors for our websites and presentations.

But there's one element that is included in every Brand Book I've ever worked on or worked with that is often missed when customer-facing branding is applied to Personal Brands: Fonts.

Your font choice isn't just about readability - it's a subtle yet powerful signal. Font selection and consistent use can be an important element of a Personal Brand because every font tells a story. Not taking the time to pick a font and not using it consistently is a missed opportunity: an opportunity to visually reinforce the rest of your Personal Brand "between the lines" on things like your resume, cover letters, personal websites, case study submissions, portfolios, etc.

For example - I have a font that I use across every external medium that carries my Personal Brand. The same font on erichotaling.com is used on my resume. That same font is used when I compile portfolios of work or submit case study responses. And while I don't expect consistent font usage to be the make-or-break for my Personal Brand - it does allow for a consistent experience across all touchpoints.

So the challenge then is to spend some time reflecting on your Personal Brand and how you're trying to position yourself professionally. Once you've done that, ask yourself "What type of font would reflect my brand? Would it be buttoned-up or playful? Would it be formal or more approachable? Would it be modern or traditional?"

Once you've articulated what message you want your font to carry - spend some time on searching through fonts to find one that matches you and your Personal Brand. Then, start applying it consistently.

It's a subtle detail, but a powerful one. It demonstrates intention, adds a layer of professional polish, and ensures that every interaction with your personal brand feels crafted and cohesive.

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric