Consistent Branding and the PR Professional
My favorite newly learned design skill
“No, not quite that dark… actually, maybe a little lighter… right there, that’s perfect.”
When I first began as the public relations intern with the Auburn University Office of Communications and Marketing, this conversation was a common occurrence. My advisor would task me with creating a graphic or reel, and I would submit a draft followed by rounds of edits from the design department. The font, color and size of words and logos had to be perfect before anything could be posted.
What initially frustrated me eventually turned into a skill I valued and mastered. The skill was professional branding, and Auburn University was the perfect place to learn it.
To fully understand what was being asked of me at work, I took time to learn exactly what “branding” entailed. I found quickly that color and size were only scratching the surface of what is included in a professional brand suite. What I found instead was dozens of official logos, mascots, fonts, colors, and graphics provided by the university to cultivate a cohesive, professional look.
Auburn University branding kit
As a professional institution, Auburn places a high necessity on cohesive branding across all colleges and affiliate groups on everything from email signatures to websites to social media. Even the signs on the light posts that line downtown Auburn follow the same guidelines. Because of this, no matter where you are, online or in person, Auburn will always deliver the same warm, homey feel.
Utilizing this skill for Auburn University elevated my quality of work at my internship, and I was ready to implement branding into my personal life. In the first semester of my senior year at Auburn, I took Style and Design for Public Relations, and the whole class was centered around personal and professional design skills. In this class, I made a personal branding suite that I could use on my website, LinkedIn, and job applications. I used the same skills I learned at Auburn to create a cohesive image that reflected my style and personality.
My personal branding logos
Learning the power of cohesive branding has not only elevated my deliverables at work but has elevated the quality of applicant I am when applying to jobs. As I look toward post-grad, I know that having these skills will make me a more stand-out applicant and a better employee for my team, and therefore, has become my favorite new design skill.
Diving deeper into fonts, colors, logos, and spacing is something I never thought I would be able to do. I thought branding was the work of graphic designers and not public relations professionals. But, after learning and putting in the time, I now think that every PR professional should obtain this skill. After all, how will we brand other businesses and people if we can’t brand ourselves?