What do you do if your performance evaluations reveal untapped potential for professional growth in Branding?

Your performance evaluation might indicate areas in branding where you're not yet fully proficient. Take this feedback seriously and identify the specific skills you need to develop. For example, if your creativity is strong but your market analysis is weak, focus on understanding consumer behavior and trends. This targeted approach ensures that you invest your energy into the areas that will most significantly boost your branding capabilities.

Take time to reflect on the feedback provided in your performance evaluations. Understand the specific areas where your potential for growth in branding has been identified. Consider the strengths and weaknesses highlighted, as well as any specific skills or knowledge gaps that need to be addressed.

Discover potential in branding through self-assessment, learning, mentorship, hands-on experience, networking, goal-setting, feedback, flexibility, celebration, and continuous improvement.

I would go back and study Procter & Gamble, basically the inventors of modern branding and brand theory. Don’t forget they were laughed out of the room for some of those original ideas about transferring emotions to products, but it kinda worked out for them. :). There are so many people who say they do “branding” and have real idea what it is. It’s a tough concept to grasp and for all the control freaks out there, it’s not gonna be for you because you aren’t really in control. But just knowing the history of how everything evolved, what worked and what didn’t — that would really help someone who wanted to explore this area.

Once you've pinpointed the gaps, it's crucial to set concrete, achievable goals for yourself. If your aim is to improve your storytelling in branding, you could set a goal to create a compelling brand narrative for a hypothetical product within a month. By setting clear milestones, you create a sense of direction and purpose in your professional development journey.

Based on the feedback received, set clear and specific goals for your professional growth in branding. Define what you want to achieve and establish a timeline for accomplishing these goals. Make sure your goals are realistic and aligned with your overall career aspirations.

To bridge the gaps in your branding skills, consider seeking additional training or education. This could be in the form of online courses, workshops, or even a mentorship with a branding expert. The key is to choose resources that are highly regarded within the industry and align with your specific learning objectives.

Explore various learning opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge in branding. This can include attending industry conferences, workshops, or seminars focused on branding. Look for online courses, certifications, or degree programs that specialize in branding or related areas such as marketing or design. Additionally, consider seeking mentorship or guidance from experienced professionals in the field.

Theoretical knowledge is valuable, but branding is a skill honed through practice. Work on real-life projects, whether through your current job or personal initiatives. Experiment with different branding strategies and observe what works and what doesn't. With each project, you'll gain practical experience that will enhance your expertise in branding.

If your performance evaluations indicate untapped potential in branding, consider requesting additional responsibilities related to branding. Speak with your manager or supervisor about your interest in taking on branding-related tasks or projects. This demonstrates your enthusiasm and commitment to growing in this area. Taking on new responsibilities can provide valuable hands-on experience and further enhance your skills.

Networking with other professionals in the branding field can provide you with insights and opportunities that you might not find elsewhere. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and connect with branding professionals on social media. Through these interactions, you can learn from the experiences of others and even find mentors who can guide you on your path to growth.

Yes, connecting with other professionals in branding would be very valuable, but you’ll find out quickly that many of these individuals consider “branding” to be whatever tactic they happen to execute. Designers think branding is visual design, writers think branding is just words, etc. The truth is it’s a complex psychological concept where a customer reaches a certain level of affinity with some company, team, entity or product and breaks off a piece of that Kit Kat bar for themselves. But by networking with different branding pros you’ll get a lot of different opinions and views about branding and that can be VERY useful because you can take pieces of that and assemble your own understanding of this widely misunderstood concept.

As a creative, networking with other artists is fundamental. Attending events, webinars and local events has always proven beneficial to me. My advice is to keep networking not only with branding designers, but grab a more holistic approach. Network with all kinds of creatives, like film makers, writers, UX designers, content creators, etc. This will give you more skills and a more global perspective when designing a new project. Seeing how different areas approach a problem and solve it is key to keep growing and innovating in yours. Think outside the box they say and learning from different professionals in different industries and then applying to how you design your own brands is a perfect way to do it.

Finally, make reflection an integral part of your growth process in branding. Regularly assess your progress and be honest about what's working and what isn't. Adjust your goals and learning strategies as needed. This continuous loop of action and reflection will keep you moving forward and help you realize your full potential in the branding industry.

Regularly seek feedback from supervisors, colleagues, or mentors in the field of branding. Actively solicit their input on your progress, areas of improvement, and growth opportunities. A mentor can provide valuable guidance and insights, helping you navigate your professional growth journey in the branding field.

We can all agree that curiosity is a the most valuable asset in a designer. Use this to your advantage and reflect every time you start and end a project. Take notes of this reflections and compare them. How much did they change from beginning a project to finishing it? What did you learn? What changed your mind? What are the more important insights? Reflecting is a powerful tool that you can use in how you approach your future projects. Use what you learned and apply it in your future work. Repeat the process. This will help you grow as a professional, keep up to trends and do better design. My advice is to keep a reflections journal (like I do!) and this will be help you pin point your professional growth during the years.

If you’re ready for a challenge take a case study, analyze it and reverse engineer it. It can be anything related! Let’s go back to the networking point and take La Mer cream story as an example. La Mer is a famous miracle cream invented by Physicist Max Huber. This products are usually created by chemists, but Huber understood lights and physics, creating an unmatched product. After his death it was impossible to recreate it. Chemist Andrew Bevacqua tried to recreate it, but even with his knowledge the company was unable to recreate it. Both have different areas of expertise and approach to the problem. Network widely. Learn from film makers, web and fashion designers. Learn from everyone, not from your area of expertise only!