Are you a budding concept artist looking to build some clients? Developing a personal brand could be key to helping you stand out in the competitive world of concept art. Below are a few concept artist branding strategies to explore.

What is personal branding for artists?

As an artist, your personal brand is the aspect of your work that makes you consistently unique. Every famous artist has their own style, themes, and values. Chris Sanders, the concept artist behind animated movies like Lilo and Stitch and Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon, is known for his rounded drawing styles and spaced out eyes. Ralph McQuarrie - a concept artist who has worked on movies ranging from the Star Wars movies to E.T., is known for his unique moody sci-fi art with Western and Samurai influences (Darth Vader was based on a samurai).

Why personal branding matter in concept art?

Personal branding for artists is key to setting oneself apart. While you may be able to mimic various styles and work on all kinds of different media, finding a unique identity helps you to carve out your own niche. It allows you to market yourself to a certain audience and target specific locations and keywords. Once you’ve developed a name for yourself, you can then charge more and be more picky as to which clients you take on.

Steps to building your personal brand

There are a few simple steps to building a personal brand as a concept artist:

Find a style of art that you are talented at and that you enjoy producing. Experiment with different styles by drawing on different influences and establishing a signature art style.

Curate a portfolio that shows off this unique style. Consider selective themes and art mediums.

Display your portfolio on a website and through social media sites like Instagram and Facebook. Use selective keywords and hashtags to attract a certain audience to your work.

Be proactive by connecting with other people related to your target market. Follow and engage with other artists on social media, and attend networking events to make a name for yourself.

Tips for maintaining and evolving your personal brand

It’s important to strike the right balance between maintaining and evolving your brand. A few branding tips for artists that can help you achieve this are included below:

Consistency is a key to art portfolio branding. Be certain to maintain a certain style and theme throughout all of the art that you share online.

Listen to feedback from followers and clients. Use this feedback to evolve your brand by learning from criticism and tapping into what people love.

Be wary of emerging technologies, marketing mediums and trends. Embrace new methods related to digital artist branding so that you’re not falling behind—but don’t abandon your USP.

Common mistakes to avoid in personal branding

There are a few branding blunders that you should avoid as a concept artist.

Avoid sharing artwork that is completely different to the rest of the work in your portfolio, as this will confuse people as to what your personal brand is.

Make sure that your subject matter is not too niche - there needs to be an audience for your style, and you need some room to experiment so that you don’t get bored.

Don’t chase trends that you have no real interest in.

Embrace a style and themes that you are passionate about.