The number of people sporting ink intrigues me.  It seems everywhere I go I am connecting with a culture of people who have added art to their bodies to express who they are, how they feel and what they believe. As more and more people transform the human body into a moving billboard, I am curious just how many ink-getters start with the strategy of identifying long-term brand goals before branding their bodies.

Like Coke, Pepsi, Starbucks or even local brands like JK Mechanical, the visual element plays a powerful role in creating an emotional connection with the public.  What people think and feel when they see imagery, colors and words ultimately impacts their perception of the value of a product or service.  Effective brands reinforce that visual connection through consistent action and behaviors that align with the public sees.

Branding is big business.  Building a brand requires a plan based on expectations. It doesn’t happen overnight and it often doesn’t come cheap.

The same can be said for the personal brand that many of us strive to create and thus market to our “public.” How we look defines our value and trustworthiness to our neighbors, our teachers, our employers, our customers and even our friends.  Like it or not, the visual elements like our clothes, our hair, our height and our art, set the stage for how our brand is received.  The reality of the impact of our ‘creative’ is a reminder that we all need to make deliberate choices when communicating.

Art will always be subjective.

But, when developed using a strategy to create a connection and help communicate the essence of a service, product… or even a person – it’s powerful.