Audio, photo, video, a logo, colours, graphic design, visuals – they are all part of a larger system from which your identity as an artist is perceived. At best, they all work together and help you to convey your message.
Visual identity
As performing musicians, we are very aware of the visual aspects of being on stage. When using media, your visual appearance is equally important. It is therefore necessary to think about your visual identity and make conscious decisions about this.
The clothes you wear on stage (or in photos or videos), the way you move, the way the stage looks, the way your merchandise looks, the way the venue looks all affect the way your audience experiences your performance.
Just like performing on stage, the clothes and shoes you wear and the type (or absence) of make-up will highly affect the message that you send around about your visual identity.
Do you want to put the same filter on all your photos in order to have an element that connects everything visually or do you prefer to work without any filters at all? Will this add consistency or will it detract from authenticity?
Become aware of how you present yourself. Ask others for honest feedback, look at photos and videos, look at your wardrobe.
Do some research into other artists/musicians. What do they wear? How do they look? How does that convey their identity?
Decide and describe what image you want people to have of you. Use a mood board or Pinterest to explore different options. Experiment!
Find things that make you feel and look good, and that are in line with your message.
Desired identity, projected identity and photography
All photos that are made of you and/or your project, can be major carriers of information. You can use photography to project your desired identity into the heads of your customers. You can look at your identity from four different perspectives:
- How you see yourself (internally perceived identity)
- How you would like to be seen (desired identity)
- How you project your desired identity (projected identity)
- How the receiver sees the projected identity (externally perceived identity)
If you can afford to have a professional photographer making pictures, you need to think about your desired identity. The photographer will create your projected identity.
In Appendix 2 you will find detailed information about desired identity, projected identity and how to brief a photographer.
If you prefer to have photos made without a professional photographer, there are many tips and guidelines that will help you to do that successfully. In Appendix 3 you will find 21 tips and tricks to make good photos with no more than a smartphone.
Video for social media
Information on what to pay attention to when making videos specifically for social media can be found in Appendix 4.
Audio
Making a good recording in sound is an art by itself. If you can’t afford to have the support of a professional, that does not mean that you can’t make a good quality sound recording for your portfolio.
Rules of thumb for making sound recordings with simple recording devices can be found in Appendix 5.
Graphic design
A carefully designed graphic style will contribute to your visual identity. Graphic design is an art in itself and we are confronted with thousands of products of graphic designers every single day.
A so-called logo, a graphic representation of your project, product or company can help you to create a brand. The logo will always and everywhere be associated with you or your product in less than a millisecond, in the blink of an eye. A logo does make sense for a product, initiative, orchestra and maybe a smaller ensemble. However, it doesn’t always make sense for a solo artist.
More information on designing a logo can be found in Appendix 6.
Text
When using text, rule number one is: less is more.
As with all communication: keep in mind who the recipient is, and shape your text to fit their needs and style.
In the case of spoken text, for example a spoken introduction to an audience, or a pitch:
It’s a performance, so prepare and practice!
The elevator pitch
- A format that challenges you to convey your message in less than 30 seconds.
- At normal speech tempo, you can use 70 words in 30 seconds.
- An average sentence consists of 12.87 words.
- So, you can only use 5 sentences.
The description of a good elevator pitch from the recipient’s point of view:
1. A good pitch catches my attention in the first sentence.
- your opening line
2. It tells me who is addressing me in the second sentence.
- you introduce yourself
3. It makes me an offer in the third.
- you make your value proposition
4. It creates an image in my head in the fourth sentence.
- you activate the other person’s thinking
5. And it leaves me with a smile in the last.
- you create an empathic reaction