theAnalogFormat believes the accessibility of design to people through technology has created a new movement of design awareness that will soon influence everything. Companies, like Apple Computers, have realized that even the masses are starting to care about design. The iPod proved that people will pay more for better design. Toyota is helping the auto industry realize this with vehicles like the FJ Cruiser, as is Audi whose main niche seems to be their emphasis on design.

So what does this mean? You and I are more in tuned to what we think everything should look like. Look at the impact consumers have had on branding and identity. The web 1.0 era introduced us to this new way of creating a company - define the brand, and the rest will follow. In many cases, like Yahoo! for example, it wasn’t entirely clear what the model for the business was going to be. What Yahoo! was sure about was that their identity needed to be the poster-child for the Web 1.0 era. Fun, semi-nonsensical, and like good art or poetry - to be defined by the user. They accomplished this fairly well, and Superbowl advertising hasn’t been the same sense.

The next step - embrace your new identity. The next movement, in our humble opinion, is not going to be a backlash against branding (as history might suggest.) Historically speaking, antiestablishmentarianism has been a complete reversal of trends or complete opposition of the norm (see - punk rock.) The hippies discarded clothes all together as a statement against the suit/tie corporate culture their parents has accepted. The Generations X & Y have, however, seemingly accepted consumerism and redefined the workplace in their own image. $100 jeans, throwback or vintage shirts, designer t-shirts have become acceptable (somewhat) as the current generations define themselves in the visual sense. So instead of rejecting brands, these new generations are accepting them and using them to more instantly define their own subculture. The next revolution isn’t going to be non-brands, it will personal brands.

The Personal Branding Concept is something theAnalogFormat believes is the next wave of popular culture. All the signs are there - hightened awareness of design, acceptance of and participation in the consumer culture, availability of technology, pervasiveness of design related tools and information, and interest in self-definition in a more visual way. The baby boomers wanted to be a part of a larger group, to be one with each other and go against “the man.” Their children now want to be defined within that group as individuals, but still recongnizable as a part of a certain subculture. Look no further than the resurgance of beards among the 25-35 year old, creative set. Comedians, artists, independent musicians - all have gathered around a collective movement away from the uber-polished fashionista “metro-sexual” movement by growing shaggy, wiry beards.

Personal branding is already happening in certain sub-cultures.

Artists on the westcoast who have created a pop-culture influenced creative movement are combining street art, cartoons, video games, graphiti, and comic book styles to form a new pop-art movement. In doing so, artists themselves are being branded more distinctly by the recurrance of common characters or very distinct styling of certain characteristics (like the way the draw/paint the eyes of their subjects.) Look at artists like Jeremy Fish, Rik Catlow, Sam Flores, Frank Kozik, and Gary Baseman. The work by these artists has become so stylized and illustrative, and each distinct in their own way, that their style of characters have become a brand.

Corporate America has taken notice, and those companies more closely tied in with street culture are already stepping up the personal branding plate. Nike allows customization of kicks via their Nike ID concept. The accessory market for the Apple iPod is approaching a $1 Billion dollar industry, just based on the idea of personalizing your music player.

We believe that the personal branding movement will eventually force major brands like Polo to release a line of clothes that (via the internet or in-store kiosks) will allow consumers to insert their own personal logo in place of the omnipresent polo player on the horse. But first, people will need to be able to iconize themselves. They will need to have something they feel helps define the way they see themselves that can be placed throughout their life. Take the artists I mentioned earlier, who could easily create a set of iconography that they feel represents their visual style.

The personal brand is coming. How will you participate?