Here are some excerpts (without the dialogue) from Brand U, the collaborative comic book/exercise manual I made with the ever awesome Jonny and Simon Arrowsmith at Grow the People and Grow the Story.
Brand U, in the author’s own words:
“The term ‘personal brand’ is one of those that some find a bit difficult. It sounds a little faddy, like the latest management speak. Really it’s just about the way we represent ourselves in life and at work. If we want to be successful, the way the world experiences us matters. This book is not about the surface of things. It doesn’t deal with how you should dress for an interview, how to manipulate others with your body language, or how to become a brash, bold loud-mouth. We’re not looking at how you make yourself the next David Beckham, Barack Obama or Lady Gaga either. What we are doing is focusing on what’s really going on for you as an individual, learning how you can use this to your advantage in a number of different situations, presenting that to others in a compelling way, and then creating a consistent set of supporting behaviors. This is a graphic novel, a business book, and a workbook all-in-one, that focuses on building a real-world personal brand for the rest of us.”
On my end it was a mightily fun exercise in custom character design (the authors are in there guiding you through the training in comic book form) and multi-purpose layouts (the book is part comic book, part exercise page). Very approachable product and very fun to make.
There have been several collaborations since using the same custom designed characters, which have been absorbed in some aspects of the company’s branding.
Luke Orrin 