Organisations invest millions each year creating & maintaining their brand image. Branding is so much more than a logo or the design of a brochure, it tells a customer about the spirit and essence of the company. A strong brand conveys a powerful message and makes the organisation memorable.

So if image and brand can work so successfully for organisations, imagine what it can do for us as individuals. Have you ever stopped to consider what your own personal brand is? What is the image that you project on a day-to-day basis and how closely does it align with who you are on the inside?

Your image acts like your personal shop window. It gives people an insight into your unique qualities and talents. Like any well-dressed shop window, it should be a compelling advertisement about all of the things that are worth discovering on the inside.

A successful image is not about dressing in the most expensive suit or being the height of fashion every season. Yes, I’ll admit it does require a little thought and effort, but most of all it is about expressing your inner self through the way you dress; in a way that is most appropriate to your role and the people you need to influence.

So where do you start? Well, it all comes to down five key things.

1. Dress with intention
Think about what you want to achieve and plan how you’ll dress accordingly. If you want to be taken seriously or the evironment is more formal, wear a suit with matching trousers and jacket. Crisp fabrics will help you create authority, softer or woollier fabrics enable you to come across as more relaxed and approchable.

2. Make colour work for you
Certain colours can make you look tired and washed out. Colours that work in harmony with your skin, hair and eye colour will make you look more healthy, alert and capable.

What’s more, when you wear certain colours they can evoke strong emotions or can have a therapuetic effect on both you and those around you. Black and grey for example, give an air of sophistication and respectability. Blue is the colour of communication, whilst red is the colour with the highest frequency, it’s the colour that stands out the most and shows a sense of determination, strength and even aggression.

3. Get things in proportion
The key to looking stylish and elegant is about creating proportion. The right clothes can often be a better solution than diet and exercise in creating a balanced sillhouette. Choosing the right shape of garments for your shape and frame can be like waving a magic wand. Legs can be lengthened, tummies flattened and necks elongated by following the simple rules for your body shape.

4. Check the quality & fit
We all gain and lose weight so it is essential that you check the fit of your clothes regularly. Loose-fitting, baggy clothes do not make you look slimmer, they simply look sloppy and ill-fitting and create a shapeless sillhouette, hiding your best features. Tight clothes will only serve to highlight the fact that you’ve gained a few pounds and that you aren’t objective about yourself. When we wear clothes that are too tight for us the message this kind of dressing sends out is clear“if I’m fooling myself about what size I am, what other blind spots do I have?”

The more you earn, the more you should invest in key pieces of clothing. These are the essential staples of your wardrobe, clothes that you will wear on a regular basis. The rule for deciding what to spend on key pieces like suits, ties, coats and accessories is simple:
Buy the very best you can afford.

5. Pay attention to the details
Take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror. Are the length of your trousers just right? Do you look up-to-date and well groomed? What aspects of your image need more attention? What are the small things that are sending out big messages about you?

Finally, whenever you present yourself to the outside world there should be something about your image that catches the eye, something that makes you memorable and unique. You should always wear something that acts as your personal signature. It might be that elegant briefcase that you bought on your travels and that everyone admires; a beautiful tie that’s the ideal colour for you or a watch that matches your style personality perfectly. Whatever it is, it’s the thing that expresses your individuality and gives others the essence of the inner-you.