I’ve written before on how to protect your online identity. But I want to go back a little bit and write on how you can build a solid foundation for your online identity. This tips will even be key in protecting yourself against online identity fraud.

Domains

• Buy more than one domain for your site. I would recommended buying .com , .net, .co and .uk for a start. It’s good to cover all your bases when building your online identity. It will also protect you from future identity fraud.
• Purchase your full name for a domain. People will remember you better by your name, than by some nickname or a “Design Studio” name. Unless you truly do own a design studio and have people working in it, it’s better to just use your own name. People have to memorize names all day, so were more programmed to remember a persons name, than a studios.

Name Consistency

•  Whatever name you use, make it consistent with every account name you have online. It will make it easier for people to find you and also to remember you.
• Having an identity that is consistent with your brand name allows yourself to be more marketable in the future for guest articles and public events.

Your Image

• Use 0ne Favicon that you can use on your website, small pieces of artwork and anything else you want your “Brand” to go onto.
• One professional image. An image that represents your smiley face, with a non distracting background. Wear something that  you would wear to an interview for the photo.
• Casual  photos are  important too. It makes everyone know you’re a laid back person and it also makes you more approachable online.
• Decide what kind of image you want to depict to people around you. Who you are targeting and what you are doing. That will help you define your physical online image, and just an image of  yourself as a whole.
• Your words will also depict what kind of image you want to portray, so be careful.

Protecting Your Online Accounts

• Use long passwords, with a capital letter and numbers.  The more complicated the password, the less likely it will be hacked.
• Be careful about what services you allow to connect through Twitter OR Facebook. You never truly know what kind of information they will be collecting. Also, a lot of services will send out automated DM’s about their service through you.  Super annoying.
• Login often. This will help to make sure your account isn’t being hacked and it’s good to look active on your social media accounts.

 

What are ways that you build your identity online to have people remember you? 

 

Style and technique is what makes a good designer distinguished and recognizable. It’s our practice of form and function.

The client sees your past works, decides to work with you, and has certain expectations from your previous work as well as their own dreams.

Since I haven’t work with clients in web design, I can only assume what is happening. My perspective is coming from the process of critiquing my friends’ site designs as well as defending my very own works for the next version of Resimplify.

In every conversation the debate between “what works” versus experimentation comes up. I side with experimentation.  We know that form follows function, but how that is practiced lies my argument. Those that choose “what works” are basing their design on previous forms. And those, like myself, that choose experimentation base their design by focusing on the function and figuring out the appropriate form.

The fundamental of form and function is so basic in design that the value it teaches is undervalued in the practice amongst the masses. Why?

First off, I hope we all like to design due to our love for creating a better world in terms of form and function, but money and common practices might be effecting our practice.

I don’t want you to get the idea that “what works” is designing for what is right and comfortable and that experimentation is so far fetched but worth trying. I’m simply saying that designers are doing more of what works as opposed to experimenting with the form and function.

During my casual conversations amongst my friends I tend to be the one giving reasoning to why I made the design the way I did. And usually after a few minutes of talking it out they understand. On the other hand many designers would shy away from doing this and just going after what works so the reasoning and explanation is clear or obvious.

I’m a firm believer that the traditions and practices of what works are interfering with designing for the client, the community, and building something truly great and magical.

When you look at people saying, where is your email sign up form, your navigation text, and your responsive design what they really are saying is where is your logo?

Rather than focusing on what would make a better design they are focused on what is a common practice and should be there. I do believe having an email sign up form and responsive design are good elements to think about and possibly include, but for the reasons of function rather than trending form.

Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Jony Ive just to name a few have believed in a certain vision and paved forward even though at first the designs seem a bit outlandish at the time. Today, they are highly respected.

I love design because of how creativity and personality can be combined together to create something useful and magical. I’m one that looks to see how certain elements can be shaped to create the right voice and personality that the company, site, or client needs.

It’s all in the reasoning. A short hidden reasoning isn’t the goal. It’s not my goal and I choose to put my efforts in function, not form.  Remember good design requires both during the process through experimentation, not just by doing what works.

This is why I began and continue to design. I like to think and give hidden reasoning. Do you? And if so, is that reflected in your work?

 About the writer:
Derek Jensen is a UI Designer and the Editor-in-chief of Resimplify. He also has his own website, which he posts interesting links and quotes on a more personal but still design focused level. You can also check out his Dribbble page, which has more of a clean and print like aesthetic. I appreciate Derek taking the time out of his day to write an original article for my site and doing so without flaw!