Why it's so hard to design for yourself

We can build killer decks for clients.

Craft strategy for fortune 500 brands.

Design clean, beautiful experiences that convert.

But when it comes to our own personal brand?

We stall. Overthink. Second-guess everything.

That website redesign? Still sitting in Figma, untouched.

Trust me I’ve been there.

And if you’re anything like me, it’s not because you’re lazy.

It’s because designing for yourself is a different kind of hard.

When you design for others, you have constraints:

A brief. A goal. A target audience. A deadline.

You’re not emotionally attached, you’re solving a problem.

But when you design for yourself?

The stakes feel personal.

You don’t want to get it wrong.

You don’t want to come off as cringe, or full of yourself.

So you do nothing. Or worse, you tinker endlessly and never launch.

Well, it’s time for that to change.

Here are 5 things that helped me get unstuck and actually build a personal brand that feels honest, clear, and doable.

1. Pick a single lane.

Like me, you probably do a lot of things.

Design. Strategy. Writing. Marketing. Product Management. Mentoring. Leading teams. Maybe even doing photography on the side.

That’s great. But when it comes to your personal brand, pick one primary narrative, at least at first.

Think of it like a homepage headline:

What’s the one thing you want people to remember?

Start there. You can always add nuance later.

Clarity always beats complexity.

2. Write before you design.

We all jump into Figma too early.

Instead, open a Notion doc and write:

• What do I want to be known for?

• Who do I want to attract?

• What is my knowledge base?

• What am I passionate about?

• Who do I want my site/profile to attract?

This becomes the backbone of your site, bio, and how you show up on social.

Design is easier when the words are clear.

3. Don’t design for other designers.

This is a big one.

When we build our personal brand, we often end up performing for peers.

But unless your goal is to get hired by other designers, that’s probably not your audience.

Design for clarity. For clients. For collaborators. For people who need your skills but don’t care about your font choice.

Simplicity is a power move.

4. Default to done.

You don’t need the perfect portfolio.

You don’t need a full visual identity system.

You don’t need five case studies, custom type, and a CMS.

You need one clean page that says who you are, what you do, and how to contact you.

Then hit publish.

You can iterate later.

But only if you ship the first version.

5. Make it feel like you.

This is the part most people skip.

Your personal brand doesn’t have to be overly polished. It doesn’t need to mimic the latest design trend.

It just needs to feel like you:

• Your tone

• Your values

• Your energy

• Your voice

Whether that’s bold, minimalist, nerdy, quirky, strategic, or all of the above, lean into it.

People connect with authenticity more than aesthetics.

The takeaway?

Designing for yourself is hard.

You’re the client, the writer, the art director, and the designer, all in one.

But the good news?

You already know how to do this. You just have to treat your personal brand like any other design problem: define the goals, set constraints, keep it simple, and ship it.

And remember, simplicity and authenticity win every time.

Want help navigating your personal brand? Interested in reading more articles like this? Send me an email and let me know.

—

🖐️ P.S Join my newsletter The Interface where I share lessons from 20+ years designing across agencies, startups, and solo projects. Get a new email to your inbox every Saturday.

Subscribe → https://themikem.substack.com/