Who am I?

I've been struggling with this whole concept of branding lately. It's a tough one for me to nail down.

I want to create a recognizable 'brand' for my work -- something that readily identifies it as mine. But I write across genres and some books are darker than other. I don't want to just use my book covers to identify me. I want something more 'generic', something like Jenny Crusie's 'cherry'. If my book covers come out the way I want, then they'll be readily identifiable, but what are the odds of that? I mean, who gets the covers they really want?

Have you figured out your 'brand'? Do you know how you want to portray it, not in words but in graphics?

Is a brand that important or am I making a mountain out of a molehill?

Any opinions are welcome ... toss your hat in the ring.