My Identity Crisis (Or How I Never Stop Changing My Resume)

As a designer and marketer, it's hard to just let things be. 

Between testing and tweaking, my design seems to always be changing.

A boss of mine regularly has to remind me to STOP optimizing.

I shared this problem of mine with a developer friend who commiserates. He said, as he shrugged, "Sometimes, you just got to ship it."

In a perfect world, we would have endless time to play and change. In the real world, there are deadlines. 

7 Designs In 4 Years

The perfect example of this is my personal branding identity. I've gone through no less than 7 design iterations. In 4 years.

I'm not talking about a font change either. I'm talking about full conceptual and design overhaul.

First, I started with just my name.  Xand.

Then, I became a Madvertising Scientist when I was determined to play in the advertising industry.

Once I had realized that marketing was where my heart was, I became the Mad Marketer.

Currently, I'm sticking with Xand Griffin.

I've ended up where I was at the beginning but stripped down.

Where My Passion For Self-Branding Began

This passion for branding myself came from my first Art Direction class at Temple. 

An assignment.

Create a logo for yourself. Little did she know, that would open up a world of creative self discovery for me.

I had a different approach. Where most people were creating flowery initials fornicating together in a circle, I did this.

Why Self-Branding Was (And Continues To Be) Important To Me 

I never wanted a job that didn’t get who I was.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the person that refuses to take on work. 

I can do assignments that I don't like. That's work, right? Everyone has times when they are doing something they don't like.

At the end of the day I want you to understand the person you were hiring to do the work for you.

That's why my resume needed to be unique. I’ve gone through a million iterations. That’s also what brand is - ever-evolving to the people you are trying to speak to.