“Destroy, Erase, Improve”
– Meshuggah (1995)

Ever since I started designing, I struggled with pinning down a proper brand concept for myself and instead just accepted a few logos placed here and there that were made on the fly without any real thought.

I sat down and started thinking of how to best conceptualize my self-learning and my experience across different design fields. A few phrases came to me but the one that stuck out to me the most was “Adaptive Amalgam.”
a·dapt·ive

/əˈdaptiv/

adjective

Characterized by or given to adaptation.
“Mutation is ultimately essential for adaptive evolution in all populations”
“If it gets results, its time to learn it.” – One of my mantras and the reason why ever since I graduated college, I’ve always been in a period of self learning to teach my self what wasn’t taught to me in school (UI Design for example). New concepts, tech, programs, methods – if I see that it is working, or that the industry is shifting towards it, I adapt to it.
a·mal·gam

/əˈmalɡəm/

noun

noun: amalgam; plural noun: amalgams

A mixture or blend.
“A curious amalgam of the traditional and the modern”
Most designers specialize in one, maybe two design fields. But that's not me. If I see something a particular design that I like, I’ll learn how to create it. Which lead me to diving into Web Design…then Graphic Design…Motion Graphic Design…UI/UX Design…Print Design…even some Web Development…you get the idea.

Instead of only focusing on one path, I took several design paths which created the amalgamation of a designer that I am today.
This, finally, brings me back to my earlier quote “Destroy, Erase, Improve.” This is the title of the second studio album of Swedish extreme metal band (and one of my favorites) Meshuggah. The premise behind this title and the overall concept of the album is humanity integrating with machines to become something greater. This also has a meta meaning in that this is the album in which Meshuggah essentially rebranded themselves as the monstrous entity that they are today by showcasing their now famous chugs, jazzy guitars solos, and their mathematical progressive riffs.

This is exactly how I have constructed my brand identity. Adapting by learning from those designers whom I admire while studying different types of design areas becoming the amalgam I am today.
Design by
Norris Girdy