As a freelancer, it’s somewhat difficult to learn the outcome of many of the jobs that I do, as we’re rarely kept informed after we submit our work. I do try to keep up with as many as I can, though, and as of Spring 2024, I am aware of over eighty successful naming, tagline, and verbal branding efforts. Here are just a few worth mentioning, included with permission of the agencies with whom I was collaborating.
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I worked on a renaming project for supplementary insurance provider Brella, who’d started in 2020 and had a heck of a time with their name. This was the second time in fact they’d needed to rename, and we were determined to get it right. Though we looked into a number of themes and directions, more than anything they wanted a person’s name to humanize their image. Specifically they were hoping for a woman’s or non-gender specific first name, and you’d be surprised at how many were in use. Then we hit on Ansel, most commonly known from the American naturalist Ansel Adams, but also used as a name for both men and women internationally. Best yet, it evokes the word “ancillary,” which of course means “supplemental,” becoming one of the more perfect names I’ve crafted. Very proud of this one. I’d be happy to connect you with one of the folks at Ansel who can tell you about their experience working with me on the project.
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I was brought into this project by the folks at Liquid Agency, who were part of an effort to integrate their services with those of two other creative agencies. They had the branding chops, Clear Digital worked in website development and digital branding experience, and Signal Factory had a strong focus on visual narrative. It was to be my humble job to find a name that they could inhabit. All three still function separately, but together they now collaborate as Myrious, a name which combines “myriad” (comprised of many diverse elements and facets) with the suffix “-ious,” suggesting a fullness or overflowing with this quality; and which is also be a shortening of “mysterious” (the creative unknown). If you’d like to hear about their experience working with me on this and other project, let me know and I’ll connect you.
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I worked with Mechanica to rename the product eFileCabinet, which had grown from simple storage to an all-in-one document management software solution. The client described the platform as one which now “transforms document work from a burdensome task to an empowering tool to deliver exponential impact,” which they wanted to suggest was visionary, tenacious, and proven. I developed a broad range of approaches and tones, and the one that they loved was Revver, which combined a tech sensibility with a lot of productive motion. I loved that name too, making everyone a winner. If you’d like to hear about their experience working with me, let me know and I’ll connect you with Mechanica.
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Here’s an interesting one. I worked with Helen Gould of Brandstuff to come up with a name for a service that covered two industries at once: insurance and security. At-Bay is a cyber insurance company with a new security product which provides active risk management, guarding a company’s site from cyber attacks while insuring against them. They were hoping for a name that would really describe what the product does while indicating the benefits as well, what in the naming industry we’d call a semi-evocative name. We went through several rounds of all kinds of names before I came up with Stance, calling up the image of a fighter or martial artist who is grounded and ready to deploy. Nice call, At-Bay! For more information about this project, and about working with me in general, I’d be happy to connect you with Helen Gould at your request.
I was approached by Heirloom to help with renaming Broala, a company founded by the creators of Bro, a powerful and flexible framework for network analysis and security. Broala was transitioning from a focus on professional services and support to a product-based company, and the folks there thought it an opportune time to shift their name and branding to suggest more succinctly what their products and services provide: clear and manageable insight into everything going on inside your network. Out of many solutions, they chose Corelight, which in coordination with their new tagline “Illuminate Your Network” draws an immediate picture for potential clients. They were pleased with the result, and I’m proud to have a name out there that shines such a good light on the client. Please write me for a contact if you would like to discuss my work with the folks at Heirloom.
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I worked with Heirloom on a project for Sierra Wireless to develop a name for a software solution for the Internet of Things (IoT). This B2B platform allows companies to collect and assess data from their physical products to both track and monetize how the products are performing. Essentially it transforms physical assets into digital assets (with many features and uses). The client was looking for a name which suggested both the interconnectivity of the IoT, and the ability to take one’s assets to a higher level of value. The solution: Octave, which hit on both with an elegance. I’ve collaborated with the folks at Heirloom on a number of projects, and would be happy to connect you with them if you’d like to ask about working with me.
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A couple of years ago I worked with Interbrand San Francisco on a naming job for Qualcomm, who have developed a vision-based augmented reality (AR) technology that enables applications to superimpose the digital world on top of the physical world via smartphones and similar devices. They wanted names that could be marketed as an ingredient technology by device makers and service providers, and which had an exact .com URL available. The name that was chosen out of many hundreds developed, and which I had written, is Vuforia. It has since been acquired by PTC. I’d be more than happy to connect you with the contact I worked with at Interbrand, if you’d like to discuss their experience of working with me. Just ask!
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I was brought in by Robyn Adams of Secret Fan Base to help one of her longtime clients, Wolfers Asset Management LLC, with a renaming project. I was able to work directly with the client, Erik Wolfers, who wanted to update the messaging for the business overall, to bring across the idea of personalized service backed with a great deal of experience. It’s a small firm, so he liked the idea of a small town feel, as long as it reflected their tagline, “Classic Values, Current Thinking”. The result: First & Main Financial, which covered all that and further suggested how loyal their client base is. They were pleased as punch, and I hear that the business is doing quite well under the rebrand. Feel free to ask Robyn or Erik about their experience working with me.
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This project exemplified one of the more challenging facets of naming, to find a striking umbrella name for a number of different if related industries which were being united under one management and vision. Fischbein, a collection of niche leaders in food processing, packaging and material handling, approached Conjure to tackle the job, and they took me on as the primary namer. They asked that the name embody several very general (if impressive) qualities that the group felt they could claim, such as integrity, agility, reach, innovation, and commitment. Any namer knows how tough that can be, and how many names are taken in that category. The result turned out well, though, as Duravant, suggesting the durability of their equipment, innovation, advantage, and a little raving in the middle, was available both for trademark and as a url. We all left the table pleased and surprised at how easily that name worked. Please write me for a contact if you would like to discuss my work with the folks at Conjure.
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The folks at Pivot Design in Chicago approached me with an intriguing project: to name a new performance series hosted by the Harris Theater and Lyric Unlimited. The monthly series was to feature starring members of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, performing non-opera pieces of their choice. The client wanted the name to stress that message, of opera singers performing other genres, in a lyrical construction if possible. The result chosen was Beyond the Aria, which beat out over 150 other names to exemplify those criteria. Beyond the Aria went into production in October, 2014, and is still going strong. Please write me for a contact if you would like to discuss my work with the folks at Pivot Design.
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Here was a challenge: to come up with a name for a new tech that processes and analyzes big log data much faster and more efficiently than anything to date. I tackled the project with Bay Creative for AuriQ, the brains behind the innovation. The puzzle: to craft a word that embodies those qualities, and the tech’s ability to distill a large mass of information to a variety of intelligent and relevant points. The solution: Essentia, which evokes essence, essentialness, and sentience in a clipped, efficient coin. Both AuriQ and we were pleased with the results. Please write me for a contact if you would like to discuss my work with the folks at Bay Creative.
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I partnered with Think Nocturnal to develop the name for a new management consultancy, started by a retired CEO. He wanted a name which conveys his experience level, and more specifically his ability to help every aspect of a client’s business work together most efficiently. I wrote about 150 names for the project, and the one that he chose was Synchrony (which is being used as Synchrony Advisors). Please write me for a contact if you would like to discuss my work with the folks at Think Nocturnal.
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I helmed an extensive renaming job for Marin Abused Women’s Services (MAWS), out of San Rafael, CA. This was a pro-bono project through Taproot Foundation, an organization which grants branding and similar services to non-profits. In this case, I worked with a team which included a project manager, branding strategist, marketing strategist, and several graphic designers. Working closely with the branding strategist, I directed, organized, and co-presented four rounds of names. This job included filtering upwards of 800 names, several hundred of which I wrote myself, and re-strategizing after each presentation. This was especially challenging because the group had strong internal disagreements over several fundamental aspects of their name, including preferences on tone (harsh vs. soft) and type of name (descriptive vs. evocative), and caused the project to continue for over six months. Ultimately they decided on the name Center for Domestic Peace, which I had written, and which has carrying the flag ever since. This was an older project done fairly early in my naming career, but I’d be happy to try to contact the strategist with whom I worked, if you’d like to discuss their experience of helming this job with me.
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