Naming your Firm

Image Copyrights: Bansri Pandey

Naming your firm is like laying the cornerstone of a building. The alignment of the entire structure depends on its position. A small mistake in aligning the cornerstone will give birth to larger misalignments in the building later. 

The name of your firm says a lot about you, your business and your ambitions. So, should you think of including your name in the title? Many people like to use this classical method of giving names. It can be seen from some of the established firms such as, SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merril), HOK (Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum), the RTKL (Rogers Taliaferro Lamb Kostritsky), etc. 

If you feel people have high regards to you and your name carries enough potential to take off, you can name your company after your name. It is your firm after all but including your name can add to some challenges if your firm experiences some success and grows beyond you as the main client. 

Since the possibility that someone other than yourself might eventually work in your company, many like to include words such as “Partners, Associates and Architects”, such as Charles Correa Associates, Fosters+Partners, etc. 

But does a name ‘Leon Johnson Architects’ say enough about your business? 

Does it mention anything about the overwhelming creativity that many of the younger firms are trying to project? Will such a name be effective in the age of digital media? If the personality of your firm is going to be projected by the name, it surely needs attention and creativity. 

Here are 5 key pointers that you may consider while choosing a name for your firm: 

1. Think long-term: 

At least 5 years ahead. The name should be able to include possible changes that you expect in your business.

2. Keep it Simple: 

If you want your clients to remember you, give a name to your firm which is easy to pronounce and understand. Using architectural jargons may make your firm look superior among your peers, but your clients may not even understand what you do.

3. The fewer the better: 

Avoid involving everyone that you know in the process. You will end up choosing only one name and risk offending people you are trying to involve. Select only a few people, maybe of diverse expertise, who thinks in the company’s best interest and not only in their personal benefit.

4. Be brave to deny: 

Many owners know they have a problem with the name of their company but they just hope it will somehow magically resolve itself. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Be brave. If you think you started out with a wrong name, deny it and make an effort to change it.

5. Keywords: Internet is a powerful medium for marketing your services. It is important that you choose a name that is easy to find in various search engines. Do a thorough analysis of popular keywords in the web. It will give you more insight into what your clients want instead what you want to give to your clients. Take time to think about the name you want to begin your career with. Get feedback from people who are not from your field. Your company name is an important choice as well as a powerful marketing tool.

Your TAG/CAPTION Line 

We remember Nike not only by its logo, but also by its tag line - ‘just do it’. 

The purpose of the tag line is to convey the essence of your business in a nutshell. The tagline is not about ‘what’ you do, it focuses more about ‘why’ you do what you do.

Few famous tag lines…
SRBL Architect – “The Power of Promises Kept”
NXL Architects – “Design from the Inside Out”
Disneyland – “The happiest place on earth” 
Above shown example indicates the process of thought and not the ideal solution. Thus, there can be as many alternative solutions to the same question as there are people trying to reach that solution. But it is important to have a systematic and logical approach to find an identity of your firm. 

Next Article: How to find your Gap in the market!

Further Reading:

[1] Book: Wow Branding. (Comps.). (2007). ‘Logo Savvy: Top Brand Design Firms Share their Naming and Identity Strategies’ Rockport Publishers.

[2] E-Article: How to name your design firm?

[3] E-Article: How architectural firms name themselves?

[4] E-Article: Tips for Tagline Creation

[5] E-Article: 100 most Influential taglines since 1948

[6] Funny Video: How do Architects dress-up?