Are the more literate less literal?

Okay so Mr. B comes home last night going "I've been thinking and I don't like that name so much after all."

Back to the drawing board.....

I too bought an existing business and have kept the name -- until now. Thats why the phase in/phase out thing will be so important.

You can add "portrait" or something to the end of any name for clarity but I think you would probably have to avoid using a famous name.

I've been trying to use the names of successful companies that don't really convey exactly what they do there as examples:

Nike
Banana Republic
Target
Barnes and Noble
Starbucks

Those names don't really tell you much about what these companies do or sell.

There was a big article in our paper the other day about all of the Pacific Northwest companies named "Tsunami". What in the heck do they do there?

Think of photography companies: Kodak, Canon, Nikon, Olympus - those names don't tell you anything about their business.

I mention these nationally known brands because people on this forum are from all over the place but there are a lot of local names that fit here too.

What I'm driving at is that I don't think one needs to be that literal.

I agree that presentation is very important. Are most studios like accounting offices? (I've got to get out more!)

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Buying a photograph is as close as many people are going to come to owing an original work of art.

I think if you can hint at sophistication, beauty, flourishing sentiment and family love in your company name this would be all to the good.

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Ohhhhh!

Is there a word for that, Noddy?

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It all in the advertising and Brand Recognition. You don't even need to see the word Nike to know it is a Nike commercial because their advertising and branding plans are so consistent. All of those companies are large corporations with years of advertising that burns their brand/logo/identity into your head. That is why we know what they do even if their name doesn't imply it.

You can pull this off as well but you need to be able to communicate your message some how and be consistent doing it.

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I've lived in the Pacific Northwest long enough to remember when Starbucks barely made a blip on anyone's radar. To this day, I can't recall ever seeing a commercial for them.

Nike didn't start out some giant company like it is today, either.

I'm certainly not aiming at anything like that but I'm just using their names as examples of what I'm talking about.

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Big brands have name recognition due to their huge
advertising potential. A small business needs to rely
on other things.

I've just opened an additonal business with a couple of friends
and we each had our own ideas which name should be more
appropriate. In the end we came up with a name, we all
can live with, but doesn't exactly tell what we're doing.

On the other hand, it sparks an interesting conversation tool,
as people ask:" What does your business do?"

I have a photographer friend and she uses her name
"Jane Doe Photography" as business name. Name recognition is important, as sometimes it's easier to remember the
person's name as the business name. My hairdresser just
renamed her salon for that same reason - her name is always recognized, her business name wasn't.

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boomerang wrote:

I've lived in the Pacific Northwest long enough to remember when Starbucks barely made a blip on anyone's radar. To this day, I can't recall ever seeing a commercial for them.

Nike didn't start out some giant company like it is today, either.

I'm certainly not aiming at anything like that but I'm just using their names as examples of what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying they started out that way... I'm just saying they had to work at it and they have done such a good job at it that now we all know what they do just by hearing/seeing their name. I just meant that using a name that isn't literal can be done and those are good examples.

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I'm no stranger to running a small business. Before that I worked in advertising.

I don't want to name it after myself since the eventual goal is to have my partner buy me out. Also, every photograper in the phone book is Jane Doe Photography - I really think something other than that would stand out better.

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boomerang wrote:

I'm no stranger to running a small business. Before that I worked in advertising.

Sorry... didn't mean to butt in...

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Well just be more careful in the future jpin.

I mean on such a forum you should have esp that allows you to know who is hitting the send button when fercryingoutloud!

I mean.... they made me take a test and everything before they let me sign up.....

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boomerang wrote:

Nike
Banana Republic
Target
Barnes and Noble
Starbucks

Those names don't really tell you much about what these companies do or sell.

IMO, one needs to be careful with something like this in a new company. Target was launced as a chain under The Datyon Corp which started out as Dayton Dry Goods. They built up their corporate brand and then (after 60 or 70 years!) announced the Target chain which, IMO, lends the original corporate backing to the chain.

Nike, of course, is from Greek mythology and was the goddess of victory. Who else would you want watching over you while you compete in track and field events? There is the tie-in to their products.

Banana Republic started out as a specialty shop selling safari attire (where would one wear safari attire that wasn't a Banana Republic? lol) so they had a bit of a tie-in to what they sold even if that has been lost, due to their sucess, at this point.

etc.. etc..

I guess what I'm getting at is that while these names don't seem to be relevant to what they do or sell now they either did when the company started or the company had some other substantial corporation backing the venture.

I'm not suggesting that you can't use something along these lines but again, IMO, it should have a tie-in to what you do/sell. Do you have a specialty with your photography that you could play off of?

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Yeah yeah yeah, fishin' I'm right there with you. There does have to be a connection but it doesn't have to be right in your face.

Okay so here's an example that I used on another thread.

I was dawdling the the park the other day and the lines...

All that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and in her eyes

I suggested to the group that we think about using the word "aspect" somehow and even provided them with a definition. They didn't get it.

I also suggested things like "chronology" because it gives the impression of documenting things at a moment in time. They didn't get it.

I'm not just doing a guess the secret word thing.

This is where I got the idea that perhaps the more literate were less literal.

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I kinda like Graven Images

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Hey! How about idolaters!

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boomerang wrote:

I was dawdling the the park the other day and the lines...

All that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and in her eyes

I suggested to the group that we think about using the word "aspect" somehow and even provided them with a definition. They didn't get it.

I also suggested things like "chronology" because it gives the impression of documenting things at a moment in time. They didn't get it.

Something like "Visual Aspect" would probably grasp the concept. It's doesn't have much "oompf" though.

Just toying here but when I think of photographers I tend to think of someone that puts a lot of themselves into what they see (and try to capture for others to see). If I free associate from there the word "Visceral" comes to mind and eventually something like "Visceral Aspects" pops up. Yeah, I know. You hate it. Wink

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boomerang wrote:

Already taken.

As are just about everything else that immediately brings "face", to mind.

Luckily, it doesn't seem that you can trademark words like "studio" or "portraits" or "photography".

I like connotations too!

I've thrown out a bunch of words that connote memory or time - that sort of thing - to be met with blank stares.

I find myself explaining. That's not good. Still, I think more literate people would get it.

Get it?

Lol - "Mien meme"?

Just kiddin'....

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AM wondering, though, Boomer, if your literal partners may not be helpful, in their way, since I am not sure that, if THEY don't get the name, if a lot of your maybe customers also would not get it???

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Aach! I am way out of date, I see - well done, Boomer!

I am wondering if it is more that the literate develop their non-literalness, or if those with a non-literal bent are drawn more towards literature?????

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dlowan wrote:

I am wondering if it is more that the literate develop their non-literalness, or if those with a non-literal bent are drawn more towards literature?????

The latter methinks. Most of the engineering types I deal with read a lot but they tend to read more sceintific or technical stuff (have you ever read a Cisco Router manual? Exciting stuff there!) where the literal-ness (is that a word?) is reinforced. The articstic types I know have all read the classic literature and tend to read more novels than non-fiction.

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Hey now. If I have to provide a definition of "aspect" I don't know if "visceral" would go over very well!

I live in what is generally considered one of the most literate cities in America. More book stores and book sales per capita than most (any?) others.

I don't have anything against literal but we just can't seem to find anything that doesn't sound like everything else.

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Are the more literate less literal?

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