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Business Names with no meaning

signbrad

signbrad

New Member
Zac said:
I always thought 'D-Sign' had the most boring logo and generic name in that area.
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Are you talking about the shop in NW Arkansas?
I sold Nudo products to a number of shops across the state when laminated panels were making their debut.
Out of all the shops in that part of the state, only three stick in my memory these twenty-some years later. I remember Del’s Signs in Springdale (because I don’t forget left-handers like me). I remember NW Arkansas Sign Shop (and how generic their name was). And I remember d-sign (in Lowell?) Why d-sign? Was it the lower case ‘d?’ Was it because it was so boring? I don’t know. But I can still see their sign in my mind, right off Business Rt. 71.
This reinforces my belief that a name does not need to be wildly creative or clever to be successful—it just needs to be remembered.

Also, I have reflected on the times I have needed a contractor, whether it be plumber, electrician or whatever. I have rarely used a Google search. I have almost always relied on the recommendations of others. I am persuaded far more by a good recommendation than by a business name. Am I alone in this?

The few times I used a Google search for a sign shop was always for an employer looking for a sub in another part of the country. I would give the boss three random names and let him make the calls. I didn’t want any screw-ups coming back on me. A name means nothing if they screw it up, right?

Brad in Kansas City
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
Boudica said:
I stumbled across this, some of these are pretty funny. I think my favorite is "Sam and Ella's Chicken Palace". Don't think I would eat there though.
www.huffpost.com

The 25 Most Ridiculous Business Names Ever

The 25 Most Ridiculous Business Names Ever
www.huffpost.com www.huffpost.com
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LOL!
All right, who lettered this tank...Gino?

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DAVID MARSHALL

New Member
So here's the thing we've seen a thousand times in this business. Often, when starting a new business, a huge amount of time and energy is spent on devising a business name that's so good it can't possibly fail. And then it fails. Generally, the reasons come down to lack of planning and research or failing to deliver customer expectations. The reality is that none of the Fortune Top 50 companies have "killer" names. Ernst and Young could care less about changing their name to "Accountants R'Us. For new business signage, concentrating on the signage building blocks of "This is who we are," "This is what we do" and "This is what we want you to do" will pay dividends for most customers, the most important thing is for them to deliver. Brand X has a loyal following.
 
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ProSignTN

New Member
When he first start it's 'Joe's PLUMBING'. When Joe builds a solid following, it's 'JOE'S Plumbing'. There are multitudes of business that have succeeded with odd names. What the hell is a Pepsi, a Coors or a Budweiser, or a Kroger, an Aldi or a Piggly Wiggly? A Starbucks? A Kohl's? A DeWalt?. Yow, they all made it with an odd name. Round here we have the opposite problem. Geographical we are known as the Upper Cumberland. A bunch of our medical offices are Upper Cumberland, yada, yada ya. Nobody knows the difference between Gastroenterology, Endocrinology or Ottolaryngology (ear, nose & throat), so old people drive around in squares looking for their doctor. An odd name might save an old folk a little stress. I mean the greatest concert band to ever foot a stage was called Led Zeppelin.
 
gnubler

gnubler

Active Member
I used to live in a part of the country serviced by Cox Communications (cable/internet). They were terrible, but even worse was getting an email account of @cox.com. I never used mine because I didn't want to have to say "cox" when giving people my email address.
 
Boudica

Boudica

Back to "educational purposes"
gnubler said:
I used to live in a part of the country serviced by Cox Communications (cable/internet). They were terrible, but even worse was getting an email account of @cox.com. I never used mine because I didn't want to have to say "cox" when giving people my email address.
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I remember when it was Cox Cable! That was a long time ago. Now I feel old. Come to think of it... that was before the internet was available to regular people.
 
JamesLam

JamesLam

New Member
signbrad said:
Many trademark lawyers will tell you that the strongest trademarks are marks that don’t “mean” anything. The US Patent and Trademark Office calls these fanciful marks. May this not be also true of business names?
Often, a fanciful mark is a completely made up name with no inherent meaning. Examples are Kodak, Xerox, Verizon, Nike and many others. Names that fall into a similar category are names that are made of letters or abbreviations that are, essentially, meaningless, such as IBM and PPG.

The late Paul Rand, creator of the IBM logo said that the IBM mark has no obvious connection to computers or technology—but that it did not need to.
The job of a mark, or a name for that matter, is to IDENTIFY, not advertise or communicate. A name or logo CAN contain a hint of what a business does for a living, but that is not its essential purpose.

Author and designer John McWade once said that advertising is not the job of a logo—he said that’s the job of a marketing department.
The Nike logo communicated nothing when it was first created, nor did the name Nike. Nike’s success did not depend on an outstanding logo design nor a meaningful name. A name does not need to “explain” a company. Nor does a logo need to make a company “look good.” In both cases, it’s the other way around. The company makes a logo (or name) look good.
Rob Janoff, the Apple logo creator once said that many logo designers try too hard “to put too much in there,” resulting in an ineffective logo design.

The purpose of a business logo or name is not to function as a “customer magnet” or to increase sales. It is an identifier. It should be easy to remember and pronounce. It should highly legible and recognizable. It helps if it’s attractive. It can be “clever” or a play on words—no rule against that. It CAN tell what a business does—but it does not need to. It does not need to “tell a story” or convey the company mission. It does not need to “resonate” with its audience, as some say who pretend to be design authorities. What does that even mean?
Neither a name nor a logo can be a magic wand that somehow increases market share. This is a fallacy that has helped produce design work that is overly complicated.

A name can be tied to a geographical location, or a descriptive feature, or a surname, or it can mean nothing at all.
Whatever it is, advertise it, advertise it. And if you offer a quality product or service, word of mouth with become an even greater marketing force.

Brad in Kansas City
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For a moment I thought you were talking politics.
 
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