Owenjones
Member
Hi
I could do with some advice please - any thoughts are welcomed thanks!
I've recently (today!) left my full time job and am now self employed. I've been part time self employed for around 3 years now, and my website Artboyart has been around for longer than that as a personal showcase.
One of the first things I need to sort out is a change to my current ‘Artboyart’ alter-ego/pseudonym/company name. Reasons for this stem from research I conducted in Summer 2009 when I asked a few key people about their thoughts on the name as I was starting to push my part time freelance work and self promotion a little harder.
General thoughts were that Artboyart was a good quirky name (it stems from an old university nickname) which worked well in the context of a small scale, part time, a little-bit-of-work-for-friends-here-and-there type of set up – such as it was, and that I should keep it for the time being. However, it would be worth reconsidering this as and when I took the step to go full time. Main reasons were to ensure I was taken seriously as a professional and quality service rather than appearing to be a ‘boy in his bedroom’ working for pocket money!
That step to full time is now upon me and I’ve spent some time considering my options. I’d very much like to test a couple of ideas and gauge your thoughts and opinions if I may.
One thing to consider is that I’m happy with the overall look and feel of my branding, including the logo mark I use on Owen Jones, Graphic Design, Plymouth and all my stationery (see my avatar).
The logo began around 7 years ago as a series of concentric circles, representing the ‘O’ of my name, tied in with the idea of communication as the circles spread outwards. It’s been refined over that period, and I believe it has a certain amount of brand familiarity which I’m keen not too change too much.
As far as naming is concerned, I have three ideas at present. I’ve looked into some ideas for domain names along these routes to check viability.
If you could take a few minutes to let me know your first impressions of these name ideas and which you think would work best I’d appreciate your feedback. Also, if you have any other fantastic ideas you’d like to share, or thoughts around the subject, please also feel free to suggest them!
Option 1:
Owen Jones Design / Owen Jones Creative
Original huh! I had been dead set against this as I didn’t like the idea of calling a potential client or supplier and saying hi it’s Owen Jones from Owen Jones design. Simple as that really – I thought this would feel clunky and awkward. However, a few people have suggested I reconsider it as an option, so I am. Maybe it’s good to say ‘It’s Owen from Owen Jones Desgin’ as they will then know they’re talking to the top man in the ‘company’, or maybe it will sound like the one man band that it is, and not have the ‘bigger capability’ feel I’d like. Any thoughts?
Option 2:
Ovation Design / Ovation Creative
I like the idea of Ovation as a positive word meaning acclaim or applause, that (a) begins with ‘O’ and therefore works well with the logo above; (b) has similarities with the words ‘Creation’ and ‘Innovation’. There are one or two other companies in the sector that use the name Ovation, but none that I feel I’d directly compete with (ie. They’re in America or they are in a slightly different field ie. Multimedia).
Option 3:
Ovative Design
One way of avoiding sharing the name of another company would be to invent a new word. Ovative takes my ‘Ovation’ idea and mixes it with Creative or Innovative to make a new word. Is it memorable enough? How does it sound to you?
Any thoughts you have, like I say, please feel free to comment, suggest, advise or critique! I’m looking to make a decision fairly swiftly and begin work on the brand overhaul in the next week or so.
Cheers for your time.
Owen
I could do with some advice please - any thoughts are welcomed thanks!
I've recently (today!) left my full time job and am now self employed. I've been part time self employed for around 3 years now, and my website Artboyart has been around for longer than that as a personal showcase.
One of the first things I need to sort out is a change to my current ‘Artboyart’ alter-ego/pseudonym/company name. Reasons for this stem from research I conducted in Summer 2009 when I asked a few key people about their thoughts on the name as I was starting to push my part time freelance work and self promotion a little harder.
General thoughts were that Artboyart was a good quirky name (it stems from an old university nickname) which worked well in the context of a small scale, part time, a little-bit-of-work-for-friends-here-and-there type of set up – such as it was, and that I should keep it for the time being. However, it would be worth reconsidering this as and when I took the step to go full time. Main reasons were to ensure I was taken seriously as a professional and quality service rather than appearing to be a ‘boy in his bedroom’ working for pocket money!
That step to full time is now upon me and I’ve spent some time considering my options. I’d very much like to test a couple of ideas and gauge your thoughts and opinions if I may.
One thing to consider is that I’m happy with the overall look and feel of my branding, including the logo mark I use on Owen Jones, Graphic Design, Plymouth and all my stationery (see my avatar).
The logo began around 7 years ago as a series of concentric circles, representing the ‘O’ of my name, tied in with the idea of communication as the circles spread outwards. It’s been refined over that period, and I believe it has a certain amount of brand familiarity which I’m keen not too change too much.
As far as naming is concerned, I have three ideas at present. I’ve looked into some ideas for domain names along these routes to check viability.
If you could take a few minutes to let me know your first impressions of these name ideas and which you think would work best I’d appreciate your feedback. Also, if you have any other fantastic ideas you’d like to share, or thoughts around the subject, please also feel free to suggest them!
Option 1:
Owen Jones Design / Owen Jones Creative
Original huh! I had been dead set against this as I didn’t like the idea of calling a potential client or supplier and saying hi it’s Owen Jones from Owen Jones design. Simple as that really – I thought this would feel clunky and awkward. However, a few people have suggested I reconsider it as an option, so I am. Maybe it’s good to say ‘It’s Owen from Owen Jones Desgin’ as they will then know they’re talking to the top man in the ‘company’, or maybe it will sound like the one man band that it is, and not have the ‘bigger capability’ feel I’d like. Any thoughts?
Option 2:
Ovation Design / Ovation Creative
I like the idea of Ovation as a positive word meaning acclaim or applause, that (a) begins with ‘O’ and therefore works well with the logo above; (b) has similarities with the words ‘Creation’ and ‘Innovation’. There are one or two other companies in the sector that use the name Ovation, but none that I feel I’d directly compete with (ie. They’re in America or they are in a slightly different field ie. Multimedia).
Option 3:
Ovative Design
One way of avoiding sharing the name of another company would be to invent a new word. Ovative takes my ‘Ovation’ idea and mixes it with Creative or Innovative to make a new word. Is it memorable enough? How does it sound to you?
Any thoughts you have, like I say, please feel free to comment, suggest, advise or critique! I’m looking to make a decision fairly swiftly and begin work on the brand overhaul in the next week or so.
Cheers for your time.
Owen