ALL ABOUT BRANDING...

The Name of the Game, or better yet...the Name IS the Game. Subconsciously we are inundated everyday by hundreds of names of companies and products. Through the use of scientific studies, we have learned the name chosen and lettering / logo used to express that name tell a lot about a company and in aiding those that come in contact with it to quickly decipher what company or product is all about. For instance, if I mention Wal-Mart, the first image that will come to most people is a large store. Mostly due to the name recognition, however also due to the "Mart" part of the name. Another good example would be Home Depot. One doesn't need to have advanced training in code breaking to figure out that this is a store that sells home improvement products.
The human mind is amazing at deciphering things through our subconscious, sometimes though that can play against us which is where creative marketing and advertising comes into play. I am sure everyone has seen an ad located in a magazine, poster, billboard, or bus stop bench where the creative advertising team spelled a word in large letters SDROWKCAB in order to get your attention. The human mind sees this as strange and awkward and it draws our attention immediately no matter how hard we try not to notice. The mnd is also amzing at addng lettrs for wrds we are fmiliar to complte thm corrctly shld thy be mssing and it does so quickly without effort (thank goodness for Spell Check or we would all probably send out letters and documents with errors on a regular basis!)

All this brings me to one simple question: What is in a name? If I mention the name of a company like: Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, many people would think this was a law firm simply because of the format of the company's name (and you'd be correct). The architecture world is at a crossroads with many firms changing their names to reflect better what they do as well as create a brand name that becomes synonymous with high design and architecture. Kurtz Design Studio is a fine name, but is it the best name to express what I do and who I am? I am hoping to receive lots of feedback and perhaps some ideas and suggestions that could make my company's name even stronger and identifiable. Please help, I'd love to hear from you.

http://archrecord.construction.com/practice/firmCulture/1101practice.asp

- Design is what you make it.