Name
- Started
- Last post
- 63 Responses
- gramme0
Yes, for those who don't know me, my last name is Steel. And yes, I've heard the porn jokes ad nauseum since high school.
- OSFA0
So what did you decide? Did we confuse you even more??
- ukit0
Of course the real options are
a) Metagramme
b) Studio Steel
c) Any other name imaginable, of which there are about a zillion possibilitiesJust to play devil's advocate to what I said above, I do agree it's good to reevaluate what you are doing at a certain stage, and if you have just done work for a few dozen clients you don't lose much by changing the name. So if you can come up with something better than metagramme, go for it. Just don't go with Studio Steel! :)
- OSFA0
Hahahaha
- drgz0
Steel Stud
- ukit0
STL
- ukit0
M Steele
- Sorry Steelukit
- no no M steeley! sounds good :)Hombre_Lobo
- NOgramme
- hahabigtrick
- melq0
You've been hustling up work for the last 16 months under a company name and are ready to toss it out for a new one just because? Not a ton of sense in that.
- gramme0
Not just because, melq. I'm planning for expansion in the next year or so, with the possibility of renting office space (I currently work from home). So I was considering the possibility of rebranding my studio and moving around the same time.
My problem is that I over-analyze things, and I'm restless by nature. So these sorts of questions are constantly running through my brain.
That said, I've decided to stick with Metagramme after considering all the pros and cons. A few people here offered sound advice that makes good sense to me. What Douglas said, in particular. Plus, besides having to usually spell it for people, I do get regular compliments on the way my current name sounds, and what it means when I explain it to people.
- Legit office/studio space = more of a public presence, a location that clients can visit w/o tripping over my son's toys.gramme
- My point is that getting traction as a small business is hard. Starting the process over every 1-1/2 years isn't a good idea.melq
- I never said I'd make it a regular practice to change things up. I'm just thinking critically about how I position and brand myself.gramme
- myself.gramme
- Okay, not 'just because'. Instead, as of yesterday, your critical thinking led you to believe the "Studio Steele" could likely position you better with your clients, as compared to a brand you established five years ago and have been actively promoting for a year and a half.melq
- ...could likely position you better with your clients, as compared to a brand you established five years ago and have been actively promoting for a year and a half.melq
- ...have been actively promoting for a year and a half.melq
- What the hell is wrong with thinking out loud? Sheesh.gramme
- If I was convinced that Studio Steel was the way to go, I would've have asked for input.gramme
- Continuity0
All I can say is, leave the same sort of large-format presentation of your work on the next site.
What does it for me is the refined simplicity of the design, and the (frankly) dead-sexy photography of your work.
- Continuity0
I think that's a wise conclusion you came to. From you're saying, if you're in a position that you can reasonably consider expansion of some kind - even just making the move from home to hired spaced - it means you've managed to build up some brand equity that has translated to business success.
Doesn't mean you can't give your visual identity a refresh, though, if you want to feel like you're taking advantage of the change in a meaningful way.
- gramme0
@ Douglas, the reference to those two names wasn't intentional, but I can see how people might draw the connection. I knew of Pentagram when I came up with the name in '05, but didn't find out about MetaDesign until afterwards. Are you suggesting it's worth changing just because of the proximity to those two names?
- raf0
Metagramme is good. Your current website is excellent. If anything, you might want to add a non-flash version for automatically detected non-flash devices.
I've heard of both Meta Design (have a book on them) and Pentagram. The similarity of Metagramme and those never occurred to me.
- Douglas0
Re: I actually think the name, or word "Metagramme", suits the style of design quite well, and I'm sure you'd rarely (if ever) encounter a client who is familiar with either of those other companies to question it, so it probably doesn't make much difference. But since you are toying with the option of renaming, I think the name sharing thing could be included in your list of reasons.
That said, Steelcase has made a strong brand using the "Steel" as well. :)
In the end, sticking w/ Metagramme is probably best.
- ukit0
At the end of the day, if you are successful, you can have the worst name imaginable and people will still think you are great.
Considering the difficulty of thinking up a name and landing a domain name, I'd stick with what you've got, since it's already pretty memorable and you own the dot com.
- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<...PonyBoy
- see:
http://www.dedass.co…bigtrick
- scarabin0
i like metagramme
- gramme0
Yeah I need to figure out how to create something with full-screen images and smooth transitions, but without any use of Flash, and with a more straightforward, client-centric user experience. I'm leaning toward a single version, rather than two sites with slightly different appearances. My current site is skewed toward a more design-savvy audience of creative directors. It's a bit difficult for potential clients to navigate, and there isn't enough information about specifically what I do—what my value proposition is. 18 months ago, I was unsure as to whether I'd launch a legitimate business, or find a senior designer position at another firm.
It drives me nuts how hard it is to find time to work on my own stuff. The task of shooting a mountain of new work is daunting, too. I'm hoping to find time this fall/winter, but who knows.
- jaylarson0
STEEL
- no more, no lessjaylarson
- also make sure to get steel.comiCanHasQBN
- If he had steel.com he would retireraf
- yes, do that. get steel.com, sell it. then use the money to retire.iCanHasQBN
- i gotta say, i do like it just by itselfThelonious_Funk