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- ukit0
M Steele
- Sorry Steelukit
- no no M steeley! sounds good :)Hombre_Lobo
- NOgramme
- hahabigtrick
- 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?
- 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
- OSFA0
So what did you decide? Did we confuse you even more??
- 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
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- wordssssss0
neither
- fyoucher10
Plastic Steel!
- fyoucher10
I think trying to do something with your name only really works if you have a very unique name. Matt and Steel are too common, and I'm sure there are a gazillion other people with the name or someone with the word steel trying to come up with something clever. In the end when you do come up with something you like, some ass clown has already bought that URL and is either hosting gay porn or is trying to sell you the domain for $40k. I don't know what the significance of gramme is besides your QBN name but I either think gram or graham, not gramme. (I'm by no means an expert on any of this, I'm just shooting out some thoughts)
So, with that in mind, come up with something crazy. Something funny. Something people can remember you by. Something easy to remember.
Maybe your best bet would be to come up with a game. Choose 10 of the easiest to remember and funny RANDOM words that aren't too common. Then just try and mix and match some phrases.
Or, you pick 10 words and I'm sure the fine folks here would be able to come up with some good combos...
- neue75_bold0
Beg, Borrow & Steel
- erikjonsson0
lol go with studio steel
- gramme0
NBH, you're right that I am currently about as "boutique" as a design firm can possibly be. But I see so many other small shops who position themselves only as micro image-builders, rather than macro brand-builders. The way I want to position myself is as the latter. So yeah, I'm not ashamed of being small. In fact, I don't ever want to get bigger in terms of staff than a Sagmeister-sized shop (with a max of two or three staffers). But I don't want to be lumped in with the small offices/freelancers who only do wedding invitations and nonprofit brochures, rather than comprehensive branding campaigns.
So as I said above, Metagramme could be a name for a company of any size or scope, which is good. It's not limiting or evocative of something either small or large. This, among other things, is why I've decided to stick with the status quo.
@ melq, I don't see the harm in thinking out loud. It's not like I've invested anything in a new brand yet.
- lukus_W0
I like Metagramme.
I strongly dislike Studio Steel - I think it sounds a bit tacky, and 'steel' sounds a bit too similar to 'steal' for comfort.
- Rand0
just list offices in other countries, you're golden