Helpful words
Need a name but
don’t have a
budget?
We wrote two books about naming things, and you can buy them. Either you’ll end up with a name—or with the knowledge that paying us to do the work is worth it.
Say hello to Assorted Characters 👋
- About: Naming
Assorted Characters is a limited edition 3 volume zine of names and other found text collected by the team at A Hundred Monkeys. It is available exclusively through No Picnic Press. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been taking pictures of names and other language I find. This could be on a neighborhood…
The best brands no one is talking about
- About: Naming
When people talk about the best brands, the same names always tend to show up: Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, Disney, Patagonia, Ikea. So let’s take a moment and give these massive mega brands a round of applause. They mostly do a great job and deserve the credit. At some point, though, people get tunnel vision on…
If AI is so exciting, why is AI branding and marketing so boring?
- About: Naming
Living in the Bay Area, it’s hard to avoid AI ads. Driving on Interstate-80 through San Francisco is a gauntlet of 40+ billboards in less than a mile—nearly every single one is about AI. Ads on YouTube are the digital equivalent. Salesforce, IBM, SAP, Meta, Google, Apple (all links to their AI offerings)—every one is…
Dream projects
- About: Naming
Some people dream of starring on the silver screen, flying to space, or teaching dolphins to read. We grew up loving language and searching for the right words. With more than 75 years of combined experience naming companies and products, we’ve been lucky to name a supersonic jet, a watch company, Earth-friendly activewear, mindfully-crafted tequila,…
Want a free name? Inquire within
- About: Naming
Do you anticipate feeling anxious or hesitant over selecting a name for your company or product? Would you rather put that decision in the hands of seasoned professionals? Do you also like the price of $0? Well, you’re in luck. Submit your proposal here and once a year we’ll select a client to work with,…
Making it personal
- About: Naming
When brand backstories take a front seat There’s an unmistakable art to the Shark Tank pitch. It almost always begins with a founder’s personal anecdote that introduces a very relatable problem, and then goes on to explain how their product is finally solving it. In other cases, it’s fueled by more of a passion than…
We Do This Every Day: the Case for Professional Naming
- About: Naming
We all perform routine tasks on a daily basis: brushing our teeth, preparing morning beverages, gazing at screens, and, possibly, perfecting personal crafts. Most people are lucky to get good at a hobby or two. Naming things is not typically one of those two things. In the naming biz, we see people take a crack…
Branding Can Only Take You So Far
- About: Naming
There’s a simple formula to surf films: show people surfing. Rarely do these movies consist of an overt, or even covert, narrative or message communicated to the audience. Plus surfers don’t care much for propaganda. But on Saturday October 12, 2024 I attended the premier screening of Circles: An Ode To Shredding directed by Dana…
Our brand could be your life: A look at why some brands dominate people’s lives
- About: Branding
Credit to Michael Azerrad and Mike Watt of Minutemen for the title of this blog, a nod to Azzerad’s book “Our band could be your life” and the opening line of “History Lesson – Part II”, a song written by Mike Watt of Minutemen. What is it about some brands that seem to take over…
Destination vs. Wayfinding in a Naming Ecosystems
- About: Naming, Naming Architecture
“See the city, see the zoo, traffic light won’t let me through.” – Phish Where did you go recently? Maybe you went to the grocery store or maybe you flew to Salt Lake City. In any event, you had a destination in mind and how you got there was simply an exercise in wayfinding. A…
Read, Read, Read. Read Everything.
- About: Naming
William Faulkner won the Nobel Peace Prize for literature in 1949. Two years earlier in 1947 he spoke to students of the English Department at the University of Mississippi. During a question and answer session after the talk, he handed down some advice to the students on how to be better writers. Here’s an excerpt…