Helpful words:
About Naming

A day in the life of “the everyday customer”

T̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶n̶, the myth… As creative professionals working with clients big and small, we sometimes hear this phrase: “the name needs to appeal to the everyday customer”, or “…the everywoman”, etc. Usually this comes from market research and a need (particularly for large brands) to secure their spot on shelves around the country with a name that…

Don’t kill these names

Recently, when sharing names with clients, I’ve had a few folks say something along the lines of “That’s a nice name but it sounds like a soap company” or “If I were starting an [insert industry here] brand, this would be perfect.” To which my response is something along the lines of “Yes, that name…

Is your name carrying its weight?

Here’s how to tell if your name is doing all it can for you. Also, if you decide to change your name, we’ll discuss the best time to do it. One: Start with the business side of things. Are you clear on your core business offerings, how you’re different, and how you’re positioned against the…

So Happy Together: Exploring the Outer Reaches of Brand Collaborations

Brand collaborations have strong potential to enter our visual and mental landscapes as rich, contrasting ephemera. They might be a fleeting moment, a long running partnership, or something in between. Some are intriguing, niche, and maybe even elegant. Others are tepid, unironically brutish, or blatantly self-serving. Finally, some are truly and remarkably bizarre, leaving most consumers bewildered…

Even big names need help naming

Why star-studded naming projects usually burn out Celebrities, they’re just like us. They drink iced coffee, they pump gas. Sometimes they have an idea for something, and that something needs a name. It may come as a surprise that a celebrity would reach out to a naming studio like ours. Public figures often have their own…

The brands you don’t want to be good

While most companies would want a brand that’s considered and well designed, there are some situations where having a nice brand feels out of place or even suspect. So what are the situations when it makes sense to have a bad brand that turns its back on design as we know it? When is it…

Brewing Good Humor: An Interview with Alex Zobel of Armistice Brewing Company

At A Hundred Monkeys we believe that employing humor in company and product naming is a good way into people’s hearts and minds. A jocular name can stand out in a crowded competitive landscape and communicate an intriguing story with levity or a wink. With nearly 9,000 craft breweries in the US, it’s an industry…

We’re all creatives and judges

How creative decisions force us to rewire our brains It can be daunting to stare at a list of options when you only need one. For most of us, the natural approach is to find the answer. Thanks to years of multiple choice, standardized testing, and everyday problem-solving, we’re programmed to gradually eliminate incorrect answers from a…

Pants Party! or: How I Learned Everything About Joggers Naming

Amidst the quiet solitude, political upheaval, and cultural rancor of the recent past, I realized I needed to shop for new clothes. Most importantly, I required a functional yet comfortable pair of pants to get me through the atypical work days, evening chores, and masked weekends that made up the COVID-19 shelter-in-place experience. I wanted…

Trademark Screening 101: How we get it done at A Hundred Monkeys

It’s not all fun and games over here at A Hundred Monkeys. We, too, are governed by the laws of the United States. Specifically, trademark law happens to be very much a part of our business. We’ve gotten to know the intersection of trademark law and naming over the years. We’ve designed our process in…

1 … 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 34