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About Naming

Red letter day: why acronyms don’t spell success in naming

I’ve never met an acronym I liked. They are normally a hodge-podge of letters trying to say too much but end up saying too little. So let’s take a quick look at the world of acronyms and see if we can rearrange those letters into something more useful. Most acronyms are the result of good…

You don’t want the big branding projects

Understanding the mirage of doing creative work for big brands When I was just starting out in branding I had a big dream of one day working for big clients on big projects with big budgets. I could point to a billboard and say “Success! We made that.” I wanted our work to have an impact and…

The Names They Are a-Changin’

From bridges and post offices to libraries and military bases, from public parks and streets to landmarks and schools there are many names that populate our world and form the nominative fabric of our communities. It is important to employ names that reflect the cultures, values, and positive stories of our communities. In recent months,…

What’s the difference between branding and marketing?

And why do I suck at marketing? Hi, my name is Eli Altman. I’m a branding expert with 20 years of experience working with some of the world’s biggest brands like Samsung, Apple, Lego, and Google. I also happen to be shit at marketing — like, really bad at it. Promotion, particularly self promotion, makes…

Holding beauty brand names up to the mirror

It’s been ?? weeks of sheltering in place, and we’ve all spent a little more time with ourselves than we ever wanted. Some of that time has been spent in the bathroom, starting at the mirror, wondering — has that freckle always been there? Is it possible to over-tweeze? Is glittery eyeshadow still a thing?…

30 years of A Hundred Monkeys in 30 minutes

I interview my dad, A Hundred Monkeys founder Danny Altman, on the early days of the company and the evolution of naming. We try not to dwell on the the past too much around here but every once in a while it’s nice to take a look around and ask, “how did we get here?”…

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The long and short of it

A Hundred Monkeys can get you a name in about a month. Sometimes shorter. Sometimes longer. Project length depends on the client’s calendar, not ours. Recently I’ve been on a few projects that have extended beyond our normal timeline and want to reflect—since I have a little extra time at home—on the pros and cons…

don't call it that 3

What’s new in Don’t Call It That 3?

A lot. The third edition of my book Don’t Call It That is scheduled to arrive at the end of April. By the time v3 arrives, the second edition will have been sold out for about a year. What’s so new and special about the third edition? Is there any reason to pick it up if you already have…

Getting by with a little help with your words

Sometimes knowing your brand means knowing when to get creative help. It’s hard to talk about yourself. How much time is spent crafting dating profiles or resumes, or finding the best anecdote to tell on Jeopardy? We all want to make a good impression and usually end up overthinking every word. But how many of us…

Hey, you! Homage edition

First installment of the A Hundred Monkey’s guide to virtual assistant naming AI is real. It’s happening. It also has a name, a voice, and a personality like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana. As professional namers we’ve named virtual assistants and have thought a lot about the ins and outs of naming a digital being. In…

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