Is brand naming a linear process?
First off, The naming process isn’t a linear process, because the name Fullgap was born in 2015 when we wanted a name for our brand agency, back then we were called VGC but we wanted a name that could strike a conversation at first mention and was unique enough that we could own. We came up with 10 names and the top three were:
Fourth canvas.
Fullgap.
Name not said.
After coming up with these names we went to ask for qualified feedback and when asking for feedback, don’t just go and ask for name ideas. You see, design affects everyone but not everyone can know why it does affect them, so look for what people align with, ask yourself, what does each name presented to them elicit and also how memorable is it?
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First off, The naming process isn’t a linear process, because the name Fullgap was born in 2015 when we wanted a name for our brand agency"
Can you give me an example of this?
You can take an example from Nike, Nike didn’t focus on the finished product but instead focused on the effort. Nike had a purpose and they wanted to inspire people and that included going to search for the things people already say to themselves and picked up on it.
One thing that can breed quality is your source of inspiration, The role of the books and other sources of inspiration are like many dots in your sub-conscious, the quality of this inspiration would connect the dots at the moment you least expected and that’s what enables you to make great ideas come to life.
Memorability is one of the most important things in brand design but in the bid to do the spectacular and inspire people, you’d need to go beyond playing safe and try as much to do the uncommon.
You are trying to say something and you have a message to communicate, in trying to pass this message across you need to find what people are familiar with and try to create novelty around it. If it’s overly random, the likelihood that it would stick is very low.
It’s funny but there was no straight line but in retrospect, the major source of the fullgap slogan stems from the political scene, We are all familiar with “Power to the people” by PDP. The use of “Ones” has a long history of being inspiring and it summarises “more of the people” in a more epic way.
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One thing that can breed quality is your source of inspiration, The role of the books and other sources of inspiration".
Sources of Inspiration
Sources of inspiration should only elevate your mindset to see the intention behind great works but not to copy, so you shouldn’t focus on the finished product of these great ideas but the ideas and process behind them. The greatest strength you have is being able to spot these random ideas and say “you know what? This is it” and run with it.
Some books that could be of great help include:
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Steve Jobs by Isaac Walterson
Do you think brand naming and taglines could affect its marketing?
Let’s ask it this way, do you think that being well dressed and articulate can greatly affect the success of a presentation. If yes, then why is the name and tagline different? people are affected by design choices and we don’t know why all the time but we definitely are affected.
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People are affected by design choices and we don’t know why all the time but we definitely are affected."
How important is a company’s track record in enabling the success of a brand naming and taglines?
It’s makes the work easier for people to believe what you are telling them, we have been empowering creatives and helping people out for over 10 years through casual convos, spaces and mentorship programs. It’s easy for people to say “I trust these guys on their word” and they can deliver on it. If you are starting out as a company, how can you get this? You should show people behind the product, People have questions like “How did you handle this last customer that came your way?”, “What courses and resources do you share to help people outside the salesly stuff?”, “How accessible are those in your company?”. Your approach towards these decisions would greatly affect how much people will trust you when you come up with a brand statement or slogan.
What plan does fullgap have for new and upcoming creatives that barely know how they how they want to go about their future?
Beyond the project management tool, Fullgap is an ecosystem of educative and inspiring resources that can help freelancers just starting out to learn and grow their craft. From weekly spaces on Twitter, to ebooks, guides and videos, we will continue to aid young people trying to find their path.
