How daring can you be with your branding? Would you name your company this!?

Short term: sure. Long term: less sure.

You want to be witty and smart and, basically, make it seem like you’ve been around a long time. I remember we had a branding client who wanted a new company name and said, “We basically want to be like Nordstrom.” (Nordstrom is a high-end retail clothing store in the US that’s been around forever.)

I said something like, “Sure, no problem. Choose any name you want. Truly, it doesn’t matter. Then provide excellent service and quality products for about 100 years and you’ll have the same respect and value of the Nordstrom brand.”

Yeah, that didn’t go over well. They wanted it now! They wanted instant brand recognition! They wanted tradition and excellence and history, uh, now.

By definition, you can’t have any of those when you’re just getting started.

Can witty and daring and smart pay off?

It depends on your audience. Are you looking to impress them? Is your industry one that can “handle” something a little out there?

I have to take my hat off to Dutch Mountains outdoor supply company (the photo here comes from an inflatable mattress) as even in their logo they don’t show any mountains! Because there AREN’T ANY MOUNTAINS in Holland!

Did their logo and branding work? It did for me. It tells me the company has a sense of humor, they might go the extra mile, they’re having a good time, they have an eye for design, and they happened to make a well-crafted camping mattress.