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About Naming
In Defense of Airbnb’s New Logo
- About: Naming
Airbnb’s new logo looks like a vagina. Or balls. Or just about any combination of sex organs. When the company announced an identity redesign, most people said, “Hey, genitalia!” A flurry of tweets, clickbait, and listicles ensued. In the first wave, pundits argued whether the logo did, in fact, resemble a vagina. Tweens squinted and…
Say Croissant
- About: Naming
9am. Café. Glass case. A croissant, its buttery, flaky texture a siren call to your empty stomach. A twinge of nostalgia tugs at your heartstrings. Or is that indigestion? “I would like a…” How are you going to say croissant? You could go with a crisp, hard C. You could start from the back of…
Don’t Call It That: Book Signing at Park Life This Thursday
- About: Naming
Eli Altman will be signing his book at Park Life in the Mission this Thursday. It all starts around 6:30pm. To people who show up early, Eli will be giving away extremely fluorescent poster with a bunch of names on it.
The NFL Wouldn’t Rename the Redskins, So We Did
Does your name offend a substantial number of human beings? Is it an outdated, horrible slang term from the early 19th century? Is it possibly illegal? Does it, by its very nature, reduce that same group of people to a skin tone? If so, you might be in the market for a name change! Yes,…
Turn Your Grin Upside-Down: How a Name Makes a Home
- About: Naming
Houses with names may seem like a vacation home tradition. It brings to mind images of beach houses and country estates named Raspberry Hill or Waite and Sea. But across Oakland homes of the “alternative crowd,” young transients, hippies, punks, taggers, art and music folks, the heart and soul the Bay is known for, have…
Need to Name a: Tactical Bowie Knife Company?
- About: Naming
At A Hundred Monkeys, we’re always hoping for ridiculous naming projects. Need to name a stable of Mongolian racehorses? We do that. Don’t know what to call your urban marijuana farm? We can help. Each week, we’re giving away free names. We’re nice like that. If you’re lucky enough to be in the tactical Bowie…
Need to Name a: Discount Fish Market?
- About: Naming
Over here at A Hundred Monkeys we’ve been seriously underwhelmed with the number of ridiculous naming projects we’ve been invited to work on. Sure, we get the occasional sex toy startup or menopause-soothing necklace, but these are still weighed down by the anchors of reality. So starting today, we’re going to present a weekly round…
Eli Altman is speaking at the 2014 Brand New Conference
- About: Naming
Join Eli at the 2014 Brand New Conference in Chicago. He’ll be speaking about the creative, practical and interpersonal realities of the naming process. The 2014 Brand New Conference will be held September 25-26. For tickets, speaker bios, and other information please visit: http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnewconference/ Harris Theater at Millennium Park 205 E Randolph Dr. Chicago, IL USA
The Rise of the Blank and Blank
- About: Branding, Naming, Positioning
Opening a restaurant is risky: a quarter fail in their first year, and nearly two-thirds are gone by the third. The desire to minimize risk causes many restaurateurs to pick names that appear safe. They aren’t. Consider this list of Bay Area bars and restaurants, ordered by opening date: 2005: Squat & Gobble, Fish &…
Learn “How Not to Name Your Startup” at General Assembly
- About: Naming
Join Eli and he’ll give you the tools to create and evaluate brand names so you will never have to apologize for having a name that, like a bad tattoo, you will regret for the rest of your life. February 20, 2014 General Assembly San Francisco Sign up here