“What’s in a name?” asked Shakespeare.
As the Bard knew, words convey vast expanses of meaning, sometimes with just a few letters. Naming a product, brand, or sub-brand takes skill and nuance.
Our unique method is based on years of naming, editorial, and brand-building experience. Whether it’s the business name or lower-level nomenclature, we create naming clusters based on meaning and feel, connotation and denotation. This gives our clients—and their trademark attorneys—plenty to work with.
Cultivator rebranding
Naming, strategy, identity, editorial, packaging
Sometimes a business needs to rebrand or rename before it can grow. Such was the case for the startup we successfully renamed Cultivator. This accelerator startup was poised to alter the athletic shoe marketplace globally. Their new round of funding secured, they needed to jettison their old name for legal reasons. Plazm dove deep into a strategically based, creatively robust branding process that included a sparkly new name. Full case study.
Sarah Bellum’s Bakery & Workshop
Naming, identity, brand launch, packaging
Plazm was delighted to work on a brand for this not-for-profit bakery concept. Not only would the bakery give jobs and support to people with brain injuries, it would also educate customers and the public about ABI (acquired brain injury). Such a wonderful social enterprise deserved an equally thoughtful name. Plazm riffed on the word “cerebellum”—a part of the brain—to create a homey, Betty Crocker feel. After its successful launch at the Portland Farmers Market, the company went on to open a brick and mortar location. They later acquired another food business; we helped Sarah Bellum’s rename, brand, and integrate new product lines. Full case study
ADU PDX
Naming, identity, brand launch, website design
When our client at DMS architects wanted to launch a new specialty business, he came to Plazm. Specializing in ADUs, or Auxiliary Dwelling Units, the new company helped create a rising tide of small homes and additions in Portland, Oregon, offering homeowners opportunities to create small rentals, in-law apartment, and vacation rentals. We went for a simple, effective option: welding the term “ADU” to the old-school Portland identifier (and airport letters) “PDX.”
Conduit
Naming, identity, brand launch, website design
What do you call a sub-brand that gathers people from utility companies and energy efficiency organizations? How do you capture a feeling of pooling resources, sharing information, and connecting—to benefit energy consumers and the environment alike? Plazm helped the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) answer these questions, launching a new brand with an effective name.
