Naming your venture. Insights from a design studio.

We are sat around a table writing our names on sticky tags for other people to be able to communicate with us. Simplest of tasks. Everyone will have written their name like this once. Do we obsess about getting it right, writing clearly, not messig up OUR OWN NAME because of nerves? Yes, yes we do. What will they think about all caps, lower case? Cursive? My name is too long for this space….I am worried they will pronounce it wrong and I will have to correct them at first… So much rests on that name. The name you are given by our family, the one you get mentioned by at parties. The one that gets lovingly shortened or silly-fied by friends.

But what about if you have to pick one? The hardest of tasks. Branding yourself may be one of the most painful processes. Even harder if you are a collective, which we are. Branding is at the core of what we do here at the studio. Our small outfit lends a helping hand to other collectives that need a new identity, voice and value proposition. Part of this process of defining identity is naming. Most of our clients will have an established name or ways of signalling their existing personality, so this process isn’t necessary. When something is created from the ground up, it needs to be given a name, a clear idea forged by language. A name is a definition, a clarification and a signal to the world. The choice is vast these days and with so much to consider, the hardest thing to do is to find a name for the thing that you have created.

When something is totally new it requires a word of its own.

This is where we were a year ago. Starting a design practice under national lockdown. We had the idea that a new type of studio had come to life, but we hadn’t given it a name (or put it on a name sticker.)

Some tips we found particularly useful in searching for meaningful names.

1. Be inclusive
2. Use words that don’t offend
3. Translate your name in other languages so that you don’t get into trouble
4. Do an emotional and cultural exercise to see if it sits well with you first, then with the people who will present the name to others
5. Search for it on social media so that you don’t double up

Why ‘uncommon’?

Uncommon to us means unconventional. It is a lateral way of doing, thinking, making and designing. It also becomes the art of looking sideways, which then extends to many aspects of day-to-day life. Part of what legacy means to us is to do with transferring this lateral thinking into words and images that help organisations speak to each other (and to us, the public). Think of it as the hand that writes your name on the sticker and does a really good job at it. Clear, organised, simple letters, everyone can read it. You are understood. This is our mission. Imparting inspiration sits just beyond this mission. As lateral thinking is our best tool for creation and innovation, this is something we will attempt to also teach by revealing the process. By no means does this mean we know everything and one should not look at a teacher to replace independent thinking or personal beliefs. We are mere guides and mirrors along a journey of collaboration.

‘Uncommon’ sits outside of the prescribed parameters and we wanted to identify with this. We are three people from three countries experiencing the world in three very unique ways. This triad of minds means there is a balance of opinions and knowledge as well as a fair push and pull in conversations. Our expertise is working with the public and with charities that serve a common purpose, to build a better future for people regionally and globally. Worlds becoming more open due to the pandemic has further amplified the need to think in different ways and act with more premeditation. ‘Uncommon’ and ‘unconventional’ seem apt language for us, and for the world today. Also important to us was the notion of undoing the poor systems that do not serve any longer, be they visual, verbal or thought-based.

‘Uncommon’ leaves room for the odd, the curious, even the uncomfortable and we fully embrace the challenge. The way we look at solving problems makes our practice a place of new discovery, innovation and acceptance.

Why ‘goods’?

Goods are items that satisfy wants and provide utility. As opposed to services that are non-transferable, goods can be exchanged against other goods. This exchange was important as we see our place as designers as proxys between clients and audiences. We share our knowledge against other knowledge outside of our field anytime we work with a new client. This exchange is not a transaction but an open marketplace of ideas and experiences. We agreed to present a name that embodies a public service and an open-source studio. This also means that we foresee creating free tools and studies which will be accessible to the world. Our vision is to provide a transparent prism revealing the process of design to our clients. Working against the opaque systems that have plagued the design industry we call on designers to open their doors to a new state of ‘share’. We call for a democratic practice that helps people be good, and in the words of Ken Garland, ringing true still in 2021, we ask for ‘reversal of priorities in favour of the more useful and more lasting forms of communication.’ First Things First manifesto, 1964, adapted to the post COVID-19 year is a stark reminder that we could have focused sooner on what is important. As a society, we have so much to account for still and we are slowly starting to build a sustainable, equitable and democratic way of dealing with our voes.

Good design, good thinking and good goods, executed well and shared between many, are quickly assimilated as part of life and we don’t even question their existence. Think of Wikipedia. Free, reliable resources and information, for us, by us. Making it easier to focus on the tasks at hand and save us time. In our design practice, we craft good identities and systems, sharing them, so that others can make use of them and communicate clearly to their audiences.

Good design doesn’t have to be cool or even beautiful, it is first and foremost functional, effortlessly understood and fit for purpose. Graphic design has the power to change perceptions and behaviours which is why we wish to carefully and sustainably generate positive change through our work. Goods design is invisible and linked to its function first, and then its form. Understanding it should be intuitive, see beyond the surface, be reverent to its purpose. We craft design that tells a story without embellishments, appropriate for its context and its people. Goods come in many shapes and sizes according to needs. Goods can be useful experiences for future learning. In other words, we design goods for the future. The word ‘goods’ had to be part of the name.

Our vision is to provide a transparent prism revealing the process and values of good design to our clients and partners.

Uncommon Goods, a democratic design studio.

So when the two notions come together we have a system that is totally new and explains our purpose like this:

We create useful things and systems through lateral thinking. The outcome of our process is in use by people who share it and communicate through it.

Once a new idea springs into existence, it cannot be unthought.

Edward de Bono. Lateral Thinking. An Introduction

TEST AND SHARPEN YOUR NAMING SKILLS

with this 3 min workstation

1. Think of what to name, or pick something you struggle with naming. This can be your wifi or a kitten, or even a set of fictional characters.

2. Think of the genre of word it is? Who does it speak to and who is listening? Some genres we love are food-related, verbs, grammar oddities, fun typos.

3. Use this 90's nostalgia-inducing random Scrabble tile generator.

Tip: 5 letters or more for best results. Make a list of all that the letters can do.

4. Possibly take a walk or raid the fridge.

5. Try and get at least three suitable words. Argue for and against each.

5*.Extra step: Change one letter if you have to, no rules, just an exercise. Squint at your word and picture it in a headline on your favourite website or newspaper.

If you came across something fun, share it with us on Instagram @uncommongoods.studio