If you’ve ever spent a large amount of time around kids (or easily-bored adults) you know the value of inventive amusement.
Grab a few 3×5 cards & expand your world. You’ll be glad you did!
Did you try it?
(If you’re at all adept, you should find it easy to use these directions to make tiny leaping origami frogs out of business cards.)
Enjoy!
Things you need to know: How to make a jumping paper frog [video]
When you choose the brand name for a new venture, don’t get caught up in the seductive stickiness of a catchy but confining name.
Sure, “Two Blokes & A Bucket” might describe your cleaning business accurately, but will it still make sense when you’re 50 workers strong and using machines for everything?
“Sarah’s Sachets” is a fun name for an Etsy store, but what happens when you decide to sell Tinker Toys and quilts as well?
If Zappos.com were named QuickShoes.com, how easy would it be for them to reposition as an online clothing retailer? In this interview with Seesmic’s Loic Le Meur, Zappos CEO Tony Hseih mentions the possibility of a Zappos airline. Can you see an airline called QuickShoes? Of course not.
One of our own, internet darlings Men With Pens, recently ran into a snag when their cottage brand ceased to reflect the true nature of their business.
With much fanfare and otherwise ado, The Men welcomed Taylor Lindstrom from Good Ink to join their merry band of…people?
To help them celebrate, I threw together a rough draft of what they might use in the future as a header:
It’s a mess, right?
Precisely.
When you’re brainstorming in your kitchen with some friends over beer and branding, don’t let the fun bug bite you.
It’s exciting to be small and running around trying to make things work. Just don’t let that excitement cause you to pick a fun name that won’t grow with you. Don’t make growing big any more painful than it has to be by choosing an inflexible brand name.
What do you think Men With Pens should do? Do you think their constrictive brand name is a problem?
