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stonewallgen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
What do you think of "Namespace Design" as a company name?

I primarily do web and graphic design work for my clients and want to come up with a good, professional sounding company name.
 
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evopanop

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2004
39
3
Inland Empire, CA
I'm surprised no one's commented yet.

I think the name is great!

Bottom line - if it sounds good to you, has a nice ring to it, and is something that you can be proud to call your own, then go for it! :)

When I first started my company, at the beginning of last year, it was called Terrell Technology. We focused primarily on PC/Mac repair, service, IT/Tech support, etc. and I did some Graphic Design and Website Development (both of which are my passion) for clients that needed those services.

We came to realize that there is much better money in Graphic Design and Website Development, which I was ecstatic about, and so we re-branded the company to TRL Studios, and now only do Graphic Design and Website Development, with some Business Consulting for existing Clients. The TRL is just an abbreviation of Terrell. :)

Apologies for my tangent there, LOL.
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
Namespace in IT means a container for a set of identifiers, typically in XML and CSS. I mention this because only geeks know this crap, otherwise most people will be clueless as to what that word refers to outside our profession. You should never limit your audience nor use a word not in today's lexicon of common language.

I'm also wondering if you considered branding, i.e. logo, graphics and such which exemplify both the name and your business structure and type of clients you wish to target. Show us one if you've considered that for this name.

I'm not a fan of this choice, but this is one man's opinion and I'm sure a lot of folks told both the Beatles and Steve Jobs, "Apple? How kindergarten and stupid is THAT?!"

:cool:
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
Bottom line - if it sounds good to you, has a nice ring to it, and is something that you can be proud to call your own, then go for it!

Sure, but if a member of the local KKK decided to start a web designing business and named the site "Burning Cross Design" (sorry) you might offend some people and lose potential customers. Okay, to be fair I know you didn't mean that's ALL that matters, heh. I'm just saying without context, that advice kind of made my skin crawl, it's not that simple -- to me, at least.

Other factors to consider in a name aside from "That's cool, I like it!":

Location
Business type or sector
Client type
Business mission statement
Branding colors, logo, font and text
Easy to remember
Recognizable by most

Whatever is relevant, bear those in mind (meaning not all at once) but the more you can satisfy the better, I think.

My previous comment about "Namespace" in the name fails (in my opinion) as to sector and recognizability and I questioned the branding. FYI so you know why I said what I said.
 

evopanop

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2004
39
3
Inland Empire, CA
Sure, but if a member of the local KKK decided to start a web designing business and named the site "Burning Cross Design" (sorry) you might offend some people and lose potential customers. Okay, to be fair I know you didn't mean that's ALL that matters, heh. I'm just saying without context, that advice kind of made my skin crawl, it's not that simple -- to me, at least.

LOL If that were to happen, I'd say, "Hey, more power to ya!" lol I'm sure a lot of people would hate the name, and it would almost certainly alienate a lot of clients; but, I don't think that's what we're talking about here.

Namespace in IT means a container for a set of identifiers, typically in XML and CSS. I mention this because only geeks know this crap, otherwise most people will be clueless as to what that word refers to outside our profession. You should never limit your audience nor use a word not in today's lexicon of common language.

I think that in this particular instance, Namespace is not commonly used vernacular, and does not sound too technical, thus should be OK to use. Those in the business may know what it means, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to be his clientele. I think the fact that most people won't know what it means, is all the better. To most it'll just sound like a creative name - which is worth more points to me, than having a name that actually means something, especially something technical in nature. Most clients tend to try to get away from technical jargon as much as is possible. At least, that's been my experience. I don't think Namespace sounds too technical, at all.

Just my $0.02. :)
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
Where in my list did you see "technical jargon" as being good or that technical is good at all and necessary? Let me refine what I meant. Web design can be technical, but a well chosen name can also invoke the following in a client's thinking as to what that business might offer to them:

Artistic beauty or aesthetic
Creativity
Money maker
Social Relevance

To name a few. I won't argue in circles with you, you made great points and I don't disagree with all you said. I'm hoping to expand some horizons to the OP and those following, not to say this way or the highway.

Note:

Speaking from personal experience, I started doing dialup tech support at a small mom and pop ISP named "Monumental Network Solutions" which made them seem much larger and relevant in advertising both in print and word of mouth. They, in turn, were bought out by a larger entity known as "Verio" which was a name produced from careful market testing which proved the word "Very" invoked power and "IO" as in INPUT/OUTPUT. The latter still exists, and both were successful for different reasons. But the one thing that is in common was there was alot more though put into it than "I like that!" and specific needs were addressed in each. The old cliche' there is more to a name than you think is SO very true.

I don't mean to patronize anyone and welcome all opinions. My .02 as well.
 

stonewallgen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
Thanks for your feedback.

The reason I chose Namespace Design is because a namespace is a container of identifiers... I like to think of a client's company logo, website, and other marketing materials as their unique namespace (brand).
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
Thanks for your feedback.

The reason I chose Namespace Design is because a namespace is a container of identifiers... I like to think of a client's company logo, website, and other marketing materials as their unique namespace (brand).

I thought you did, which is why I included the definition in my original response. My main point was although that is meaningful to IT professionals who do XML and CSS, etc., "Namespace" means something else to everyone else. As you saw in the last few replies, this isn't a bad thing. As to branding, you never addressed that.... I'd love to see any graphical logo you have in mind!

I hope I am clear coming across I don't hate your choice or grilling you in any way, I just mentioned some common considerations and taking a pragmatic approach to it. I've said my thing, I'll leave it up to others to respond now and I'll keep an open mind. You might be a genius after all!

:p
 

laurim

macrumors 68000
Sep 19, 2003
1,985
970
Minnesota USA
NamespaceDesign.com is already taken. Did you take it or are you out of luck?

When I did web design and wanted to name my company, I took domain availability into account and nothing less than a dot com name would do.
 

stonewallgen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
NamespaceDesign.com is already taken. Did you take it or are you out of luck?

When I did web design and wanted to name my company, I took domain availability into account and nothing less than a dot com name would do.

I registered it before posting. What do you think of it?
 

laurim

macrumors 68000
Sep 19, 2003
1,985
970
Minnesota USA
I registered it before posting. What do you think of it?

I like it. I didn't know the technical definition of "namespace" so when I read it I thought "a namespace is a place where a company puts all their online identity" so I think it was successful even for someone who doesn't know the actual term.

Besides, you didn't make the mistake I made on one of my first names. I was "well-developed design" for a while, trying to play on being a web developer. After a client said when they saw my email address, lm@well-developed.com, they thought it was porn spam and threw it away, I changed it to muellermultimedia, lol. Live and learn ;)
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
I see everyone likes the name..... Great, so do I as I was careful to note earlier along with some concerns in general, but my informal and friendly challenge to see an example of a logo or branding for a name like this is still alive. I'm just sayin'. :cool:
 

stonewallgen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
I see everyone likes the name..... Great, so do I as I was careful to note earlier along with some concerns in general, but my informal and friendly challenge to see an example of a logo or branding for a name like this is still alive. I'm just sayin'. :cool:

I'm not sure about a logo yet. I asked clients what they thought of Namespace Design and they said they thought of their name and their space.

For branding I was thinking about each element (website, logo, written content, social media, online marketing) as their unique variables which create their unique namespace/brand. Sort of like the way this company: Proof Branding (proofbranding dot com) did it. My focus is mainly local small businesses who offer their products or services locally only (attorneys, doctors, dentists, restaurants).

What do you think?
 

evopanop

macrumors member
Oct 6, 2004
39
3
Inland Empire, CA
I'm not sure about a logo yet. I asked clients what they thought of Namespace Design and they said they thought of their name and their space.

For branding I was thinking about each element (website, logo, written content, social media, online marketing) as their unique variables which create their unique namespace/brand. Sort of like the way this company: Proof Branding (proofbranding dot com) did it. My focus is mainly local small businesses who offer their products or services locally only (attorneys, doctors, dentists, restaurants).

What do you think?

Are you referring to their graphic that is below the header of the page on Proof Branding's site? It's cute. I don't see how that would work as a Logo, though. A business definitely needs a Logo. Especially if you want to be taken seriously. Doesn't matter whether your clients are local or global - you need a Logo.

Speaking of Logos - I don't particularly care for Proof Branding's. Just my $0.02. :cool: I am very curious to see what you come up with for a Logo that integrates all of those different elements, though, if that's what you're planning on doing. :)
 

stonewallgen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2013
5
0
Are you referring to their graphic that is below the header of the page on Proof Branding's site? It's cute. I don't see how that would work as a Logo, though. A business definitely needs a Logo. Especially if you want to be taken seriously. Doesn't matter whether your clients are local or global - you need a Logo.

Speaking of Logos - I don't particularly care for Proof Branding's. Just my $0.02. :cool: I am very curious to see what you come up with for a Logo that integrates all of those different elements, though, if that's what you're planning on doing. :)

I didn't mean their logo, I don't care for it. I liked the way they split logo design, web design, print design, video production into separate elements that make a brand (see their homepage). I think I could take a similar approach but refer to them as unique variables that make a successful, unique presence on the Internet.
 
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SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
I'm not sure about a logo yet. I asked clients what they thought of Namespace Design and they said they thought of their name and their space.

For branding I was thinking about each element (website, logo, written content, social media, online marketing) as their unique variables which create their unique namespace/brand. Sort of like the way this company: Proof Branding (proofbranding dot com) did it. My focus is mainly local small businesses who offer their products or services locally only (attorneys, doctors, dentists, restaurants).

What do you think?

I think you are avoiding my challenge. I agree with all you theorize, now put it into action and be sure NOT to copy or come too close to how proofbranding.com did it and avoid a lawsuit at worst, or client confusion in logo association with your company or theirs at best. :p
 

mumph

macrumors regular
Apr 18, 2013
115
0
Thanks for your feedback.

The reason I chose Namespace Design is because a namespace is a container of identifiers... I like to think of a client's company logo, website, and other marketing materials as their unique namespace (brand).

A brand is a persons perception of a particular company, product or service. A brand is not a logo. A logo merely identifies the brand. As you have no company or service as yet you have no brand.

So far you have an idea for a company that offers a certain service and a potential name for that company. I'm not much of an 'IT' person but I know my way around a few web technologies and can build basic websites etc but I didnt know what a 'namespace' was.

As has been said try not to limit yourself to a name that only a few people understand. If people dont understand who you are they will not want to use your service as building a brand is all about trust. If they dont know you, how can they trust you?

The name Namespace sounds pretty cool, it also 'looks' cool when written down (with a capital N and lowercase p it has a nice visual balance) but it is not totally clear what it means. To make it clear you would need a visual aid i.e. a symbol/icon to explain what a namespace was. Not being an IT person I dont know how you would visualise a namespace. If its possible (maybe there is a certain symbol for it) then it would help others to understand what a 'namespace' is and what your company is about. If the symbol is only known to IT geeks then again it wont be of much use.

If you want to go with Namespace, in my opinion you would need a visual aid (a symbol) to go with the wordmark, however that symbol would need to be accessible to everyone to be effective. If its not then I would advocate a different name for your company.

Hope this helps a little. :) People pay a lot of money for that info ;)
 

Mac21ND

macrumors 6502a
Jun 6, 2007
724
167
A brand is a persons perception of a particular company, product or service. A brand is not a logo. A logo merely identifies the brand. As you have no company or service as yet you have no brand.

So far you have an idea for a company that offers a certain service and a potential name for that company. I'm not much of an 'IT' person but I know my way around a few web technologies and can build basic websites etc but I didnt know what a 'namespace' was.

As has been said try not to limit yourself to a name that only a few people understand. If people dont understand who you are they will not want to use your service as building a brand is all about trust. If they dont know you, how can they trust you?

The name Namespace sounds pretty cool, it also 'looks' cool when written down (with a capital N and lowercase p it has a nice visual balance) but it is not totally clear what it means. To make it clear you would need a visual aid i.e. a symbol/icon to explain what a namespace was. Not being an IT person I dont know how you would visualise a namespace. If its possible (maybe there is a certain symbol for it) then it would help others to understand what a 'namespace' is and what your company is about. If the symbol is only known to IT geeks then again it wont be of much use.

If you want to go with Namespace, in my opinion you would need a visual aid (a symbol) to go with the wordmark, however that symbol would need to be accessible to everyone to be effective. If its not then I would advocate a different name for your company.

Hope this helps a little. :) People pay a lot of money for that info ;)

Thank you :) I was just about to give this same response until I saw yours.
 

mesarie

macrumors newbie
Jun 21, 2013
2
0
Cochin, Kerala, India
Selecting a Web Design Company

My humble opinion is select a website design company who is successful in applying advanced strategies and innovative ideas. Some of the website designers are excellent in bringing business conversions and leads for the small businesses, so please spend some time on researching and reading the reviews of these companies by the customers.
 

jackrough

macrumors newbie
Jul 4, 2013
1
0
Even i struggled a lot in choosing my company name few months ago. I hope you have registered the company name? if not then do it immediately otherwise some others will try to pick it up. :) Its a nice name and i would like to wish you best of luck!

One more thing please give a feedback on this company name if you see this post. The company name is Techies India Inc. i have mentioned the company in my signature i hope you will like it.
 

SrWebDeveloper

macrumors 68000
Dec 7, 2007
1,871
3
Alexandria, VA, USA
This is a tough reply to write without coming across as racist, and I'm not.

There is nothing wrong with techies, or India, or even techies who reside in India, but to some that company name when mentioned in the United States might bring up a bad connotation: outsourced IT work to India thus taking away American jobs.

  • Yes, I am making an assumption.
  • True, outsourcing can be beneficial to many companies for many valid reasons.
My point is not that one must change a name to satisfy the Archie Bunker's in this world, nor to smother native pride. My point is to give pause in consideration of any name which invokes very specific things such as case geographical locations such as in this case. I feel that limits the scope in peoples minds and narrows potential meetings based on the name alone which can be a bad thing as people might make unfair assumptions. Just as I noted above. You have no control over that other than to consider using such a name in a current culture or political climate and opt to "play it safe".

And playing it safe might be a bad thing, too.

I guess what I mean is --- be careful, try to be as neutral as possible but certainly use words that also best describe your business. Am I saying to change "Techies India, Inc."? No. I am asking the OP to view my comments as a cautionary tale and only to CONSIDER such things during the process of researching names.

Jackrough, relaaaaaax, I am only using your company name as a convenient example to make my point that I felt was important in this discusion. I hope there is much success for your business!

:cool:
 
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