Calling Things What They Are

We occasionally get to contribute to the naming of companies and their products and services. This can be a real minefield, as you negotiate the marketplace, naming trends, subjective responses and, occasionally, client egos.
We have sundry philosophies on naming, and they change over time. There is, however, one reliable strategy we always consider: call it what it is. To put that another way, it should do what is says on the box.

I recently encountered an excellent example of this strategy. Kirsten wrote about her band being in the studio, and having acquired a new ‘studio control center’. I’m not sure what that is, but I’ll bet I could find it if I wandered into the control booth, because it’s called The Big Knob.

The device does have a, uh, very large main knob, so the name is accurate. More importantly, the name is fun and memorable, and fodder for dozens of silly jokes among cheeky musicians.