June 26, 2009 at 18:1510 names
Today it’s not enough to come to the market with innovative technology. “As you name a ship, it will sail” - a phrase known to everyone since childhood. Perhaps that is why large companies are so careful in choosing a name for their products, because you have to take into account a huge number of factors: sound, spelling, adequacy of perception by a worldwide audience, copyright issues, in the end. Today I will talk about how 10 world famous brands got their names and what some of them mean. Something will be intriguing, surprising, and something quite predictable, please do not judge strictly.
Co-founder Bob Young (in the image) gave several explanations for the emergence of the “red hat”: 1. Red Hat got its name in honor of the red color, which in the history of the West is a symbol of liberation and the struggle for power. 2. The second co-founder, Marc Ewing, wore his grandfather's red lacrosse hat in college and was known for his approach to solving technical problems and experience in handling equipment. Everyone who had any questions and problems went to the guy in the red hat. 3. Ewing called his first software projects Red Hat 1, Red Hat 2, and so on. Therefore, when the Linux project appeared, it was simply called Red Hat Linux. Things went well :)
The well-known operating system, one of the most popular Apple products, received the letter "X", obviously, like the Latin "10". The reason is clear - it was the tenth release of the OS. Unfortunately for many Apple fans, most still read the number as “X,” which has become popular in our time (X people, X time, etc.). Much more interesting is the chronology of "big cats" in the name of the releases - the first was the cheetah (cheetah, 10.0), then the cougar, jaguar, panther, tiger and finally the "little leopard" - the current version. Snow Leopard (10.6) has already been announced and there are rumors that the lynx and cougar are in line.
According to Wikipedia itself , it got its name as a result of language contamination (in simple terms it is called “compound words”) from the words “Wiki”, technology for creating collaborative (UGC) websites, and “encyclopedia” - thick books, of which while studying, everyone shamelessly copied notes. Today, instead of encyclopedias, children and adults shamelessly plug in Wikipedia itself.
The name of the consortium, initiated by Google - the Open Handset Alliance gives a direct reference to the "open strategy" and "free software." However, few people know that the Android brand was acquired by Google back in 2005, and all work until 2008 was conducted under a veil of secrecy. It was only known that this company was engaged in “software development for mobile phones”, but Google made this not only a recognizable trademark, but also an excellent name for all Android phones on board. "- What do you have? -Android. “Ah, I see.” - I myself have repeatedly witnessed such a dialogue.
The well-known line of IBM laptops was introduced back in 1992. Despite the fact that the first concept, ready for the announcement to the general public, was already ready, there was serious debate within the company about what to call a laptop. IBM was striving for simplicity, and by popular council the name ThinkPad was chosen by the majority. However, the highest corporate ranks did not appreciate the name, because each IBM product had to be marked with numbers. In addition, an adequate question arose - how will the ThinkPad be translated into other languages? But thanks to the perseverance of the IBM employee who designed the first ThinkPad, the laptop was named that way. Prior to the sale of this part of Lenovo's business in 2005, but even after that, the ThinkPad tradition has persisted.
While Microsoft's next OS is rumored to be another unobvious name, Windows 7 seems to be gaining its love among ordinary users. But it is worth looking back a bit and recall the previous versions of this popular OS: Vista? This name will soon become synonymous with not the most pleasant adjectives. Windows 95? One might ask a reasonable question - is there no fantasy in Redmond? Windows XP? Hardly something better. Mike Nash announced Windows 7 with the following words: “This is the seventh release of Windows, and therefore Windows 7 has a clear meaning.” Obviously? Quite. In addition, now there is reason to rely on the power of the magic seven, perhaps it will bring Microsoft more than one million "good luck".
When Twitter co-creator Biz Stone saw the application that Jack Dorsey created in 2006, they both thought about how the birds communicate: “Short bursts of information - we all heard the birds chirping. They make magnificent twitter in short passages, and even when there are a lot of them, this noise cannot be stopped and, most importantly, there is not a single person who would be categorically against the noise and din of bird singing. ” Then Stone came up with the word "twttr", and after the rest of the team came up with vowels. Now it’s hard to underestimate the fact that Twitter made the world of technology and information, but initially it was just a trivial twitter.
Choosing a name for a product that remains in your memory for a long time and, importantly, is still available, a large company of employees has gathered in Mozilla. The original version was the name “Firebird” (which refers us not only to the “fire bird”, but also to the car that is insanely popular in the USA), but because of another open source project with the same name, this option had to be dismissed. Firefox, the red panda, came to mind a little later. Why? “It's easy to remember. That sounds good. This is unique. We like it . ” And what is the best? This is an absolutely unique name - no one has ever used this name before Mozilla.
Research In Motion, a Canadian company, turned to the renowned Lexicon Branding office for assistance in creating and selecting a name for a wireless email reader in 2001. It was in Lexicon that they advised not to go in cyclesto "e-mail", as judging by research, this word raises blood pressure (corporate nerves) in many people. Instead, the guys thought about a word that evokes joy, good mood and a sense of peace. When someone suggested that the small buttons of the device looked like seeds of berries, Lexicon Branding began to add words from the names of berries such as watermelon, strawberries and many others. Having abandoned the idea to use an existing name, the device was simply called a “black berry”, so far all BlackBerry devices by default are of that color.
During the development of the MP3 player at Apple, Steve Jobs talked a lot about the company's strategy: “Mac is the hub for all other gadgets.” Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter who was hired to help out with a name for a new device, relied on this idea during the brainstorming process. It was then that he came up with the analogy with a space station - you can leave it in a detachable spacecraft, but you will have to return for refueling. It was then, in 2001, that he made the final decision: pod. Well, at that time Apple already got the habit of adding “i” to everything. What happened now even children know.
Red Hat Linux: A Richly Named Name
Co-founder Bob Young (in the image) gave several explanations for the emergence of the “red hat”: 1. Red Hat got its name in honor of the red color, which in the history of the West is a symbol of liberation and the struggle for power. 2. The second co-founder, Marc Ewing, wore his grandfather's red lacrosse hat in college and was known for his approach to solving technical problems and experience in handling equipment. Everyone who had any questions and problems went to the guy in the red hat. 3. Ewing called his first software projects Red Hat 1, Red Hat 2, and so on. Therefore, when the Linux project appeared, it was simply called Red Hat Linux. Things went well :)Mac OS X and Big Cats
The well-known operating system, one of the most popular Apple products, received the letter "X", obviously, like the Latin "10". The reason is clear - it was the tenth release of the OS. Unfortunately for many Apple fans, most still read the number as “X,” which has become popular in our time (X people, X time, etc.). Much more interesting is the chronology of "big cats" in the name of the releases - the first was the cheetah (cheetah, 10.0), then the cougar, jaguar, panther, tiger and finally the "little leopard" - the current version. Snow Leopard (10.6) has already been announced and there are rumors that the lynx and cougar are in line.Wikipedia - write what we hear
According to Wikipedia itself , it got its name as a result of language contamination (in simple terms it is called “compound words”) from the words “Wiki”, technology for creating collaborative (UGC) websites, and “encyclopedia” - thick books, of which while studying, everyone shamelessly copied notes. Today, instead of encyclopedias, children and adults shamelessly plug in Wikipedia itself.Android - with a hidden, but not fantastic, meaning
The name of the consortium, initiated by Google - the Open Handset Alliance gives a direct reference to the "open strategy" and "free software." However, few people know that the Android brand was acquired by Google back in 2005, and all work until 2008 was conducted under a veil of secrecy. It was only known that this company was engaged in “software development for mobile phones”, but Google made this not only a recognizable trademark, but also an excellent name for all Android phones on board. "- What do you have? -Android. “Ah, I see.” - I myself have repeatedly witnessed such a dialogue.
ThinkPad - simplicity wins
The well-known line of IBM laptops was introduced back in 1992. Despite the fact that the first concept, ready for the announcement to the general public, was already ready, there was serious debate within the company about what to call a laptop. IBM was striving for simplicity, and by popular council the name ThinkPad was chosen by the majority. However, the highest corporate ranks did not appreciate the name, because each IBM product had to be marked with numbers. In addition, an adequate question arose - how will the ThinkPad be translated into other languages? But thanks to the perseverance of the IBM employee who designed the first ThinkPad, the laptop was named that way. Prior to the sale of this part of Lenovo's business in 2005, but even after that, the ThinkPad tradition has persisted.Windows 7 - magic number in action
While Microsoft's next OS is rumored to be another unobvious name, Windows 7 seems to be gaining its love among ordinary users. But it is worth looking back a bit and recall the previous versions of this popular OS: Vista? This name will soon become synonymous with not the most pleasant adjectives. Windows 95? One might ask a reasonable question - is there no fantasy in Redmond? Windows XP? Hardly something better. Mike Nash announced Windows 7 with the following words: “This is the seventh release of Windows, and therefore Windows 7 has a clear meaning.” Obviously? Quite. In addition, now there is reason to rely on the power of the magic seven, perhaps it will bring Microsoft more than one million "good luck".Twitter - Digital Twitter
When Twitter co-creator Biz Stone saw the application that Jack Dorsey created in 2006, they both thought about how the birds communicate: “Short bursts of information - we all heard the birds chirping. They make magnificent twitter in short passages, and even when there are a lot of them, this noise cannot be stopped and, most importantly, there is not a single person who would be categorically against the noise and din of bird singing. ” Then Stone came up with the word "twttr", and after the rest of the team came up with vowels. Now it’s hard to underestimate the fact that Twitter made the world of technology and information, but initially it was just a trivial twitter.Firefox: it's simple - we like it
Choosing a name for a product that remains in your memory for a long time and, importantly, is still available, a large company of employees has gathered in Mozilla. The original version was the name “Firebird” (which refers us not only to the “fire bird”, but also to the car that is insanely popular in the USA), but because of another open source project with the same name, this option had to be dismissed. Firefox, the red panda, came to mind a little later. Why? “It's easy to remember. That sounds good. This is unique. We like it . ” And what is the best? This is an absolutely unique name - no one has ever used this name before Mozilla.BlackBerry - Sweet Addiction
Research In Motion, a Canadian company, turned to the renowned Lexicon Branding office for assistance in creating and selecting a name for a wireless email reader in 2001. It was in Lexicon that they advised not to go in cyclesto "e-mail", as judging by research, this word raises blood pressure (corporate nerves) in many people. Instead, the guys thought about a word that evokes joy, good mood and a sense of peace. When someone suggested that the small buttons of the device looked like seeds of berries, Lexicon Branding began to add words from the names of berries such as watermelon, strawberries and many others. Having abandoned the idea to use an existing name, the device was simply called a “black berry”, so far all BlackBerry devices by default are of that color.iPod - Detachable Compartment
During the development of the MP3 player at Apple, Steve Jobs talked a lot about the company's strategy: “Mac is the hub for all other gadgets.” Vinnie Chieco, a freelance copywriter who was hired to help out with a name for a new device, relied on this idea during the brainstorming process. It was then that he came up with the analogy with a space station - you can leave it in a detachable spacecraft, but you will have to return for refueling. It was then, in 2001, that he made the final decision: pod. Well, at that time Apple already got the habit of adding “i” to everything. What happened now even children know.
