Help--I need a name

[maria barnett]

I have been agonizing for at least 6 months over a name for my

studio. I will be specializing in children and families. I need

some help, opinions, and suggestions.

 

I want it to be a ficticious name that evokes emotion but not too

long and it should be easy to remember and spell.

 

Here are some of my many ideas (not all of these are "names" just

inspiring words to help me "brainstorm"--problem is not much

storming is happening. Anyway, what do you think?

 

Enchanted Moments

Enduring Moments

Unforgettable Moments

Everlasting

Forever

Simply Forever

Still

Bliss

Essence

Serenity

Sentimental

Authentic

Sublime

Splendid

Eternity

Eternally Yours

[eric friedemann]

To add to your list of Painful Cliches, which represent your best ideas in six months(?): Picture Your Family, Family Images, Moments In Time, Captured Moments, Timeless Images ... Ouch.

 

 

How 'bout "Marianette Photography"? Its ficticious, its still every bit as cloying, it combines your names with faux cleverness and any art student could draw you some sort of marianette logo.

[andrewpgrant]

I think you have an interesting enough name that "Maria Barnett Photography" or "Maria Barnett Studio" would do just fine :-)

 

These names make your studio sound very professional and people will remember who you are more readily.

[david_goldfarb]

Yeah, your name is a perfectly good, professional sounding name. No reason for hokey sentimentalism.

[jennea]

I've been agonizing over a name for even longer than you, so I feel your pain. I'm against

using your name for a photo business because, let's face it, every photographer out there

does this. You'll just blend into the pack. Another thing I'm against, which others have

mentioned above, is using a cliche. This is another trick many photographers use and

again you would blend into the herd. Here are a couple articles online that might help:

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,315351,00.html

http://www.igorinternational.com/how-to-name.html

http://www.templatecentral.com/newsletters/creatingbusinessname.asp

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[art_haykin]

I agree. Dump the saccharine, corny crap and use your own good name.

[eric friedemann]

Giving Maria her due, women hire photographers to take photographs of children or their families. And an unfortunate number of women like insipid business names, like the hugely sucessful scrapbooking company "Creative Memories."

 

 

One thing, if you are going to go with an eponymous business name, how about "AAA Maria Barnett Photography." Adding the "AAA" is how plumbers get their businesses to the front of the plumbing section in the phone book. Just a thought.

[andrewpgrant]

No disrespect to Eric (his point about clientele is a very good one), but just a note about the "AAA" thing. While I am willing to entartain the notion that this is just my own hang-up, when I see "AAA" in the phone book I usually can't help thinking "cheap, dodgy buggers" and continue on to the the group of vendors without "AAA".

 

I guess what "AAA" says to me is that they're trying to get noticed without putting the thought into some decent advertising - which makes them cheap. The fact that they're changing their name to do this makes them dishonest, or willing to do anything for a quick profit, including perhaps taking me for a proverbial ride.

 

But like I said, that's probably just my own hang-up... and admittedly I have a few of those! ;-)

[d_price]

What about using your middle name? My first initial and middle name worked well for me.

 

D. Price Photography

[eric friedemann]

Let's try this; "if you are going to go with an eponymous business name, how about 'AAA Maria Barnett Photography.'" ;-) <note addition of ironic smiley face

[jennea]

What about "Just Smile" ? It leaves you room for your business services to grow beyond

photography, but what you do comes across to the consumer.

[bobatkins]

You've missed the most important factor.

 

Which of these names has not yet been registered as a "dot com" domain? My guess is even the bad ones will already be registered.

[andrewpgrant]

Ironic smiley faces - except they're the kind of faces I'm scared will greet me if I answer an "AAA" ad ;-)

[david_chananie]

Family Friendly Fotos

[eric friedemann]

Andrew, I'm watching you ... %) ... -"AAA" Eric Friedemann

[andrewpgrant]

Yikes!

[jlynn]

Once upon a time...

A Piece of Forever

[J.W. Wall]

Maria's Family Photography

[ted_marcus1]

<i>Which of these names has not yet been registered as a "dot com" domain? My guess is even the bad ones will already be registered.</i>

 

<p>Yes, that's a perennial problem and a necessary consideration even if you have no current intent to have a Web presence. Even with new top-level domains (.biz, .us) the catchy names are likely to be taken. Unless you have one of those ubiquitous names like "John Smith" (or "Nguyen Nguyen"), you may end up forced to use your own name or some variation of it.

 

<p>I had that problem five years ago when I moved my Web site from a gobbledygook "personal Web space" URL to an actual domain. I originally wanted to avoid any domain based on my own name, as I found that distasteful. So I made a list of (I think) just over 50 domains I could live with, some of which (near the bottom) were undeniably stupid. <i>Every</i> one of them was taken (and this was more than five years ago). I was about to buy a clothespin for my nose and go with <i>tedmarcus.com</i> (still available, by the way) when I thought of <i>tedsimages.com</i>. That seemed only slightly better, but it was available. After five years I'm still a little uncomfortable with it, but I think it has served me reasonably well.

 

<p>That said, I think Ms. Barnett's best choice would be something that includes her own name and is not only suitable for a domain but available for use. And, yes, I agree with her thoughts (if not the names themselves) and with those who remind us that Ms. Barnett's likely customers probably will be likely to be attracted to names like "Angelic Memories by Maria." I think she knows her market, which is the first step to success.

[maria barnett]

Wow! I should have posted this months ago. I am glad to see the dialog this post has created. All of these opinions have been very helpful.

 

I agree these names sound hokey--that is my problem--I don't particularly care for them myself. But I do want to appeal to mothers (especially new mothers) and grandmothers on an emotional level. The scrapbook industry is huge right now and I want to appeal to that market---but I don't want to sound like a scrapbook company either.

 

I don't mind using my first name---don't care for the sound of my last name. I thought about using one of my daughters' names or a combination of their names Peyton Isabella, and Ella Liliana. I also thought of translating some of the hokey sounding names into another language to make them sound less cheesy. Maybe Bella Tu (Beautiful You in Italian) or something like that. Having said that, the thing that concerns me about another language is that potential clients may mispell it when trying to find the web site.

 

On the .com issue many of these names above are available if you add images, photography, or gallery to the end of the name. I can live with that for the domain name.

 

I felt kind of silly posting this question initially---but "the name" really is a big issue for me. It conveys who you are to people---creates an "image" for them before they even see your work. I am usually very decisive but this name thing is killing me---BTW both of my daughters were 2 days old before they had a name!

[scott_davis5]

I'd just say go with something that will say very succinctly what your business is about, and will be easy to remember. How about "Beautiful Babies by Maria" or "Maria's Beautiful Babies"? Or, if you want to keep the concept more broad, something like "Timeless Images by Maria" or "Maria's Magic Moments" (personally I'd avoid the alliteration)? Something that captures your market and product.

 

By identifying yourself by name (and a more feminine than not name) you will get more interest from women customers who would feel more comfortable obtaining your service from a woman than a man.

 

You could also think about putting some of that treacly smarmy stuff into a slogan, and keeping the name more professional. Something like, "Everlasting Moments... Capture the radiant essence of your child's youthful bliss at 'Timeless Images by Maria' ".

 

I bandied about for a while before coming up with a name for my photo travel business... I got lucky and it wasn't taken as a .com either. Since I do adventure tours for photographers to interesting places, I came up with The Flying Camera - www.theflyingcamera.com . Hits the nail on the head. I've got travel, photography, and a sense of humor that's catchy and memorable without being treacly or cute. Sometimes getting a good domain name is as simple as adding "the" onto the business name. Because so many search engines and web browsers automatically tack www onto the front and .com on the end of any search string you type in, it is still in your best interests to try for a .com domain name.

[maria barnett]

See there--The Flying Camera--that is a great name.

[www.whitemountainphoto.com]

Maria, One of my favorite college professors who taught Marketing and Business courses, who was also a successful business owner, and business consultant, told me the one of the most important things I could do as a new business owner was to properly name my business. Agreeing with Scott above, my professor strongly reccomended that your name actually convey what you do. I am continually amazed by names that have absolutely nothing to do with what the business is. You have to assume that people don't know what you do, and that by seeing your name quickly, they can discern what it is. While many of the names you listed are very flowery, If I weren't in this forum and you asked me what your business was by one of these names, I might get lucky and guess correctly, but I also might think your in the Floral business, Funeral Director, Dating Srvice, or who knows what else. When you see my name, you instantly have a good idea what it's about. That's huge when the world tends to see things in small sound bites! All the best.

 

Dana/<a href="http://www.whitemountainphoto.com">www.whitemountainphoto.com</a>

[andy_heffernan1]

This does raise the interesting question of what is the best way to name a photography business. Someone commented that it might be good to pick a name that does not incorporate your own name, since everyone else seems to use their names so why not be different? But perhaps everyone else uses their names because it works...

 

One important difference between a scrapbook business and a portrait studio is that a studio generally represents the work of a single creative individual, and the personal connection between customers and that individual is extraordinarily important. The guy or gal who runs a scrapbook supply company could drop dead and the business would likely keep humming along. Not so for a portrait studio. A studio business doesn't have much value independent of the primary creative force, so it makes a lot of sense to base the name of it on that person.

[jennea]

I love "The Flying Camera"! How unique and too the point. I just want to know how long it took you to come up with it? Maria, I've been thinking--how about "One Little Smile"? Nothing came up when I ran onelittlesmile.com and I think if you had someone create you a good logo you'd hit the target market you are after right on the nail.