Thoughts on Business Name?

MikeBookPro · Aug 27, 2009

I'm new to photography, but have already received a few requests for baby shoots, etc. Anyway, I had to come up with a name, and since my name doesn't ring well, I decided to go with something else.

Anyway, I came up with Still Foundry Photography. Long term, I'd love to open a studio where photographers could come in and use the facilities, etc., and at that point, I think it would be cool to call it "The Still Foundry", which is my reasoning for choosing the name right now.

Basic logo below:

Eventually, I'd like to do music photography, but for now, babies and families are going to be my focus. So, I'm calling the family component "Still Stories". Thoughts?

Any input would be appreciated.

Mike

musicaleCA · Aug 27, 2009

My thought is simply this: Thank, freaking, goodness, you didn't just do "<name> Photography"...good enough yay!!! Man that's getting overdone now.

JerryPH · Aug 28, 2009

Well the <name> photography, while it has some business disadvantages, has a very important branding component philosophy behind it... you are selling YOU, YOUR photographs YOUR style and in the past I have seen all the time, they are not buying your pictures, they are buying YOU, and willing to pay more becuase it is YOU and nothing else.

Jerry Ghionis, whom I consider currently the world's most famous wedding photographer, dropped an awesome company name (EXSITE or was it EXSIGHT?) and went with... JerryGhionis.com for numerous wise business decisions.

There is a reason behind that madness!

MikeBookPro · Aug 28, 2009

Jerry,

I'm confident that the ideal business route is to go with *Name* Photography. With that said, I like the idea of having *some* separation. For example, on business cards, my name and likeness are the most prominent parts of it. Here's what it looks like:

musicaleCA · Aug 28, 2009

I agree. I like the idea of some separation as well. Mostly because it lends more of an opportunity to expand later on, adding more photographers, assistants, whatever. (I think big, all the time. Call it a habit.) That and it gives a little more leeway with logo design. (I'll have to post mine once I get things finalized with the designer I'm working with.)

athomasimage · Aug 30, 2009

Choosing the name of my studio was tough. I thought of doing the <Name> Photography "thang" also. But I wanted something different and something that put me in a signature situation.

My first initial is "A". My middle name is "Thomas" and I go by Tom. So I went with "A Thomas Image". I felt it tied back to photography and personalized me as part of the business. In addition, I tied the name back into my tag line - "It's your best image when it's A Thomas Image".

The workshops and reading have all spent a lot of discussion on "Branding". So that means the name/logo goes on everything, business cards, quotes, contracts, brochures, shirts, you name it it, the logo goes on it. I work hard on promoting the name. In addition, since I am the delivery agent, I have to promote "myself".

Haven't hit a home run as yet, but it's a work-in-process.

c.cloudwalker · Aug 30, 2009

The first thing I noticed is that your logo is not on your business card. Why?

As athomasimage points out the logo is part of your branding and should be on everything. Because of that, when you design a logo, you need to try it on all the different things it will go on and, by the way, borders can be a pain in the neck incorporating into every design. I also tend to believe that the logo for a photo business should have a visual element, not just text.

Sorry Jerry but I have to disagree with you. When you are new to the business your name means absolutely nothing and a good catchy business name can help you quite a bit more. There is nothing that says you can't change that later when you do get name recognition. Major corporations have done it and do it still.

I do like the name you came up with. Just make sure it is not already in use and protected.

c.cloudwalker · Aug 30, 2009

Another thought which I forgot. If your business name is Still Foundry Photography, that's all that should be in the logo.

Derrel · Aug 30, 2009

Mike,
I sort of like your business card, but that bottle in front of you does nothing for me,and in fact I think it detracts. It looks like a gourmet soda pop bottle, or a small wine bottle with a ribbon wrapped around the neck. Why is the bottle there?

You show a boxed logotype at the top, and honestly, I think the typography in that looks just awful, with the bottom line PHOTOGRAPHYBYMIKELEMOVITZ all smashed together, in all-caps and sans serif type...that just does not look good to me. Your business card shows another logo with STILL in bold and FOUNDRY in a normal-weight font. I see two different logotypes here. The first one, the one enclosed in a gray box, "looks" like a logotype (aka a logo), but it does not look like a professionally designed one. The one on your business card presents a different look. That's a problem.

Honestly, the name Still Foundry is not appealing to me. Subliminally, Foundry looks like Floundering, as in Still Floundering. Or the fish name, Flounder. I don't think a ot of people know what a "foundry" is any more--just look at the Jay Leno person-on-the-street interviews,and you'll see that MANY people have absolutely no idea of what many common words mean.

I honestly think that the old-school advice might be best; consult a professional services company that can advise you about branding and about graphic artwork on your business card, letterhead,invoices, and web site, as well as your studio's sign. The impressions your materials are giving me (one logotype with all-caps and sans serif typeface and smashed together), plus the reverse type on the card + the soda pop bottle,and the unusual business name...it all seems like you've come up with it yourself,and it's perhaps outside your area of expertise. Your promotional materials just do not look as clean and professional as they could. This is my honest critique.

MikeBookPro · Aug 31, 2009

Thanks for the comments, guys.

Better name?

HeY iTs ScOTtY · Aug 31, 2009

as of right now i don't even have a business name. on my card it just says digital photography by Scott Andersen. just something to keep in mind but if you put your logo on your pictures and say copyrighted by (your logo) it really doesn't mean anything unless you register your logo. and that costs a lot of money. so keep in mind if you ever get popular somebody can use your logo and you couldn't do anything about it because you don't own it. I'm not really for sure on this but i know my uncle owns his own business and at one time he had problems because another company was using his business name and because it wasn't registered to him he couldn't do anything about it. he eventually registered another name and a logo and he said it was really expensive. like i said I'm not for sure about this but for anyone who says otherwise make sure you take it with a grain of salt because some of the people on here talk out their a** when it comes to business advise. they really just offer opinions or guesses and have no business experience. i know im getting a little of topic but i guess this is just good advise to everyone who is thinking of using a logo or business name.

EleanorW · Aug 31, 2009

Graphically speaking, I like the appearance and visual impact of the last logo you posted.

puzopia · Sep 12, 2009

I like the StillStories name. Especially when coupled with an example (like the baby shot) it really works.

c.cloudwalker · Sep 12, 2009

I prefer puzopia's name better for two reason: 1/ hopefully your business will tell more than one story, and 2/ an S at the end allows you to balance the design better while avoiding two Ys on top of each other.

Watch your kerning. When I do a logo I usually place each letter individually. Find it faster and easier.

KmH · Sep 12, 2009

HeY iTs ScOTtY said:
just something to keep in mind but if you put your logo on your pictures and say copyrighted by (your logo) it really doesn't mean anything unless you register your logo. and that costs a lot of money. so keep in mind if you ever get popular somebody can use your logo and you couldn't do anything about it because you don't own it. I'm not really for sure on this but i know my uncle owns his own business and at one time he had problems because another company was using his business name and because it wasn't registered to him he couldn't do anything about it. he eventually registered another name and a logo and he said it was really expensive. like i said I'm not for sure about this but for anyone who says otherwise make sure you take it with a grain of salt because some of the people on here talk out their a** when it comes to business advise. they really just offer opinions or guesses and have no business experience. i know im getting a little of topic but i guess this is just good advise to everyone who is thinking of using a logo or business name.

Little of the above quoted information is accurate, as hey it's scotty readily admits, "I'm not really for sure on this but".

One mostly true statement is:

"like (sic) i (sic) said I'm not for sure about this but for anyone who says otherwise make sure you take it with a grain of salt because some of the people on here talk out their a** when it comes to business advise (sic). they (sic) really just offer opinions or guesses and have no business experience.", thus proving his point by himself offering opinion and a couple of outright guesses about trademarks and business name registration.

The cost to register a business name will vary by city, county and state.

Consult the United States Patent and Trademark Office's web site www.uspto.gov, or a qualified attorney, for accurate trademark information. The USPTO is an agency of the United States Department Of Commerce and has no direct relation to copyright law or copyright registration with the US Copyright Office, an office of the US Library of Congress.

As far as the cost to register a trademark:

"The filing fee is either $275.00 or $325.00 per class of goods and/or services for an electronically-filed application (the "TEAS Plus" or "regular TEAS" options, respectively), compared with $375.00 per class if filed in paper; i.e., while an application may only have one mark, it may cover multiple classes; e.g., an application filed under TEAS Plus with two classes would be for both computer software in Class 9 and t-shirts in Class 25, making the filing fee $550.00. Although only one mark is permissible per application, a mark may consist of several elements that are joined to form a composite whole; e.g., words plus a design. You do not have to have already used your mark before filing an application. However, if the mark has not already been used in interstate commerce at the time of filing, but instead the application is based on an "intent-to-use" the mark in interstate commerce in the future, an additional fee of $100.00 per class will be required when the "Allegation of Use" form is submitted (whereas a "use-based" application does not require this additional fee).
WARNING: The filing fee is a processing fee for the application. This fee is not returned even if ultimately the USPTO does not issue a registration. You should take all necessary steps to ensure the mark is registrable before filing the application." ......per TEAS FQAs
Not very expensive relative to recurring business expenses.

Logo's are trademarks and trademarks don't have to be registered to be legally protected. They just have to be used.

If you quit using a trademark, even a registered trademark, it becomes fair game for anyone else. Literally, if you don't use it you can lose it.

Trademarks must be registered (not pending) before you can use the ® symbol with the TM or SM (Service Mark) abbreviations.

If you would like international recognition of your trademark, you should become familiar with the provisions of the Madrid Protocol, similar to the Berne Convention's relationship to international copyright laws.