Creating a record label on the strength of a music school

EP_records_2When Pyramid, a San Francisco music production school, wanted to create its own music label to give its students wider exposure and a chance to be discovered, it needed a name that sounded like a big record label – and had a serious story.

I led the effort and was the sole namer for the project. After a round of work, I presented the word “epiphyte” – a plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic – which was a wonderful story about growth and about the students leveraging the strength and power of the school behind them to get their careers growing. It had a relation to neophyte. It also had the added nod of starting with “EP” – a reference back to the industry that the designer leveraged by combining a sense of musical notation and a turntable.

epiphyte

Yesterday’s TV of tomorrow had a really cool name.

logitech-revue-google-tv

All the web you want to see on your TV needed a name that set it apart from the mice, keyboards, webcams and remote controls Logitech was known for. A name that screamed entertainment – and was ready to go global.

I lead the effort, created the name, and did the sell in to everyone: the CEO and board, the Swiss engineers and the Google marketing team.

I also built the nomenclature for the accessories and helped Google build criteria for the use of the Google TV brand.

Naming a kids’ show

DVDcover

This start up of parents, therapists and entertainers had a brilliant approach for teaching the “socially quirky” kid (focusing those on the autism spectrum) interaction skills through a humorous, but not pandering, TV show. I got the honor of naming the show, the main character (Professor Flummox), and the setting (Flummox Labs).

After all, who doesn’t get socially Flummoxed once in a while?

Creative Director: Matt Gordon