ompanies like people change, grow and mature over time. That was also our case. We needed a new name to conquer the e-commerce world with fresh energy. We invite you to read the story about its creation, in which a trip to the zoo played a major role.
The old name vs the heart of our business
Our team consists of experienced consultants, developers, project managers and UX designers. Since the beginning of our activity we have been helping B2B and B2C companies to move from traditional sales models to the omnichannel model. We advise our clients and implement new technologies for them, especially those based on the idea of open-source, such as Magento. Our thing is e-commerce, one of the most dynamically developing industries in the world. This requires us to listen, observe and engage in everything that is happening on the market. These are the qualities that customers value us for.
At some point we felt that the old name did not emphasize our strengths. We needed something new, and at the same time we knew that in Poland we have been recognized as Bold for 11 years. Did we have any doubts before the name change? Of course we had!
However, after some reflection, it turned out that there are more arguments "for" and "against" the name change. We've come to the conclusion that:
- We want to grow!
- Customers recognize us beyond Poland (we get requests for cooperation).
- We design for foreign markets and our clients are growing globally.
- To conquer the global market, we need branches around the world.
All these arguments indicated that we needed new energy. The name Bold did not reflect the essence of our business, and most importantly, there were too many competing agencies of the same name in the world market.
Bye, Bye Bold
Okay, but is it really worth changing the name?
After a short research, it turned out that this will definitely be a good direction for us because there are at least a dozen or so companies with the same name on the market. What's more, two of them operate in e-commerce in the field where we also wanted to be.
To put t simply: we had to come up with a new name for our company.
If you look at the picture below, you will quickly understand why we needed it so much:
Challenge: new name
How did we choose a new name? We started by thinking about how we want to be perceived by others (vision) and what is most important to us in our work (values). The idea was to take a closer look at who we are as a company and what our personality is.
We have developed a vision and values. Here they are:
Our vision
- We want our solutions to be a role model for other companies.
- We want to deliver global, ambitious systems that work in practice around the world.
- We want to provide solutions (software/hardware) that improve processes in companies and build above-average purchasing experiences.
Our main values
- wisdom
- knowledge
Name search - set, go!
Having established our vision and values, we started looking for a name.
The process of verifying the new name consisted of 3 steps.
We checked:
- whether the idea for the name and concept fits our values
- whether the name is unique in the industry
- whether a global domain is available
If the idea did not meet one of the steps, we went back to the beginning and verified the next proposals.
It turned out that finding a new name is not so easy. We've been looking for it...7 months! We even took inspiration from galaxy names and Harry Potter spells. Really, really! We've reworked about 800 ideas but still haven't found the name that we like and match our vision and values.
We were broken up.
A trip to the zoo that changed everything
Do you know a situation where you have to come up with something, you think for hours, but it has no effect? And then suddenly, at the least expected moment, you are thunderstruck in the shower? That was our case! Except that our "shower" turned out to be a family trip to the zoo.
What happened at the zoo?
In the zoo we met a bird, namely an Ural Tawny owl (such as below).
It was thanks to him that we invented our new name. How is that possible? Here’s the explanation:
- First of all, the Ural Owl is Strix uralensis in Latin. That's where we got the name Strix from.
- Secondly, the owl is associated with wisdom and knowledge, the two main values of our company.
- Thirdly, the tawny owl has a characteristic feathering around its eyes in the shape of an X, called a facial disc. It helps tawny owls to collect sound waves, so the bird can hear and orient itself better. For us it is a symbol of "listening" to the news from the e-commerce market and keeping your hand on the pulse.
The creation of a new logo
The next step - after finding the name - was to create a new logo. We opted for typography and used the Axiforma sans-serif font, which we based on. We designed the index in the logo completely from scratch - we wanted it to refer to the shape of the owl facial disc.
The light bulb with the idea lit up over our heads very quickly. The concept was developed practically in one day. Then, for a week or two, we polished the logotype itself (we compared the base font, then modified the base font, set the light between the signs, checked how the logotype looks in a very small scale, whether it is still legible). We also wanted it to be relatively heavy, making it stand out from other competing brands.
In the refreshed visual identity, we have stayed with the yellow, black and white. We decided to stick to the earlier colors because of the uniqueness in the industry.
Intra-company action
The creation of the name was also connected with the action that we conducted among our employees. We created a series of posters and stickers that referred to the new name and logo.
For the premiere of the new name we prepared an animation, which we presented inside the company as well as in social media:
Last but not least
Creating a new name for a company is not an easy task. The whole process is accompanied by a range of emotions - from excitement to a slight breakdown. If you face a similar challenge, our advice is "give yourself time".
On our example, you can see that they made an idea for a name, it may come at the least expected moment. What's more, the name has become part of our daily communication and from its implementation in internal communication we say that we are Strixers :-)
The new name is also just the beginning on the way to creating a visually strong brand. What's next? We're going to work on a new website, which we're sure to tell you about. Until next time!