“Why can’t we just sit down over a beer, and on the back of a napkin write some names down?” Mike Carr knows this is the attitude most people have about naming a company or product. But as we’ll see, his 33 years of experience running a naming firm in Austin, Texas has shown him the hidden complexity within the seemingly simple task of naming companies and products.

Mike’s company is called NameStormers. They’ve worked with corporations including Revlon, Discovery Channel, IBM, BBC News, Canon, Nestle, Honda, Citibank, Raytheon , 7-Eleven, TGI Fridays, and many more. Mike has a large team contributing to their naming process, yet he remains hands on for every project.

I sat down with Mike at his home in Austin for my podcast, T-Shirts & Ties, where I chat with Creatives and Strategists. Below are some highlights from the podcast, including:

> The golden rule of naming.

> The unbelievable price tag of a coined name.

> When purposely misspelled names can work.

T - Shirts & Ties Podcast Episode 1

Noemi Florea grew up in Potomac, Maryland. She had a negative high school experience. Now she’s studying in New York at the best art and design school in America. 

“I had a really negative experience growing up with high school. The county that I was going to public school in, Montgomery County in Maryland, had this very competitive atmosphere. Everybody was always competing for the best grades and the best SAT scores. 

When I was fifteen, I realised that this competition for the best statistic, using the statistic to define yourself, I just thought it’s so unfulfilling. I really just rejected that and I didn’t know what I was going to do.

 I was kind of an anarchist for a little bit. I negated everything. I thought society was this big circle jerk. We all just applaud each other and we never achieve anything. Nobody thinks for themselves. It sounds very radical. 

As some years went by I became more mature. I was never able to return to that idea that you have to study finance, you have to get a good job, because that’s your purpose. You have to study so you can get a good job and you can make money. I never was able to return to that. 

Art was this kind of inbetween of being this institutionalised person who I despised, versus being a total anarchist and going nowhere.”

Now, Noemi is 18 and living in New York. 

She’s studying a dual degree. One degree to earn a bachelor of fine arts from Parsons School of Design with a major in integrative design. The other half of her dual degree Noemi is majoring in environmental studies Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.

Why is this combination important?

“As designers, everything we create, we have to consider the impact on the environment that our creations will have because that’s so crucial today.”

Noemi and I sat down to talk for my podcast T-Shirts & Ties where we chat with Creatives and Strategists. We discussed her thoughts on design, her upcoming exhibitions, and the problems with fast fashion and what we can do about it. Enjoy.

Minimalism, Massimo Vignelli, & Sustainable Fashion

Fabian Geyrhalter is a renowned brand strategist and the founder and Principal of FINIEN, a Los Angeles-based consultancy specialized in creating strategic, verbal and visual brand clarity. 

His client list ranges from high-growth startups such as Jukin Media, Survios, and Vimmia to established brands like Warner Brothers, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goodwill, W Hotels and Honeywell. His branding work has won numerous accolades, including 30 "American Graphic Design Awards."

Along with Bigger Than This, Fabian has also written the #1 Amazon Bestseller, How To Launch A Brand. He’s also been published in The Washington Post, Mashable, Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post.

I sat down with Fabian. We discussed the spark for his book, the personality of the brand, and more.