Naming: 3 Qualities of Successful Architecture Firm Names

❌ Tyler Tactics is out!

“Every single firm should say ‘architect’ or ‘architecture’ somewhere in the name.”

I was sitting in my ‘Professional Practice’ course and the classroom was silent. My grad school colleagues and I were surprised to hear our professor nix so many of our creative (and fictional) firm names.

“Don’t we want a name that is unique and stands out?” I said.

“Sure, if you want to double your marketing efforts,” he replied.

“Or your name can easily tell someone what you do and you can focus on the work itself instead,” he explained.

Admittedly, I ignored my professors advice when I started my own design firm. I called it “S-LABS” 🤦 (That’s a story for another day…)

But this conversation has stuck in my head for years. And I think about it every time I read a business name - is it obvious what service this business provides?

Let’s use “Tyler Tactics” as an example.

If you see that name, then you’ll likely reach the conclusion that some person named “Tyler” is sharing their tactics. But you don’t know…

• Who the tactics are for

• What the tactics are about

• Why the tactics are necessary

And, to be honest, this has bothered me ever since I launched Tyler Tactics 15 months ago.

Not to mention the variation of Tyler Tactics that I’ve heard and seen since launching:

• Tyler’s Tactics

• Tyler Tips

• Tyler’s Tools

All which clearly tell me that the name is just too general.

What’s in a name?

Is the name the most pressing issue facing my business? Definitely not.

But I’ve noticed that it’s bothered me enough to prevent me from moving forward with different expansion plans. So it’s time to change!

And the question then becomes how do you choose a name? And why does it matter?

Learn from my mistakes. Here are 3 qualities to keep in mind when choosing a name for your business:

01 // Reflective

Pick a name that clearly shows what your business stands for and the type of work you do. This way, clients instantly understand your firm's values and specialties.

02 // Memorable

Go for a name that's easy to say and remember. A straightforward, catchy name helps clients recall and recommend your business effortlessly. And word-of-mouth marketing is like a cheat code for growth.

03 // Adaptable

Choose a name that leaves room for your business to grow and embrace new ideas in the future. This ensures your name stays relevant as you expand your services or explore new ideas and paths.

Tyler Tactics → ????

Before the New Year, I’ll be launching the new name and a new website! That means this newsletter will have a different title and I’ll be sending it from a different email address.

But here’s the deal: I haven’t told anyone else yet. You are the first to know. So mums the word 🤫

I’m very excited about what this new name means for my business. I have so many plans for 2024 and I hope to build this into an amazing resource for the architecture community.

I’ll tell you the new name next week!

Just kidding, just kidding. If you’ve made it this far then you deserve to know 🙂

Beginning in 2024, this newsletter will be called Growthitect.

• It’s reflective of my primary goal to help architects grow in their careers and businesses. I do this by sharing “growth tactics” each week.

• It’s memorable because it’s one word and a simple combo of “growth” and “architect”.

• It’s adaptable because it doesn’t only encompass the idea of a newsletter. It’s about a mission of bringing helpful growth resources to the architecture industry (that don’t just have to be from me!).

And I plan to build Growthitect into the best collection of free and paid resources for architects seeking career and business growth.

Here’s the new logo:

TL;DR

Names matter. You want to be proud of your business name but also clear about the intentions of the business.

Make your name reflective, memorable, and adaptable.

Be on the lookout: Tyler Tactics is being renamed to Growthitect soon!