Renegade Architecture
What's in a name?
December 26th, 2012
So after many restless nights, lots of pondering, wondering and dreaming and a few painful hours you've finally done it. No, it's not a baby - it's a company, your company and your future. Now you have the same dilemma new parents all over the world have - what do you name your baby?
Now, it's important to remember there are a number of different approaches, each with their own merits and this post only details how I came up with Renegade Architecture&Design.
The first question I asked myself is not a simple as it sounds. What do I want my name to represent, what do I do and who am I? It's no secret that I'm not a fully qualified architect, so it was important it wasn't a name that would rub the ARB up the wrong way. I'm also not enough of an egomaniac to name my company after myself. I also think companies where the name is, or is derived from, a person can blur the lines between public and private lives - especially in the over connected and over exposed world of 21st century social media. I also think the profession has an inappropriate view on itself at times, but more on this another day.
I was always a bit of a pain in the backside at uni, yes I was "that guy". It was important to me to remember my roots, the innocent bravery my undergrad design work had, and the fact that I had no regard for the status quo. While at university if a lecturer wanted respect they had to earn it, and I had no qualms about letting my opinion be heard (and yes, this was probably to my detriment). I was also one of a handful of my cohort that worked my way through my studies, and was very successful within the hospitality trade, a factor that did not go down well with 'the institution'.
The name also had to represent what I do and what I plan to do. Obviously I'm training as an architect and this is my primary focus in life so naturally architecture has to feature somewhere in the name. I'm also keen to use, and sell, the transferable skills I learnt through working in media management and during my degree. We've all read articles bout how architecture grads can work for design agencies, product designers etc etc and we all know that the chances of getting employed in one of these fields is slim to none. Nonetheless graphic design was and is a service I know that I can provide to a high standard, at a good price and in good time - so I added this to the mix. & Design now to be added to the end, with an ampersand - not a plus sign, it's not a calculation.
And so the search for an adjective to describe me, my business and I. Truth be told, I cant remember how many words I typed in to Google. It's safe to say the first 15 or so I tried already existed, each failed attempt pushing me to describe myself deep and deeper. It then dawned on me that I was a completer bugger at uni, and more importantly proud of being one. I also don't like to take myself too seriously, so it was important that the name reflect that. Que the light bulb moment and Renegade Architecture&Design was born.
Name check-list:
No company of same name
Domain available
Domain affordable
And to this I added criteria personal to me, and possibly irrelevant to you:
Not egocentric
Allows division between personal/private lives
Resonates with my past and my future
A name you can comfortably bring up, and be proud of the back story, possibly even an ice braker
Once all these had been ticked, that was that. Off to companies house and the bank to get the ball rolling.
Up next: Branding
About the author:
Dominic McAndrew is an architecture student/restaurant manager/freelancer and the man behind Renegade Architecture&Design (www.renegadearchitecture.co.uk). He mainly provides visualisations and 3D printing services to architects, the construction industry and individual clients. He also works as a subcontractor in the Property sector where he specialises in Energy Performance Certification surveys. Short-listed for the AJ Writing Prize in 2012, and the CIOB Art of building in 2011 he hopes to buck the trend of underpaid Part 1 placements but taking Renegade from strength to strength.
