In search of a domain name...

Image is everything.  In today’s fast-paced world, a company without a website is like a company without an image.  It is imperative to spread the word about the business and the website is probably the most popular way to do it.

We shopped around for domain names in godaddy.com and, in due course, found dsigners360.com.  However, the domain name was lengthy and there were high chances of it being mis-spelt (mainly on account of the missing “e” in “D’Signers”).  We reviewed all possible options and decided to shorten the domain name to d-360.com.  This domain name was trendy and easy to remember.

But as luck would have it, d-360.com was already taken.  So, we approached Acquire The Name (ATN), a brokerage firm that specializes in domain transfers.  After numerous long email threads and paying a hefty price, we finally acquired the domain name.

The website is currently under construction.  But do check out www.d-360.com when you get a chance.

A thoughtful tagline (no pun intended)

One thing led to another and Imran, who has great experience in the branding industry, came up with the perfect tagline – “We don’t need no thought control”.  As Imran explained, the idea is to not impose restrictions or limitations on our creative thought process.  Rather, the idea is to let the creative juices flow so that we can consider all possible solutions before narrowing down on one.  More on this later !

What's in a name??

Now that we’ve decided to start a branding company, we had to come up with a name.  And we’re sure you’d understand what an uphill task that is.  Two factors contributed to the selection of the company’s name: (1) Sayeed’s IT experience and (2) extensive research.  Let us explain…

All IT projects began with a “design”, be it functional specification design, technical design, or business process design.  In other words, a “design” is the basis of everything, and everything begins with a “design”.

Any creative thought is followed by a “design”, whether it be strategic solutions, creative solutions or even something very routine.  Likewise, a solution to any problem takes the shape of a “design”.  “Design” is a fully-loaded word, which is all-encompassing and gives shape to thoughts and ideas.  Closer to home, “design” is the cornerstone of a branding business.

Furthermore, “design” is a very generic term, and that gave us the flexibility to potentially branch out into new streams of business in future (say, fashion designing, interior designing, campaign designing, you name it!).

So, we’d narrowed down to “design” and we consider ourselves “designers”.  BUT….”Designers” did not have a “wow” factor.  After numerous iterations, we came up with “D’Signers”, where the “D” stands for “design” and we, as “signers”, affirm that design.  You may want to re-read the previous sentence...

So, we now had “D’Signers”, but it wasn’t good enough.  We wanted to emphasize on the all-encompassing nature of “design”.  Hence came “360”, which represents a full circle and covers the horizontals and verticals of all businesses and industries.

Drumroll……we now have a name….D’Signers 360.

Creating a logo based on the name happened very quickly.  We wanted elements of black and white, and also wanted to add colors.  So, we had the letters in black and white and included colored dots that represent our different service offerings.

Second drumroll……we now have a name and a logo!

D-360: The Beginning

Every business venture has an interesting story. So does D-360. As the economy began coming out of recession, we at D-360 figured this would be a great time to be in the market. We drew inspiration from success stories where people of ordinary means did extraordinary things. They proved to the world that the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little “extra”.

There are times when one sits back and reflects on his/her life and career and designs plans for the future. In July 2011, Sayeed had one of those moments. He had been in the US for eight years, and as an IT consultant, Sayeed traveled extensively and had the opportunity to interact and work with different people across different locations and in different industries. During these projects, Sayeed observed how each company serves its customers and meets their requirements. He had the opportunity to study the initiatives taken by each company for developing their corporate identity and enhancing the value of their brands. In addition, having participated in several corporate and social events, Sayeed realized that companies are very keen to invest in their brands. Needless to say, a brand provides identity for a company.

During an economic downturn, brand maintenance poses a big challenge for the companies. While companies are focused on cost-cutting initiatives, they also understand the need to showcase their brands to improve their top line performance. The opportunity was hidden in what we call “creative branding”, which is a cost-effective solution to showcase a company’s brand. The business of branding is not seasonal (even though it may appear that way to many people). Rain or shine, a business faces competition. In order to outshine its competitors, a company must market its products/services to grab the attention of the customers.

A company’s brand is born along with the company. The brand, good or bad, exists as long as the company exists.

With these thoughts in mind, Sayeed undertook extensive research to get a better understanding of the branding industry. The research provided insight on how branding takes place, who the players are, what strategies are currently being adopted by companies and what is in store for the future. It would be a cliché to say that a lot of information is available on the Internet. The various articles on the web provided different perspectives and ideas relating to both local and international brands. One thing led to another and the research got deeper. But, Sayeed, being a practical and action-oriented person, drew a line at one point and stopped all research. He knew the time was right. He made the leap. And D’Signers 360 was born.