I talk to the brilliant Orlaith Wood and Jamie Thorp of Reed Words about:
Orlaith’s and Jamie’s naming origins in underwear and booze
Collaborating across offices and time zones on naming work
The importance of giving oneself "permission to be stupid," as some of the best names come from initial “dumb” thoughts
How Jamie used AI to develop Name Dealer, putting 10 years of Reed Words' naming data to use
Plus we play Defend! That! Name! and the two of them tell me why Tiny Tucker’s Big Bucket is a magnifique name for a French bistro in Tampa, why Tidy cleans up as the name for a lawn-mowing robot, and why Doinkies wins on a “post-consumption feeling” level as a name for an absinthe.
About Jamie Thorp
Jamie is a Senior Writer at Reed Words. From NFTs, to luxury condos, to sex toys — if it sits still long enough, Jamie’ll name it. Before joining Reed Words, he kick-started his career at Pearlfisher, where his claims to kinda-fame include writing the Wagamama menu, and naming a startup now owned by Ellie Goulding. His names win awards — including a D&AD Pencil for “Wallbaby” (an online Swedish art store). Fun fact: Jamie is from an island called Jersey, which is what the football jersey is named after.
About Orlaith Wood
Orlaith (pronounced Or-la) is a Creative Director at Reed Words. She has been naming things for over a decade. After a somewhat inauspicious first brief naming a (since failed) cameltoe prevention underwear brand, she’s gone on to much more successful naming projects — like award-winning sustainable beauty brand “UpCircle”, and a boutique hotel in Dublin, “The Wilder”. Orlaith speaks three languages (English, Irish, and French) which helps keep her references for naming nice and broad. She is currently tackling her toughest naming brief yet: coming up with a name for her first child, who’s due in August.
Orlaith and Jamie are both based in London, UK, and work at Reed Words, a brand writing agency.
Big Names in Naming is a Naming for Everyone podcast
For more naming resources, live and self-guided classes, and a weekly newsletter, visit namingforeveryone.com. And if you're a major brand in need of naming help, you can work directly with Caitlin's studio, Wild Geese Studio. wildgeesestudio.com.
