Hello... Arc

4 October 2019 / Aaron Gibson

We recently changed our company name to Created by Arc, here’s the reason why.
TL:DR... No one could spell our name, so we shortened it.

What's in a name? Rather a lot, when you're promoting your business.

Last month we officially changed the name of the business from Arkhiteks Ltd to Created by Arc Ltd. Why the change? The primary reason was due to the spelling. Our clients started to tell us “if we can’t spell it as existing clients, how hard must it be for potential clients to find you on Google?” The more we heard this, the more it cemented the inevitable need to change.

So how did we end up with a name like Arkhiteks anyway?

I wrestled a lot with finding a name that would capture my personality and where I wanted to go with the business. I kept coming back to something that I've loved since I was a kid - architecture. While I eventually funnelled my passion for design and technology into graphic design and web development instead, I've still always been fascinated by great architecture.

I knew it would be virtually impossible - not to mention confusing - to land a unique domain name, business name and social handles using the word architect, so I eventually arrived at Arkhiteks. The word is a portemanteau of the Greek terms for architecture, art and technology.

I won’t lie - I had a bit of initial feedback which praised the ethos, but questioned the spelling. But I shrugged it off, believing we could overcome this. In hindsight, I was swept away by the excitement of getting the essence of the brand right and overlooked that other crucial element of great branding: clarity.

Fast forward to earlier this year, during a tough period when my father passed away from prostate cancer. It caused me to question a lot, about everything. When it came to the business, one particular question dominated: is the name working? Around the same time period I read a blog on the Namecheap blog titled 'does your domain name pass the radio test'. I knew it was necessary to change the name before it was too late.

Arkhiteks becomes Arc

For some time some of our team and clients had been referring to us as Arc for short. This began to feel increasingly natural, so we decided to bite the bullet. While we recognise Arc isn't a true shortening of Arkhiteks, we felt it better embraced both the journey we've been on to get to this point as well as recognising our appreciation for architecture.

What's next for Arc?

Despite the obstacles surrounding our name, we’ve continued to grow both our client base and our team, primarily through word of mouth and referrals. We're also excited to have been shortlisted for a number of awards this year, and we're looking forward to seeing where those take us.

With this new spring in our step, we've also decided to diversify beyond our core offer as a web design studio. We don't intend to become a full-service creative agency, but do intend to grow our digital and offline design services as we start to push into branding and wayfinding. So we're wearing our new name with pride and looking forward to seeing where our arc leads us...