Introducing The New Mojo Themes Website And Marketplace

Update: “Mojo reports that the site’s user base has doubled since the revered Brian Hoff redesigned it only a few months ago. Before the redesign, little birds told [the author] that authors could have their product on the frontpage for months and still not make a sale. The redesign seems to be at least one major factor in renewed growth and presumably better sales.” Read more here.

What was the overall goal of the redesign and how did you aim to make Mojo Themes stand out?

“There were three major tasks at hand when redesigning and rethinking the Mojo Website and Marketplace experience: Improved usability, simplified marketplace navigation / browsing, and creating a more unique and enjoyable experience that was lacking. At first we found ourselves moving far away from the brand that Mojo Themes had already established with their customers. It took us a few extra weeks of swimming in the wrong direction in order to see where we needed to be and where we needed to take it. With a fresh, lively coat of paint, beautiful typography utilizing webfont Proxima Nova, more engaging headlines and updated copy, dynamic experiences from page to page, improved marketplace browsing and rich interactions. We even gave the “Mojo Monster” a name. Say hello to Captain Horatio.”

Read more about our process, strategy and the full interview over at Fuel Your Creativity.

VISIT THE LIVE SITE

Landing Page

Actual size: http://cl.ly/652r

Log In and Navigation Dropdown Detail

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4phd

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4p5g

Marketplace Browsing

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4p82

Shopping Cart

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4ozR

Custom Charts

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4qKc

Making a Deposit / Profile Balance

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4pcw

Blog

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4p9U

Forum

Actual size: http://cl.ly/4qHw

Don’t forget to poke n’ play around with the live site. Also, will be posting and highlighting a few more recently launched websites this week and next, including The Bernard Press Obox Theme and Pulse Enterprise App Website redesign. Keep your eyes open.

Unlike deciding on a location for your business and your marketing/pricing strategies, choosing a name for your business is far more nerve racking because it’s permanent, or at least should be, and should capture the essence a company. Below are techniques to help you and your clients generate a memorable, meaningful and unique brand name.

Acronyms/Abbreviations

Some companies like to use long, descriptive names to identify who they are and what they do. Acronyms are often used to make longer names more friendly and easier to remember. In most cases, the customers are the ones who start using the acronym for their own convenience.

This method works particularly well if you have a long company name whose first letters of each word form a brand new, pronounceable word.

Examples

Conjoined (combined or portmanteau)

A conjoined brand name occurs when a brand name contains more than one than word to form something new. Typically, the combined name gives two different meanings or understanding to the new. It’s a good alternative to an acronym, especially if you don’t want to deliberately spell out what you do, and still be clear and inventive.

Examples

Descriptive

Descriptive brand names can effectively communicate what a brand does. On the downside, it can result in your customers finding your competitors. They are also are very hard, if not impossible to get trademarked.

The danger in choosing descriptive names is that the business sets itself up for confusion with competitors. For example a wine merchant will need to be free to use the word ‘wine merchant’ otherwise it could not engage in its business activity. If the first person to use the word ‘wine merchant’ were able to stop everyone else using the term, then it would give the first comer such a monopoly that they could stop all competition in the marketplace. That is far from what trade marks are designed to achieve.

Examples

Invented and Playful

Invented names can be quite fun and interesting to come up with. They can be playful, weird, catchy – there’s less boundaries and limitations…

While descriptive brand names make it easy for potential customers to find your competitors, invented make it difficult for them to find you. They demand much more marketing because they are harder to remember and less descriptive.

Think about it – When Google first came about I remember thinking to myself, “hey, thats a pretty funny name, but what they heck is it?!”. But a good marketing strategy (and loads of money) emerged them from under the woodwork.

Examples:

Metaphorical

I would have to say that 80% of the clients I have help brand have told me a story or two regarding what they want their business to convey through its name.

Typically the stories are surrounded with emotional words or feelings on how they want their customers to feel or how they differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Use names that embark feeling or emotion or have an underlying story or message.

Examples

Founder or Origin

I’ve been seeing a lot more freelance designers lately creating their brand around their own name. While this method is easily trademarkable (is that even a word?), it can create the same problem as invented names – we all can relate to the struggle of getting our name “out there”.

In my opinion, using your own name is much more inviting and friendly – It puts a face to a company.

Examples

Do you use any of the above strategies to develop memorable, distinct brand names? Feel free to share your strategies and techniques for generating a unique and memorable brand name.