Rebranding?

Richmond news sources have been busy covering the area's new minor league team - in particular, the naming of the team. 6,000 voters submitted name suggestions, which were narrowed down by the team's management. As an additional wild card entry, CNBC gathered votes and picked their favorite. The new baseball team faces these options for a new name:

Richmond Rhinos


Richmond Rockhoppers


Richmond Flying Squirrels


Richmond Hambones


Richmond Flatheads


Richmond Hush Puppies


Richmonders remain a twitter at the poor ballot of names. Rhinos plays off alliteration, and the other options try to play off of Richmond/Virginia, but they seem to be falling flat. Although 1 funny/cool name option might have been well received, voters might have reacted more warmly to a better variety of names.

Oh, and lay off the food options!

When we help a client work on their identity, we offer well-rounded options, whether its studying a variety of color palettes or examining a range of font treatments, from the edgy to the traditional. If you've got a client with more traditional style, it doesn't do any good to provide them with 6 edgy logo choices - and vice versa.

If an identity treatment doesn't properly capture how a client feels about their business, they're going to feel frustrated and as if they've been misunderstood. They're also going to be concerned that their brand won't be properly communicated. It seems to me, that's what's happened with the baseball names.

After all, who wants their city summarized by an ugly fish, a soaring rodent, deep-fried bread, meat, or creatures jumping over rocks?