Naming – Storytelling – Branding

A brand is a name, a story, and an image that work together. Naming provides the name, storytelling provides the narrative, and branding provides the graphic and/or visual identity that makes it all recognizable. At vrai studio, naming, storytelling, and branding (or rebranding) are approached as a single project, led by the same creative team, from the initial brief through to the final deliverables.

A name with meaning: Olearius. Derived from the Latin “oleum” (oil) with the suffix “-arius” (one who does), Olearius means “oil maker,” “manufacturer,” or “merchant” of olive oil.

Naming

Naming involves creating or refining the name of a brand, product, or product line. It is a challenging process: a name must be memorable, easy to pronounce, legally available, consistent with the industry, and capable of supporting a strong visual identity over the long term.

Our approach to naming is based on a deep understanding of the client’s business, history, and positioning. For a company being taken over or passed on, naming may involve retaining a traditional name while breathing new life into it, or, conversely, creating a new name that marks a deliberate break with the past. In both cases, the naming process at vrai studio inextricably linked to artistic direction: a name is also chosen for its ability to become a logo, a typeface, or a visual identity.

In practical terms, a naming project at vrai studio exploring options (conceptual themes, sound, and references), checking availability, and providing guidance through the process until a final choice is made, in collaboration with the client’s management teams; this choice must then be approved by an intellectual property attorney.

Telling a story, bringing a brand to life, making it credible and in tune with its creator—this is one of the tasks we enjoy most, because storytelling means imagining and creating with words, which is inseparable from the work of a brand’s artistic direction.

Storytelling

Storytelling, or brand storytelling, is the way a company tells the story of who it is, where it comes from, what it makes, and why. It is this narrative that transforms technical expertise into a story that customers can connect with.

A good brand story isn’t limited to the text on an “About” page. It permeates all forms of communication: the tone of packaging, photo captions, sales presentations, and social media. At vrai studio, our storytelling always starts with reality: the history of a family-owned business, the craft of an artisan, the origins of a skill, or the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. This is what gives the namevrai studio its meaning: telling what truly exists, without artifice, rather than inventing a narrative that’s merely superimposed on the brand.

This approach also draws on photography and art direction: a brand story is conveyed just as much through an image as through text. That’s why, at vrai studio , storytelling vrai studio developed in tandem with photographic direction and visual identity—not as a separate step outsourced to a different vendor.