Or how we chose the name for our board game publishing studio.
This was one of the first tasks we had to tackle once we decided we will launch our board game on Kickstarter. The game’s name — Hike! — came organically along with the theme and game mechanics, but we were pretty sure we don’t want to use it to describe who we are. We knew that Hike! would be our first game, but it could potentially be one of many, so we didn’t want it to define who we are as the creators.
Instead, we wanted a name that we could use for many different games. One that would have a meaning for us and that would hint that we are in the board game business. One that we could use in the long run and that we could build a brand around. So we started thinking about it, and I remember that in the first phase, we went through many names, but none of them really resonated with us. It came to the point when I think we felt we were out of reasonable options, and we reacted with a bit of humour and our suggestions became quite weird and included twists that had hidden meanings. And in one such moment, my sister proposed that we should be named Ski games. We use the word board games widely, as a substitute for tabletop games, but we also use the word board as short for a snowboard. And she played with the double meaning and substituted the board with skies. I don’t think that any of us considered the name very seriously, but the whole snowboard thing must have stuck with us somewhere in our subconscious.
A week or so later, my fiancé and I were out snowboarding cross country on the local slopes. This was something we’d been doing a lot last winter both after work and on the weekends, alone and with friends, as it’s an outdoor activity with no close contact, there was enough snow, and we were in a lockdown, confined to our geographical regions. We would usually talk while hiking up, and on one of the trips, we were playing out different scenarios of what happens if we really go to Kickstarter, how much work it would mean and how we’d handle it. And I think that conversation strengthened our determination that this was something we want to do. And we wanted to do it with friends. We wanted to create something that would bring friends together, both when developing the game, and when playing it.
Much like snowboarding, which is an activity that we enjoy as a couple, and together with friends. And like snowboarding, creating the game and preparing for Kickstarter were some of the activities that allowed us to stay sane during the lockdown. And I think it was on the slopes then that we decided that we should be SnowBoardGames, something that combines the adventures, the bonding and comradery of snowboarding with board games.
We shared the idea with others and they liked it too. I know I had a warm feeling about it, and I knew it was something that we could use to develop a story and brand around it.
Next, we needed to design a logo. Along with the name, it would be people’s first contact with us, so we knew it was important and we wanted it to convey the feeling that we associated with the name. And if we all agreed on the name at once, this was where our ideas diverged. We started with several options — a snowboarder making an S-turn that would serve as the first letter, a snowflake, a snowboard, and some others that were more or less connected to the name.
We realised that we should go with something simple that would work as a small icon on the box, possibly in combination with many different colours and themes. It should also look good as a small profile picture on social media and Kickstarter. And we wanted something modern and streamlined, but also something that would fit with a mysterious and magical world. So we did quite a few iterations, and also started researching what other board game publishers have, only to find out how some great ideas are already taken. So we focused back on our logo and in the end, I think we drew inspiration from my blue snowboard. So I guess the story behind it got another layer, and it felt appropriate for what we wanted to achieve. I think there’s some room for making it more streamlined, but we are pretty happy with the icons and the idea in general. It is also nice that both the name of the studio and the name of the first game have a wintery theme, and we can use it in the graphic design.
Next, we shared our creation with a few people to see how they would react, and we got positive feedback, so it all looked good. The problem arose, however, when we wanted to register an internet domain. The .com one was already taken and this felt like a bit of a drawback. But in the end, we were so set on the name already that we decided to go with the Slovenian .si.
And here we are. SnowBoardGames. Looking back, I still feel it was the right choice, though we haven’t really done anything with it, as the game is not published yet. But so far, we got some positive feedback and people generally don’t have any problems with understanding and spelling when I tell them our name or give them our email, which I know can be a problem sometimes. I also think that our approach with the big picture, brand and values we want to represent, was the right one, but we’ll again need to wait and see. If nothing else, this approach simplified composing the descriptions for social media and Kickstarter, as we kind of already had the vision condensed into one sentence.
This blog was a short one, but I felt this story, although long overdue, was an important part of the whole journey, and it didn’t feel right to leave it out. So now you know it. :)
To creating something meaningful!
Nika
