Using a common experience — name mispronouncations — to curate a new brand

Navigating life with a unique name can be difficult. While names carry such deep meanings, ties to identity, and links to culture, dealing with mispronouncations, misspellings, or the requests for an easier nickname (or worse, bullying) is not for the weak. My name is often misspelled consistently on email threads, even though my name is in my email address and in my signature. And the mispronouncations can range from hilarious (Bruschetta) to maddening.

When I began using the moniker bridge-JET, like a bridge and a jet, it clicked for people. Especially because I love bridges (studying structural engineering) and traveling (jets). It was such a relief when I found a way to share my name, and I knew others out there would also resonate with the struggle.

That's how Pronounce Our Names was born.

Design Constraints

I started by considering different ways of writing names. Emoji. International Phonetic Alphabet. Clever fonts. However, the goal was less about writing the name in an intriguing, abstract way. The brand is meant to assuage the frustration of having one's name butchered. This provided the necessary constraint: legibility. By using just dashes and a bar of color for the emphasized portion(s), a name's pronunciation could be communicated fairly easily. Much later, I added optional adornments like brackets, slashes, and patterns.

Product Types

While the intial concept was just for t-shirts and hoodies, some customers expressed interest in items that they could use in professional spaces. I really resonated with this, since my name is most spectacularly mispronounced at work events (and in coffee shop lines!). That led me to expand the product set to include totes, glass sippers, and more.

Using Adobe Illustrator, Printify, and Shopify, I was able to launch a new personalized brand in just a few months. It's a low-cost way to vet an idea before fully committing. Since the initial MVP was a huge hit, I now have a dedicated website and Etsy page. In addition, I attend local events in my area a few times each month to garner interest, make sales, and connect with customers on their most prized possession: their name.