Changing my branding has been something I’ve been kicking around for a few months now. What really kicked it off was YouTube’s new mention system. In their infinite wisdom, they chose to give the tag @MrWonka to a very small channel that hasn’t uploaded in years, and YouTube refused my request to use it.

The name however also had other issues. For one, it was legally questionable, as the name was based off of Roald Dahl’s character, “Willy Wonka” (The lawyers would never figure that one out 😉). I also don’t create works based on the movies or books anymore either, so the name no longer makes much sense to new viewers. Finding a new name however proved to be extremely difficult. It needed to be:

• Short (no more than 2 words)
• Not already in use on YouTube
• an available, non-parked URL (Some domain names get bought by companies and re-sold for thousands!!!)
• Not tied to any one specific thing I make (I change mediums a lot)
• Mildly whimsical, not too corporate sounding

So a friend and I brainstormed names over about a month. Here’s a few rejects:

• The Excog – Too similar to Ex-con, or Ex-convict
• Digital Excogitator – No one knows what “To Excogitate” means
• Digital Artificer – Sounds too similar to Artificial, which has a negative connotation
• Digital Smithy – Digital is tied too much to computers
• Eclectic Output – Sounds too automatic
  
  

Finally I decided on (the) Eclectic Inventor. I figured most people would automatically add the “the” automatically, and it helps keep the name shorter. I feel it nicely represents what I do. Creating a variety of different projects, and not just sticking to one type, medium, or idea.