What's in a Name?

A name can communicate character, create curiosity and influence how a business is perceived long before a conversation begins.

One of my favourite design books is A Smile in the Mind by The Partners, the renowned British creative agency where I worked on the Telstra account whilst living in Sydney.

The book explores visual wit and intelligent communication. A smile in the mind occurs when the audience discovers a hidden connection for themselves.

Think of the arrow concealed between the E and X in the FedEx logo.

Once you see it, you can't unsee it.

The reaction is immediate.

"Ah, that's clever."

Admiration follows.

The best names often work in a similar way.

They reveal themselves gradually.

Rather than announcing their meaning, they invite participation.

The audience completes the connection.

And in doing so, becomes more invested in the idea.

When I began building Jeto, I knew I wanted a short, memorable name.

Years earlier, I had worked at a company called Pogo. Four letters. Distinctive. Easy to remember.

I liked the discipline of brevity.

At the time, I was bringing together several strands of my career under one banner.

For over two years, I had focused almost exclusively on filmmaking. Now the time had come to reconnect with brand strategy, design and writing. AI had arrived too, opening up entirely new creative possibilities.

Previously separate disciplines were beginning to converge.

Writing.

Technology.

Design.

Film.

AI.

There was a quickening.

Everything seemed to be moving in the same direction.

Disparate skills accumulated over decades suddenly began to align.

The whole was becoming more powerful than the individual parts.

I found myself thinking about the Japanese bullet train.

The Shinkansen represented far more than speed.

It was a symbol of precision, integration and progress.

A step change.

A quantum leap.

Then, almost instantly, the name appeared.

Jet.

Add an "o".

Jeto.

The decision felt surprisingly natural.

Less an act of invention than recognition.

The name arrived as part of the quickening itself.

My own work has long been influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian design principles. The zen architecture of Tadao Ando and the iconic furniture design of Arne Jacobsen have shaped my appreciation for simplicity, precision and refinement. Both demonstrate the pursuit of elegance through reduction.

Jeto felt like a natural expression of those ideas.

Having registered the domain, changed my Limited company name and printed my business cards, a close friend whose judgement I respect encouraged me to choose something entirely different.

His preferred name was Impossible.

As in Impossible to Ignore.

The appeal was obvious.

Bold.

Confident.

Immediate.

The meaning required no explanation.

Yet the more I reflected on it, the more I realised the debate wasn't really about naming.

It was about identity.

Sometimes a brand needs to project outwards.

Other times it needs to draw people in.

Understanding the difference is one of the most important decisions a founder can make.

Impossible felt like a name designed to project.

Jeto felt like a name designed to attract.

That distinction mattered.

Throughout my career, I have been more interested in building authority than attracting attention.

Authority emerges through consistency.

Through craft.

Through insight.

Through results.

A performative brand tells people how impressive it is.

An authoritative brand allows them to reach that conclusion themselves.

The more I sat with the name, the more I realised it described something deeper about how I approach my work.

As a cricketer, I learnt the value of anticipation.

Standing at first slip, ball after ball, I would visualise the catch coming towards me.

Relaxed.

Confident.

Ready.

Most deliveries passed harmlessly by.

Occasionally the edge appeared.

The chance arrived.

The catch was taken.

By then, the work had already been done.

I wasn't reacting.

I was prepared.

Years later, I recognised the same instinct in other parts of my life.

Travelling to Berlin days to witness the fall of the Wall.

Learning how to design on an Apple Mac.

Experimenting with new forms of storytelling.

Building Jeto.

The same principle applies to print production, website development and filmmaking. The experienced practitioner understands the destination and works backwards. Deadlines are anticipated. Problems are identified early. Opportunities are recognised before they become obvious.

The best ice hockey players don't skate to where the puck is.

They skate to where it is going.

Jeto came to represent that mindset.

Not speed for the sake of speed.

Anticipation.

Integration.

Seamless flow.

The ability to move towards emerging possibilities before they become obvious to everyone else.

This experience reinforced an important lesson about naming.

Most founders begin by searching for an available domain or a clever word.

However, the strongest and most resonant names emerge from something deeper.

Identity.

Character.

Belief.

Ambition.

A great name is not simply a label.

It is a container.

Initially it is empty.

Over time it fills with stories, experiences and meaning.

When naming a client's business, I am not looking for something fashionable or clever.

I am looking for something authentic.

A name that reflects who they are.

What they believe.

And where they are heading.

Apple once meant fruit.

Virgin once meant something entirely different.

Jeto began as four letters.

Today it represents curiosity, craftsmanship and anticipation.

The best names do not explain themselves immediately.

They reward discovery.

And every so often, they reveal something about the founder too.