So you’ve decided to take the plunge and update your brand…where to start? If you’re working with a creative team, you can expect them to lead you through a discovery process that results in a creative brief. Ultimately, the brief outlines your project’s goals—an important foundation for several reasons.

If you’re considering naming or renaming your architecture firm, you probably know what you don’t want. Those names that make your eyes roll. Tacking on another last name to the string of names. The much-settled-for acronym. One client said, “I don’t want a name that sounds like it could be a cannabis store.”

In our 10+ years of advising small and mid-sized architecture firms, AVEC has spoken with thousands of firm leaders and completed custom business assessments for over 100 companies.

Inside the Firm’s Alex Gore and AVEC’s Rena Klein, FAIA, discuss a range of topics covering architecture firm valuation, what it means to share ownership, buying into a firm, and her “greatest hits” of advice for small architecture firm leaders.

A great name isn’t just a label; it’s a strategic tool that can shape your firm’s success and identity for years to come. This week on the EntreArchitect Podcast (Episode 591), I sat down with Emily Hall, President of AVEC, to dive deep into the art and strategy behind naming an architecture business.

From starting her own practice in the mid-80s to grappling with the complexities of managing a firm, our guest offers invaluable insights into the business side of architecture. She reflects on the struggle against the profession's historical aversion to business acumen.