iamnacho

Let's me take you back to March 1991 when I was six years old and my mom took me to my first day of school.
As I walked into the classroom, I met the group of children who would become my classmates and friends for the next seven years. We played, laughed and all was fun and smiles. But quickly enough those smiles turned into tears.

One by one each of our parents, who had patiently waited by our side until now while we kids became acquainted started leaving the class to go to their jobs. With each parent that left that room a child would emotionally collapse, myself included, until at one point there was nothing left inside that room but sad kids and salty tears.

In an effort to get us to calm down the teacher asked us to introduce ourselves to the rest of the class to help ease our nerves.
In an instant our sadness turned into nervousness as we were now supposed to face everybody else, while still in tears, and tell them who we were. One heck of a first impression.

I can still remember that I started thinking what I should say and how...

“Hola, soy… Ignacio” - Too boring
“Hola, soy… Ignacio Revuelta” - I don’t like it
“Hola, soy Nacho” - sob

Yes! That’s the one. Nacho. It is my name's nickname after all. And I like it so I should use it.
OK, it is set. Now all I need to do is wait for my turn to come.

My last name starts with an "R" so I am almost end of the list (I am probably one month away from learning this).

The other Nacho

“Hola, I am Nacho Liut...” - Another kid announces from the other side of the classroom. And like that my chance of becoming “Nacho” vanishes for the next seven years to come.

You see, we latinos love to use nicknames!
Marias become “Merys”, Robertos become “Betos” or “Titos”, and Ignacios become “Nachos” (for reasons I never understood nor questioned), unless the nickname is already taken by someone else.

Now let’s flash forward to March 2012.

It’s a cold Monday morning in Germany and I have just arrived to Berlin.
It’s my start day working at Wooga, and many things compare to my first day at elementary school. New people, new places, tons of introductions (No kids crying tho). And wanting to make a good first impression I introduce myself using my real name:

”Hello, I am Ignacio”

Nice to meet you… Ignashio? Ig-nah-ceo? Ignaci-oh?

I knew from the beginning that my name would difficult for non Spanish speakers to pronounce, but I hadn’t expected such complications. It was clear to me then that if I wanted to meet people and make a great impression something had to change.

And I knew exactly what to do.

Branding yourself

Branding yourself is no different from branding a company, product, or service. The process is the same for all:

Identify Pain Points (the Problem):
"People struggle to pronounce my name, which can lead to embarrassment and difficulty remembering who I am."
Establish the Challenge:
How can I make my name easier to pronounce and remember?
Implement a Solution:
This is where the fun begins!

If you've taken a Brand Naming course at university, you may recall receiving a lengthy cheatsheet with numerous considerations to keep in mind when naming a brand. I personally memorized this list and used it to narrow down my personal branding strategy to three main paths:

Descriptive:
Clearly and concisely describes the product or service (ToysRus, Burger King, BitCoin)
Rhythmic:
The more you say it, the more you like it (YouTube, PayPal, Unfold)
Storytelling:
Inspires people to talk about and share it with others.

TESTING

After defining the three paths for my personal brand, I brainstormed a list of names and narrowed it down to the best three:

Iaio 
Nacho 
Revuelta

Next, I tested each name's impact based on the three paths I had defined:

“Revuelta” means "Revolt" or "Revolution" in Spanish, which is a great brand name in terms of meaning, but it doesn't solve the problem of pronunciation and lacks rhythm.

“Iaio” or “Igna” are nicknames I've had at some point in my life. While they are short and easy to pronounce, they lack meaning and are not very memorable.

Nacho, on the other hand, is highly memorable, easy to pronounce, and has a great rhythm. It reflects who I am and has an interesting backstory.

Whenever I introduce myself as Nacho, I often get funny responses like "Nacho, like the snack?" This leads to great conversations and helps people remember my name. Overall, Nacho was the clear winner for my personal brand.

After finalizing the brand name, the rest of the brand decisions came quickly.

The logo was designed as a monogram to reflect the impact I wanted to make on people when I tell them my name for the first time. The thick, bold uppercase characters convey a sense of strength and confidence. The logo is divided into two lines and color-differentiated to emphasize the Nacho aspect of the name. The kerning and negative space between letters are still being refined as the brand evolves.

The brand colors and shapes used on the website and in printed materials were chosen to convey a sense of responsibility and innovation, reflecting the values of the brand.

Conclusion

You have now learned about the reasons and the process that led to why I am Nacho. Defining my brand name was surprisingly straightforward, and the evolution process I used to arrive at the final name is the same one I apply when defining any other brand.

So, if you happen to meet an Ignacio tomorrow - whether at an interview, a start-up meeting, or just randomly on the street - don't hesitate to call them Nacho.