I always find it worthwhile to enrol for contests that don’t take more than 10 minutes to complete an entry. Sometimes, I end up winning which makes it a bit more worth my time. A while back I happened to turn in a couple of entries for the naming of a transport management system for employees. I happened to come across it today and in hindsight, the entries seem wacky and tacky in the same breath. Even then, as some wise person would say, it is the thought that counts. In that vein, I put forth my entries, as submitted. Who knows, it might just inspire someone to something altogether different.
ENTRY #1:
Name:Salvahan
Idea behind the name:
The name is a portmanteau of ‘Salva’ and ‘Vahan’.
Salva is the neuter-plural second declension of the latin adjective ‘salvus’ meaning safe, sound, healthy. Besides the English word ‘safe’, its descendants include ‘sauf’ in French, ‘salv’ in Romansh, Catalan and ‘salvo’ in Italian, Spanish; all of which convey the same message of safety that is in accordance with the objective of establishing this transport management system.
Vahan refers to a vehicle in multiple Indian languages, primarily Hindi, but also in other Indian languages like Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu with minor variations. In combination with ‘salva’, the name can be conceived to be a reference to ‘safe travel’.
Logo:
The open but encompassing palms are a universal indicator of care and safety. At the same time, they closely mimic wings indicating smooth and fast transportation. The car being lodged between the palms indicates ‘safe travel’, thereby depicting the suggested name. The red smile stretching from one headlight to another not only expresses satisfaction but also indicates ‘end-to-end’ transportation between source and destination, viz. between home and office.
Bonus (Abbreviation):
Each letter of the suggested name can be expanded to capture the intent of the transportation system.
Safe
And
Likeable
Vehicle
Assisting
Humans
Ambulate
Nicely
ENTRY #2:
Name:
transME!
Idea behind the name:
The name can be construed to be an abbreviation for Transport Management for Employees. On its own, the prefix ‘trans’ means across or beyond but works well as a reference to ‘transportation’. The capitalized ‘ME’ in the name is meant to invoke the personal nature of the transport system. Together with the exclamation mark (!), the word can be pronounced akin to ‘transmit’, indicating a sense of conveyance.
Logo:
The logo is primarily designed to capture the name in a stylized fashion. The word ‘trans’ in grey and its overlap with the road is meant to evoke a sense of ‘rubber on road’. The letter ‘M’ is depicted using the headlights of a car as it moves within the contours of the road, thereby conveying the purpose of the system. The letter ‘E’ represents points of interest along the road while the exclamation mark is meant to convey a sense of excitement.
Variation:
Depending on the availability of the name, it can be adjusted to ‘transMET’ using the same logo. The idea then would be that it refers to transportation across the metro.
