BlackBerry is of course a well know line of “smart phones” with many devoted users, including myself.  Recently, I have been noticing more and more BlackBerry ads and commercials.  And that made me think more about the name and the logo.

The logo is, I presume, two things: two letter “Bs” and the texture of  a blackberry berry.  To me, it is a bit too abstact. The two “Bs” don’t jump out at me, neither does the berry itself.  Perhaps I’m confused because the Bs are overlapping and one is horizontal while the other is on a slant.  And it is for “Bs” or two “Bs”?

As for the name, “BlackBerry” is completely arbitrary when it comes to phones; in other words its meaning has nothing to do with the product.  Perhaps it is an attempt to be like “Apple” computer.  Reportedly, the name comes because someone thought the keys on the device looked like seeds on a fruit or berry.  (See http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/story.html?id=85473082-02e8-4296-80a8-d8bdd4901496)

The name is not at all suggestive.  So in my opinion it could be better — if you were trying to explain you had a new smart phone to a non-techie, and you told them about your Blackberry, it does not tell them anything about the product (see: ‘iPhone,’ aruably ‘SideKick’ which opens sideways).

From a legal perspective, an arbitrary name such as Blackberry is the strongest kind and the easiest to protect. I credit “BlackBerry” for thinking outside the box and being creative.  I personally think a name is better when there is some connection between the name and the product (other than the keys reminding someone of seeds which is too abstract).  The BlackBerry logo is also, for me, a bit too abstract.


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