Catchword’s excellence in naming was recognized this week with a Gold from the Hermes Creative Awards, one of the largest international competitions for creative work. The award was presented to Catchword for its development of Soluna for the world’s first sustainably powered blockchain infrastructure company.
“Catchword is delighted to see Soluna recognized with a Hermes Gold,” said Catchword principal and project lead, Mark Skoultchi. “We couldn’t be more proud to receive such an honor, particularly in our first year participating in this prominent competition.”
Hermes Creative Awards recognizes achievement in concept, writing, and design. The 2019 winners were selected from tens of thousands of entries in advertising, publications, marketing/branding, integrated marketing, public relations/communications, electronic media, and pro bono.
“This week’s Gold is actually the second win for Soluna, which was honored last November with a Transform Award for Naming Strategy,” noted Catchword Creative Director Erin Milnes. “I’m thrilled that the judges recognized Soluna‘s rich layers of meaning, which seamlessly convey both the brand’s functional and emotional benefits.”
Ms. Milnes further commented that the Catchword team developed Soluna to focus on the new company’s vision rather than its current offering, so that the name would successfully serve as the firm evolves beyond blockchain, a critical consideration when creating a company name. “Great brand names reveal metaphor and depth as the customer interacts with the brand. This back and forth rewards continued brand engagement with a satisfying ‘Aha!’ and stakes out another chunk of mental real estate for the brand,” she explained.
What is Soluna?
Soluna was formed to solve the serious problem of blockchain mining’s tremendous demand for energy. By powering its vertically integrated facilities with its own private sustainable energy sources, the startup will be able to mine cryptocurrencies and carry out other computing-intensive operations with less adverse impact on the environment and local power grids. The founders turned to Catchword to create a name that could match the humanity and ambition of this enterprise.
Why Soluna?
A coinage of sol and luna (‘sun’ and ‘moon’ in Latin), Soluna evokes human aspiration at its most fundamental—looking up at the great light in the sky. Sun + moon further suggests the promise of reliable, renewable energy day or night, and recalls solution as well as una (‘one’), suggesting the company’s all-in-one energy production and computer processing solution.
Soluna’s soft vowel ending conveys the brand’s warm personality, while its Latin base suggests expertise and sophistication. And its consonant-vowel construction enables Soluna to be easily pronounced by the company’s international target audiences.
The Awards
Hermes Creative Awards is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, an international organization of marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production, and freelance professionals.
AMCP judges are experienced industry professionals looking for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.
Named after the Greek messenger god Hermes, the competition highlights the role of marketing and communications professionals as messengers and creators.
