Lighting technology naming

Long-time client Corning engaged Catchword to develop a name for its new light-diffusing optical fiber that enables colorful decorative lighting to be embedded to fit just about any space. You can bend, curve, and wrap it around almost anything, while maintaining bright, beautiful, and uniform light. Imagine designing with light!

These thin strands allow colored light to be integrated into environmental design as well as automotive, electronics, apparel, entertainment, and more. Unlike EL wire, the fiber casts a bright light, is highly bendable, and requires much less power, making illuminated wearables—such as bike helmets, safety vests, even wetsuits—a practical reality. But aesthetic design and safety aren’t this fiber’s only application—researchers are exploring medical uses, including photodynamic therapy and light-guided surgery.

After we developed over a thousand names for the product, the client selected Fibrance. A natural combination of fiber and vibrance, Fibrance quickly telegraphs the product’s key attributes and benefits. Its easy pronunciation and intuitive spelling ensure that international audiences have no problem engaging with the brand.

After great success introducing Fibrance in 2014, Corning decided to create a spinoff company focused on developing smart, integrated products and solutions based on the fiber. Catchword was tapped once again to develop a name for the new brand: Versalume. Since then, Fibrance has been lighting up the world with Tron-like designs such as Meizu’s illuminated headphones, the basketball court of UC Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion, and smart garments by performance apparel brand Sabrina.