When I decided to set up as a Lighting Designer, one of the fun bits was obviously to think of a name for the business. An analysis of ‘the essence of my brand’ led to me towards words such as style, technology, design, vision – and in the context of light, striking, changing, beauty, and the emotional connection that light brings to a space.
After some spidergramming and a few false starts, I found the answer to these lofty ideals actually sitting right in front of me on my desk. My cat. The light had caught her eyes in a particular way and looking into them I saw their fascinating depth and complexity, the curious vertical pupil and an iridescent green colour that cannot be replicated without some incredible science of refraction.
Another lean in the direction of the name Cat was that I have always thought of cats as amazing examples of design – their flow, grace, the effortless way they move with so much power and (if you’re into cats), their beauty and style.
‘Cat’ thus seemed to tick all the boxes on my brand list and more, and when tried out it seemed to be quite a neat, cool name that importantly was also memorable and uncomplicated.
(This said, hilariously I find myself spelling C-A-T several times a day, people do like to be sure and to be fair it could be Kat Lighting. Also I sometimes get called Cat instead of Clare which I really like.)
On another strand, CAT is a short name for category cable (eg Cat 5 which is used for computer networks) so there’s an element of technical association there. I felt this helped with needing to have credibility with the trades I would be working with; I couldn’t turn up on site with a name that in any way suggested presumptuous or designer, and Cat Lighting seemed to be suitably straightforward in this context.
So it all came together as a completely right name that I’m comfortable and confident with. (But perhaps the main reason is simply that I am very keen on my cat.)