The naming process for Arq [pronounced like “ark” or “arc” but with a “q”!] included hours of research and brainstorming, a handful of sleepless nights, some brain freeze, lots of help, and, ultimately, a gut feeling and a healthy dose of confidence.
If you’ve been following along with us for a while now, you know that we produced Pop-Up Shabbat, a “Jewishly sourced” pop-up restaurant, and The Ish, our weekly digest of all things Jew-ish, before we launched Arq. People still tell us how much they love the names of those projects. They came to us easily. They’re catchy. They’re fun. They’re cool. They’re just Jewish enough.
When we began dreaming up the vision for Arq – a.k.a., the central destination for anyone trying to connect with Jewish identity and culture – we knew we’d need a new name. One that befitted a grander mission, a broader audience, a wider range of products, and a more elevated aesthetic than Pop-Up Shabbat or the original version of The Ish. A heavy responsibility loomed before us.
After weeks of brainstorming, research, filtering, and feedback, there was a clear winner:
Canopy
The name was short, elegant, inclusive, and referenced the chuppah, the canopy under which Jewish couples stand during their wedding. We loved it, our friends loved it, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it. We were convinced this was the name for our new endeavor.
Before allowing ourselves to fall completely in love, we paused for reality and hired a lawyer to do a thorough trademark search. We asked her to research Arq, too, since we knew it was smart to have a back-up. We also set to work on researching available URLs and social media handles, as well as existing companies with a similar name.
When we found out that we would be unlikely to own the trademark for Canopy and that there was a really cool, design-focused product marketplace called Canopy already in existence, we were bummed, but we had to let go.
The more we entertained the idea of naming our company Arq, the more we realized how well it fit.
The name Arq aligns with our overall vision, it has the right meaning, it’s unique, we think it looks pretty cool, and it has that extra something that makes people pause for a moment and then say, “Ooh, good name.”
Arq is a nod to Noah’s Ark, which represents community and the adaptability of the Jewish people, as well as the deep challenges of faith and religion. It’s a reference to a story arc, in that this generation is crafting its own narrative around religious identity that’s rooted in the old but new and different at the same time. The “Q” made the name more contemporary and unique and stands for “questioning,” which many of us are doing when it comes to religion and cultural heritage and how they fit into our lives today, and “curious,” which we are about the future of religion. Arq also has a subtle Middle Eastern vibe to it – we like that it reminds us of Israel and also feels like Arabic, symbolizing peace and acceptance.
We love our name and know that it’s our job to imbue it with meaning that lives up to our mission to help anyone connect with Jewish identity and culture in a more relevant, inclusive, and convenient way.
Have a question about our name? Email us at info@thisisarq.com or click here to tweet at us!
COMING SOON: a behind-the-scenes rundown of the process we used to name Arq. If you’re working on naming your own brand or are simply curious about the details of our decision making, this step-by-step guide is for you.
Photographers (from top to bottom): Cait Oppermann, Chris Gifford, and Andrew Avrin
Thank you for visiting Arq!
Arq is no longer publishing new content. We hope you'll enjoy our archived posts.