Whether you used to laugh out loud and now you LOL, or you used to ship packages through Federal Express and now you do it through FedEx, there is no denying that language is getting shorter, faster and catchier — sometimes to the detriment of linguistics, as evidenced by Flickr’s MIA e or the unsightly but popular CU L8R. But, properness aside, the inclination of tightening, merging and otherwise welding commonly used words, terms, and companies’ or even persons’ names is simply a reflection of our constant crusade to make our lives easier by shaving off a few seconds of any given conversation, correspondence or transaction. Manifested in different written forms and expressed in a variety of pronunciations — think ASAP (aysap), AWOL (awall), DoD, BevNap, Tomkat, Brangelina, starchitects, spanglish, etc. — most of these shortenings become a natural part of our lexicon as they roll nicely off the tongue and help express dual meanings in one fell swoop. And, perhaps the catchiest and most enviable form of syncopation is the two-word, four-letter (2/4 from hereon) syllabic abbreviation. Like SoHo.
As most know, New York’s SoHo (sowhoe, sowhaw, or sawhaw) stands for South of Houston (pronounced howston, please), the once edgy, boutiquey and artistic neighborhood now anchored by Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Old Navy located, well, to the south of Houston Street in downtown Manhattan. No one in the city, whether locals or tourists, refers to this area as South of Houston, it’s unequivocally SoHo. It’s easy, it’s catchy, it looks great on a tourist map. New York, with its love for micro neighborhoods has taken the premise a hundredfold with catchy names like NoHo (North of Houston), TriBeCa (Triangle Below Canal), NoLIta (North of Little Italy), MePa (Meat Packing district), SoBro (South Bronx), and BoCoCa (Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens), among others. But none are as perennially ingrained as the rhythmic SoHo, with its lovely pair of round o’s formally preceded by a swooning S and architectural H respectively. SoHo exhibits the best attributes of the 2/4 punch of syllabic abbreviations: a) It can be pronounced as a single word, b) it flows through the ConsonantvowelConsonantvowel structure, c) it looks great with its BIGsmallBIGsmall visual structure, and d) in its entonation it magically manages to capture the spirit of the pretentious but coveted neighborhood. And the benefit is not lost on anyone willing to capitalize on this sticky nomenclature.
Washington Mutual, once a small regional bank in the West Coast state, changed its public name and logo to WaMu. Goofy and catchy, supported by a national ad campaign emphasized the friendliness and non-stodginess of the bank, the name also helped Washington Mutual shed its regional chip on the shoulder as it expands with more than 2,500 retail branches across the U.S.. The change is also a reflection of internal culture, as WaMu was how employees referred to their employer. The not-too-fancy hotel chain, Howard Johnson, has also given new life to the 2/4 interpretation of their name, HoJo, launching an ad campaign around the slogan “I Go HoJo”. Not quite as catchy, but perhaps more efficient in giving a new sheen to an otherwise stale brand. Other brands, have accepted their reductionist usage by its audience, like Amex, for American Express even if they haven’t exploited it outright. And it’s not only commercial enterprises that have ended up with a 2/4 reference. The term hobo, for example, is supposedly an abbreviation of Homeward Bound, a term used to describe soldiers returning from the Civil War, among other explanations. Or PoMo for Postmodernism, on which I dare not tread. It also applies to person’s name of course, proving a harder challenge than the mind-numbing, celebrity-celebrating trend started by Bennifer — with my favorite being LiLo for good ol’ Lindsay Lohan, carrying a ring of ridiculousness and immaturity that is rather apropos.
Evidently, and if conjured properly, the 2/4 syllabic abbreviation approach can yield one of the most sought-after qualities of branding: Memorability. So whether you are just a person, own a company or plan to coin a term consider the 2/4 potential of the SoHo Effect. For the mentioned below, consider these recommendations free of charge. Just don’t forget to thank us when it catches on.(Rowrow)
If BMW can go by Beemer, I bet Rolls Royce could pull off RoRo rather ostentatiously.
(Pahpee)
Paramount Pictures may be facing a slow summer, so maybe going with some sexy, Latin-pronounced shorthand like PaPi they could get some better box office results.
(Kaycee)
Perhaps a city like Kansas City could use some zazinness. KaCi, Missouri. Yeah!
(Vice)
Speaking of zazzy and sexy, Victoria’s Secret could add a naughty layer of meaning to an already desirable brand — if you know what I mean.
(Demee)
Our own Debbie Millman could opt for a little celebrity panache by association.
(Sahpoh)
Or our friend Sam Potts, who already has the attitude to go with a thuggish, street-cred-building name like SaPo.
(Sahbah and Parrah)
A new way to refer to our design idols, Saul Bass and Paul Rand. Yes, surely, they are turning in their graves right now.
(Pawcee)
Atlanta-based hothouse Portfolio Center already goes by PC, but a new generation of designers could call it the PoCe. Bonus points for anyone that comes up with a PoCe has a Posse poster.
(Screw)
Some design terms are also asking for a revival in their daily usage. I suggest ScRu for the venerable Scotch rule.
(Taikei / Lewkei)
When you are standing over the shoulder of a junior designer just scream “Make it TiKe… No, TiKer” when you want tighter kerning and, of course, LoKe for looser kerning.
(Sahsee)
Serif haters rejoice with the use of SaSe for all your Swiss style needs. Sans serif gives too many props to the serifs.
(Blehm)
Impress your clients by proposing to “BlEm it”. Everyone loves blind emboss.
(FoeCoe)
Tired of spelling out Cee Em Why Kay to your printer anytime you want Four Color process printing? Just ask for FoCo printing next time.
(Dawlfow)
That’s all folks!
What, "sowhaw or sawhaw"? Nobody I know in NYC pronounces SoHo that way. What's your pronounciation authority on this one?
On Aug.22.2007 at 12:34 PM