New Site Name and Logo Idea

I plan to change the title of this site later this year, from “Not That Mike The Other Mike” to “Cutetropolis.” My goal in this is to make the site less about me and more about cuteness, to broaden the appeal and create a more marketable brand name.

Nothing else about the site would change — all content and comments would remain, along with the layout and typography (I might experiment with color changes).

Below is my first sketch of a logo concept. This is not very polished, and I may consider hiring an artist to render a finished version.

I would like to get your thoughts on this, both positive and negative — about the change itself, the logo, or any other concerns that you might have.

logo-idea-01

103 thoughts on “New Site Name and Logo Idea

  1. Jennifer Bullis May 4, 2016 / 7:16 pm

    In my mind, and I’m sure in the minds of all who followed you here, you will always be NTMTOM. That said, I do like the Cutetropolis idea and logo to accomplish the goals you outline here.

    If Cutetropolis is going to continue to be animal-centric, do you want to perhaps incorporate more animal imagery into the logo?

    In it for the long haul and looking forward to whatever your delightful mind comes up with.

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 7:19 pm

      That’s a very good point about getting an animal shape or shapes into the logo. I’ll see what I can think of.

      • mimidale May 5, 2016 / 12:17 pm

        Instead of the background circle it could be a paw print shape. What about “cute-centric” as a name–playing off of the facts that it’s mostly about cute things (but not always) and the eccentric (read: awesome) humor?

    • AB May 4, 2016 / 9:48 pm

      That was my thought as well; the logo isn’t as cute as the name. Not awful or anything, but less cute than the current mustachioed kitty. I like the new name, though.

  2. tagatha May 4, 2016 / 7:20 pm

    I like Cutetropolis – as much as the current name is descriptive (all NOMTOM all the time!), it will definitely be easier to point my friends here.

    About the logo: the smiling sun is cute, but at first I wondered if it is a smiling robot. The “metropolis” silhouette looks a bit like shoulders and upper body for the sun. Not that I’d mind cute, smiling robots…

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 7:23 pm

      Yeah, this is why I think I need to pay a better artist than myself who can make the little details clear and unambiguous. Good feedback, thanks.

  3. michael May 4, 2016 / 7:46 pm

    If that makes you happy, go for it.

    Cutetropolis is a great name.

  4. Birdcage May 4, 2016 / 7:53 pm

    Great name. I like the smiling sun. I agree with you – it’s a more marketable name for a website and for any swag you might want to market to support it all. I stand behind the initiative whole-heartedly. But I hope you’ll keep your handle / personal name and that you will continue to post in the comments section as you have been doing. It’s one of the things that I feel is setting you apart, that personal connection that I think we are all feeling to YOU.

    • Emmberrann May 4, 2016 / 8:06 pm

      Concur.

      • debg May 5, 2016 / 10:38 am

        And another concur. I like the new name too.

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 8:11 pm

      Yes, I would keep my pen name and the notthatmiketheothermike.com domain name (it would redirect to cutetropolis.com, which I’ve already registered.) And my level of engagement would stay the same as well.

      • beemoused May 5, 2016 / 8:52 am

        Then go for it!! The more support you have for the site, the better. As long as we have you making sure we get our proper dosage of cute every day, with that NTMTOM-flavor added, the world will be a better place!

  5. Madame X May 4, 2016 / 8:35 pm

    It’d be… [drum roll]

    NTMTOM’s… [pregnant pause…]

    CUTETROPOLIS!!!! [fireworks, confetti, mad applause, whistles and general brouhaha ensue]

    I like it!

    Just please keep the “feel” of the site homey and slightly off-center (“Keep Austin/NOMTOM weird!”), with a healthy dose of sass, some snark for good measure, geeky/nerdy/pop-culture/literary references and fantastic flights of fancy.

    In other words, be yourself.

  6. fkaWaldenPond May 4, 2016 / 8:36 pm

    *sneeef, you’re growing up, getting so big* 😀 Anything that allows you to succeed more, I am 100% behind you, Dear Sir!

  7. Transentence May 4, 2016 / 8:41 pm

    I have some doubts about the name; I’m not sure that “cute” is the single word that best sums up your site. I love the wordplay and humor, which is not necessarily cute. (I.e., the spambot posts, etc.) On the other hand, I can see how a “cute” name would help draw people in. Hmm. If I think of an alternate suggestion, I’ll come back and post it.

    • allein May 4, 2016 / 8:51 pm

      Yeah, I was wondering how the “That’s Not Cute” category fits with the name. But I have nothing better to suggest. Not like I’m gonna go anywhere.. 😉

      • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 8:54 pm

        I would still write material that would fit in the current “That’s Not Cute” category, but I would categorize it differently, or perhaps not categorize it at all.

        • allein May 4, 2016 / 9:34 pm

          I kinda like “That’s not cute” though. 🙂

          • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 9:38 pm

            You mean as a category? Yeah, I don’t think it really needs to go away entirely, but possibly the categories would be less prominently displayed.

            • allein May 4, 2016 / 10:15 pm

              That’s Not Cute must be the seedy underbelly of Cutetropolis. 😛

              • Murray C. May 4, 2016 / 10:23 pm

                The back alleys!

                • Faye May 4, 2016 / 11:02 pm

                  Yes. Think of it as a true tropolis. Different “neighborhoods”.

                  • birdcage May 5, 2016 / 9:05 am

                    Kinda like how Diagon Alley has a seedy underbelly in Knockturn Alley…..

            • AB May 5, 2016 / 12:44 pm

              Maybe as a linked and separate blog kind of like what Jen does with CakeWrecks and Epbot? One for cute critters and one for general goofing. I would read both, personally.

  8. SAA1451 May 4, 2016 / 9:01 pm

    Anything that ends in drawing more people to the site is fine with me — well, as long as it doesn’t end up meaning I need a reservation…

  9. Kar May 4, 2016 / 9:09 pm

    Interesting. It makes sense as not a lot of people know how your name came about.

    I think that it’s good that you’re broadening the appeal beyond cute. Those spambots are a signature already of this site.

  10. Sedro6 May 4, 2016 / 9:33 pm

    In my head I’m saying “cu-tropolis” which is easier to say than “cutetropolis”. Sort of like I say “NOMTOM” in my head instead of “Not That Mike the Other Mike”. However, it is much harder to read “Cu-tropolis” and have it make sense.

    Qtropolis? Nah. Only existing users would get that, if at all.

    If you think the site is going to grow, you better think about what you’ll name the suburbs.

    P.S. Thanks for the edit feature. I think better AFTER I’ve posted…

      • Transentence May 4, 2016 / 10:34 pm

        If you’re going after “cute” for SEO purposes, better to keep a recognizable spelling so it can be searched easier. Google might not recognize Qte. Although registering domains with alternate spellings might help with that.

        Still haven’t come up with an alternate name.

  11. dubravkamcvmd May 4, 2016 / 9:39 pm

    I can see that Not That Mike The Other Mike doesn’t suggest what the site is about. I think Cutetropolis would be good if the logo showed the denizens of Cutetropolis – a number of the featured creatures, as cutely attired or posed as possible. Cutetropolis could be something like Hollywood in the movie “Jessica Rabbit.”

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 9:41 pm

      Now you’re talking! That is exactly my long-term vision for the site. For 2016, I just want to get the site rebranded, but over the years, I want to build upon the concept so that the design of the website itself becomes a source of amusement.

      • dubravkamcvmd May 4, 2016 / 10:05 pm

        Yippee! “Jessica Rabbit” is one of my favorite movies!

      • Murray C. May 4, 2016 / 10:26 pm

        I think a logo should be kept very simple, tho’ I understand the urge to include other imagery. Would there be a way, for example, to have a line of your own emojis/images that could relate to the look you want and that commenters could use to accent their comments?

      • Faye May 4, 2016 / 11:09 pm

        That is what Cutetropolis brought to mind for me. When I say I like it here I think of us all in a digital village. The humans who comment live here and partake of the cute, not cute, spam bots, snark, etc. etc. open thread could be an ongoing place, etc.

        I like the name. I like the idea of animals instead of the sun.

        • Phred's Mom May 5, 2016 / 5:26 pm

          I second all Faye posted.
          “cutetropolis” does feel a bit
          awkward on the tongue,
          though. I will get used to
          it, I promise.

    • allein May 4, 2016 / 10:16 pm

      Gives new meaning to the term creature feature!

      Maybe include some spam in a tux.. 😉

  12. belphebe May 4, 2016 / 9:40 pm

    I like the logo as it is. Sure, you could fanci-fy it a bit, but sometimes simplistic works too.
    Someone suggests adding animals, but I don’t think that’s necessary. So far, I think, your posts have been about cute animals, but will you ever consider other cute things? Food? Winking electrical outlets?
    Definitely keep “That’s Not Cute”. Every Metropolis has its dark side; why should CuteTropolis be any different? You just admit to yours! 🙂 (Cutetropolis? Cute Tropolis? CuTeTrOpOlIs? I keep wanting to pronounce it Cutropolis.)

  13. Scoobie May 4, 2016 / 9:48 pm

    I am one of the ones who suggested a name change early on.
    The new name is better but it’s too hard to spell and type into a browser so it doesn’t solve all the problem with the name.
    I recognise the challenge is coming up with a name with cute in the title but hasn’t had the domain registered
    I suggest an open thread just to choose a name

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 9:56 pm

      Another solution to the domain name problem is for me to register alternative spellings, and have them redirect to the preferred spelling. That way, anyone who mistypes the domain name isn’t wrong; they’ll see the site they expect to see.

      (FYI, you were the one who planted this idea in my mind, and I’m very glad you did. Thank you so much.)

      • Julie May 4, 2016 / 11:35 pm

        Cute Farm
        Cute Ville
        Cute Land
        Cute Life
        Republic of Cute
        Cute Commune

          • Mariana May 5, 2016 / 8:17 am

            cuteventures??

            • Mariana May 5, 2016 / 8:23 am

              Cutepolis??
              maybe skip the “tro” in cuteTROpolis.. the greek word for city is “polis”. metropolis is a large city..

              Cuteinc.?

          • Julie May 5, 2016 / 8:45 am

            Cute Share
            Curated Cute or Curated Cuteness or Cute Curator
            Cute Interpretation
            Cute Collector
            iHeartCute

          • Julie May 5, 2016 / 8:47 am

            Cute in Translation (play on movie Lost in Translation. You translate cuteness in a way that allows us to see new meaning)

          • Julie May 5, 2016 / 8:49 am

            Pursuit of Cute
            Cuteness for All
            Cute Catcher
            Cute Control

          • Julie May 5, 2016 / 8:50 am

            Laughter is the Best Medicine. Spreading joy since 2015.

        • LunaChickFringe May 5, 2016 / 9:18 am

          Ha! The Republic of Cute is a local small craft business here in the Cleveland area. I have some of their “cute”!

          • Julie May 5, 2016 / 9:20 am

            Yes. I feel we are all citizens of the People’s Republic of Cute.

        • Transentence May 5, 2016 / 2:16 pm

          Nimbus of Cute

  14. LurkingDuck May 4, 2016 / 9:53 pm

    Mike, it’s your site. You do with it as you like; we will love it. As long as you are you. A rose by any other name…

  15. ^oo^ May 4, 2016 / 10:44 pm

    Being more of a suburb/semi-rural person, the cutetropolis is too city-centered (polis meaning a city-state, like in ancient Greece) for me. Also, in sense too limiting– there is a vast creation of cuteness out there, some we have yet to discover. Would you consider expanding your boundaries to include the entire CuteCosmos?

    • Julie May 4, 2016 / 11:32 pm

      Cute Farm. Nom Tom is the Cute Farmer.

      • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 4, 2016 / 11:36 pm

        Sadly, “cutefarm.com” is already registered, so there’s no point in trying to adopt that as a new name.

        Herein lies one of the sticky issues of trying to do business on the Internet: So much depends upon getting a domain name that’s clear and catchy, and that gets harder all the time.

        • Julie May 5, 2016 / 8:41 am

          Cool.

          I still will think of you as a Cute Farmer. Nurturing laughter and sunshine from little kernels of cute.

          • Faye May 5, 2016 / 8:59 am

            CuteGarden
            CuteEden
            CuteOasis
            CuteKernals
            CuteCollective
            CuteVille
            CuteToCute
            CuteIsland
            CuteCentral

            • Faye May 5, 2016 / 9:02 am

              CuteNotCute
              CuteCapture
              CuterThanCute

  16. Janice May 4, 2016 / 10:51 pm

    I would prefer a simple, easy to type and pronounce title, but, this will catch on in time, and it is easier to recommend.

    • bananabreadhead May 4, 2016 / 11:03 pm

      I agree with this point, Janice. A short catchy name, like Cutetropolis, is more easily remembered and easier to recommend. And I recommend this site a lot.

  17. Patty May 4, 2016 / 11:18 pm

    A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I don’t care watcha call it, as long as we get the same witty narration, and even the “that’s not cute” and spambot posts are great.

  18. Faye May 4, 2016 / 11:33 pm

    CUTEtropolis. You can play with color or font to override peeps wanting to say or think Cutropolis/Qtropolis.

    • Mariana May 5, 2016 / 12:42 pm

      sorry, I just couldn’t resist

  19. Ms Can Opener May 5, 2016 / 1:08 am

    Nontom: What ever you do, I’ll always visit and hope to keep commenting as well. Even if I reach the point that I don’t feel a part of the community, I will still watch. In fact, the only other site with which I have interacted was Stuff on my Cat. As with this site, I feel welcome to participate. I don’t see that changing just because of name or logo changes etc,, unless the site becomes such a big deal (like CO).

    I am continually stimulated by your presentations and I learn from both your messages as well as the other commenters input. I don’t see that changing in the near future. Go for what ever makes you happy. You are making us happy and we’ll continue to support you in your efforts. MCO

  20. ^o^ May 5, 2016 / 2:25 am

    Okay. My first suggestion got no support. How about notthatcutetheothercute? NTCTOC?

    • LurkingDuck May 5, 2016 / 2:39 pm

      First thought: NOCTOC. So many ways THAT could go…

  21. murkle46 May 5, 2016 / 6:02 am

    The name is hard to figure out pronunciation.The logo would work with a site for preschoolers,but is too minimal for adults.I do acknowledge the work you put into this effort.

  22. 16Cats May 5, 2016 / 6:16 am

    Daft Cute?

    Cute Off the Wall?

    I’m just happy you have a site to read everyday!

  23. Mariana May 5, 2016 / 7:18 am

    I don’t know if its because I’m portuguese but I too find cutetropolis somewhat difficult to say..

    not crazy in love with the logo either.

    but this sure is difficult. the ones I thought of are all taken: pawsbreak, the meetingspot, cutefix.. Actually I like it that it’s mike centric.. Would like somthing like Mike’s place or something along the lines

    How about: “I know right”?

    • Faye May 5, 2016 / 9:06 am

      MikeCentric
      MikeMind MikeMine MindTheCute
      MikeTropolis

      • Faye May 5, 2016 / 9:09 am

        Maybe it’s a MikeTropolis and in the city of Mike there are different destinations. Such as Cute, Not Cute, a Farm, a Zoo, a transportation hub where animals take the subway, politicians at city hall etc etc

        • LurkingDuck May 5, 2016 / 2:40 pm

          Interesting…

  24. Gigi_the cat lady May 5, 2016 / 8:22 am

    Sorry I’m late to the party.
    I don’t mind Cutetropolis but I understand the people that say it’s hard to pronounse. How about Cutetopia?
    As for the logo, adding animals would be good but I would say stay simple and as for the colors, right now it’s very pastel. I’m saying that in case you may want to go into merchandising, T-Shirt and Tote bags, etc. (I’d buy one) Some adults may not want to walk around with a logo that looks like it for something for kindergaren age children. You have cute in the name you don’t have to have cute colors, I’m not saying dark just not only pastels.

    • Not That Mike The Other Mike May 5, 2016 / 8:49 am

      Yeah, my color judgement is not great, which is why I plan to hire an artist to render a better logo.

      Unfortunately, cutetopia.com is already registered, so I can’t use that.

      • Gigi_the cat lady May 5, 2016 / 9:11 am

        I’m reading Shakespear’s life story at the moment, how about : Too cute or not too cute LOL!

      • Murray C. May 5, 2016 / 11:30 am

        I was lying in bed unable to sleep and I got to thinking about your logo. A word came to mind, not to include in the logo, but as a theme – and it’s “Cute Overlord” – I realize that it’s sort of an homage to Cute Overload and I don’t necessarily think it should be used, at least not in the logo itself, maybe to identify you as the main character. I think your first logo idea needs some changes. The idea of a Cutetropolis is good – but the cute has to overwhelm the Cutetropolis. That’s what you do, the cute is paramount. It’s a matter of visual scale. So, e.g., if you had the word with a towering cat, for instance, you would have two elements – the cute part, but the large scale takes away from the pure cuteness and allows for other sorts of zaniness. You could use some sort of Noir lettering giving you the Jessica Rabbit aspect, too. I really like Cutetropolis the more I think about it. I keep seeing enormous cute animals stomping through the streets (there’s an ad on TV right now of a cat doing just that)
        Anyway, there’s my two cents for what it’s worth.

        • Faye May 5, 2016 / 3:18 pm

          Well said. Great thoughts.

  25. Haha May 5, 2016 / 9:18 am

    I think many of the ideas so far are on point.
    -Easy name is good. (You decide pronouncation and make it known, maybe something like suggested CUTEtropolis, CuteTropolis…)
    -Retouch logo for ease of recognition, readability, and use in merchandising.
    -Leave a bit of wiggle room for ideas that don’t fit into a tight category. NotCute, A topic that comes up that needs to be addressed, but may not be cute. SpamBot.

    NTMTOM, you are a good man. Thank you for this.

    • Haha May 5, 2016 / 9:28 am

      Come for the cute, stay for the funny.

      • Murray C. May 5, 2016 / 11:30 am

        ?

      • Faye May 5, 2016 / 3:20 pm

        Come for the Cute stay for the Snark.

        • Murray C. May 5, 2016 / 7:25 pm

          Cheese it, the Snarks!?

  26. Smartypants May 5, 2016 / 1:43 pm

    Chiming in a little late…

    I like Cutetropolis – I would just separate the words in some way, as others have suggested – color, font, upper/lower case, or a star or asterisk, etc: CuteTropolis, Cute*tropolis, etc.

    I’m glad that you’re doing all your due diligence about ownership of the name – I’d hate to see you do all the work and then find it was already owned by a Taiwanese toy company or something! And I really, really love the way that we are being included in the process. I have great confidence in you.

    For the logo – you know how cities and towns generally have a seal or emblem? I’d love that – round or badge-shaped, with the name around the edge, and an iconic picture in the middle (a smirking wombat, perhaps – something that captures the cuteness but also the off-kilter-ness). Or have the city buildings made of books or words – something to capture the level of wordplay. But I realize that’s too much to fit into a single logo.

    For me, the pic that captures the spirit of NTMTOM.com is the “derping basset hound’ on the main page – I think he appeared on around Day 2 of this site’s existence. Goofy, exuberant, fearless, ears a-flapping.

    Ok, that was long. Hope it helps!

    • Faye May 5, 2016 / 3:27 pm

      I would love a t-shirt with an emblem of the city of CUTEtropolis. Then you could have a flag, motto, police force, business establishments that dispense different types of cute. Light cute, dark cute, not cute, off topic newspaper, Library of cute, CuteTropolis Museum.

      • Faye May 5, 2016 / 3:28 pm

        The cinema is where you click on videos, the coffee house is where there is an open thread…

        • birdcage May 5, 2016 / 5:03 pm

          I like the way your mind works, Faye.

          • Faye May 5, 2016 / 8:37 pm

            Thank you. I think of websites as real places.

        • Murray C. May 5, 2016 / 7:23 pm

          And the bookstore where you can get the coffee table book.?

          • Faye May 5, 2016 / 8:36 pm

            Yes!

        • Smartypants May 5, 2016 / 8:18 pm

          I want to live in Cutetropolis!

        • Gigi_the cat lady May 5, 2016 / 8:53 pm

          And instead of Men of CO we could have Men of CT.

  27. AJ May 5, 2016 / 2:43 pm

    Well, whatever it will be named, I’ll be there with bells on as my mom always says. IMHO, what about cutespot.com (which is available by the way!) or based on his latest post something like thecutesquad.com or cutestsquad.com? Other thoughts – cutiepies.com, cutecentral.com (another one that’s available), cosmiccuteness.com.

  28. murkle46 May 5, 2016 / 3:17 pm

    How about:”uncle Mike’s funhouse of madness and despair”?

    • Faye May 5, 2016 / 3:22 pm

      That works on a down day. Lol.

  29. Brouhaha May 5, 2016 / 3:42 pm

    I say you call the joint Hamster Dog, and call it a day.

    • Faye May 5, 2016 / 8:40 pm

      Hamster Dog Pub can be the name of the watering hole in CuteTropolis.

  30. Sedro6 May 5, 2016 / 4:29 pm

    CUTEopolis

  31. Murray C. May 5, 2016 / 7:26 pm

    One thought I have – please don’t put it up for a vote!?

    • Faye May 5, 2016 / 8:42 pm

      No voting. Input is nice. NTMTOM needs to be in charge. Or we’ll get Boaty McBoatface

  32. Not That Mike The Other Mike May 5, 2016 / 10:35 pm

    Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. Based upon the feedback, I’ve taken some steps that should alleviate concerns about the spelling of the site name that some people raised. Since everyone’s had a chance to share their views, I’m closing the comments thread, but I’ll open a new thread for Q&A just before any major changes take place.

Comments are closed.