This is Part I in a series of articles providing tips from the domain industry for a perfect .IO brand. In this opening part, we look at how .IO domain can be used to pull off the perfect ‘quirky’ brand for your business..

Branding the perfect quirky dot io

Because they are both vowels composed of a single line, the IO extension is quite visually appealing. And provides the crafty crea with the ever so slightest of platforms from which to further draw out this nuance — by delicately juxtaposing it with suitable letters to the left.

When it comes to pitching your brand offering in dot io, two takes that work great are the ‘quirky’ and the ‘cutesy’ approaches are the two major options here. As well asa combination of these two takes: The ‘quirky-cutesy’ approach.

Below, we lay out the ‘quirky’ option.

Tips for crafting a quirky .IO brand

If going for quirky, there are some tricks that work great in developing the identity texture, like using a short, slightly offbeat word. The palette here can draw on various different types of words. For example:

Shirk.io and Zizz.io (verbs);
Pulsant.io and Orbic.io (adjectives);
Scruple.io and Hooker.io (nouns).

In these examples, carefully choosing the target word allows a quirky interplay between the Second-Level Domain (SLD), or to the left of the dot, and the Top-Level Domain (TLD), to the right of the dot. The two elements fit together perfectly, while establishing an internal dynamic within the name — letting your domain usher the first sentence of a story that the user will feel drawn into.

Choosing target words that contain less commonly used letters in English — ‘z’, ‘x’, ‘q’, etc. also aids the quirky effect. Forcing the user to perhaps blink a second time before the click or move on. A good conceptualization exercise is to think of the high scroring letters in Scrabble. If your dream quirky brand can contain one, you might be on to a winnner!

This quirky letter styling plays perfectly with the .IO extension as the cool and calm brought by appending these two competent vowels of injects a sense of final order in the name. With an impactful ensemble the final result.

Astutely deploying literary devices like alliteration is also beneficial when crafting a quirky brand.

The attraction of quirky dot io brands

As elsewhere in the branding industry, this form also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more brands find success by following this path, the more brands tread this path in search of success. Luckily, neither this approach nor the .IO branding space is anywhere near saturation point, so you can surely quirkify your domain worryfree.

The deep beauty of such quirky dot io brands is that they make an impression, but not in a pushy way. Appearing competent, approachable and appealing to the user’s sense of curiosity and adventure.

If executed correctly, your quirky brand will stand ready to engage the user rather than divert them elsewhere. Giving an impression that playfully invites the user inside, rather than blasts them through the door.

And the brand stands to benefit all the more for it, the user is suitably wowed but also feels like their involvement is heeded and needed. Such an .IO brand comes off as appearing confident and content, in that it does not need to bowl over the consumer.

Instead, it chooses to send the message that there can be a fruitful meeting point — we do not need you on your knees when you come to the door.

If Zoom.com is the emphatic blonde yelling in the front row, Zizz.io is that strong brunette in the funky outfit a little towards the side, calmy sipping their drink and emanating a general glow of well-being. Confident in themselves and in the knowledge that not everyone has the desire, guile (or patience) to approach the blonde.

Check out Part II of this series, IO Branding Tricks — The ‘Cutesy’ Approach, where we explore how this popular extension can be used to execute the perfect oh so ‘cutesy’ brand.