The latin roots of the word context mean “with text.”

In our creative endeavors we often strive to be clever. I came to storytelling after a thorough mentorship in marketing from my bosses at 3D Realms. Positioning is everything, which is why the soon-to-be-released game Prey features a Native American character named Tommy Hawk. Get it? Har har.

However, there can be a shortsightedness in trying to be so clever.

For every Tommy Hawk there is a James Bond. Ian Fleming explained that he chose the name because it was the most generic name he could come up with. It had no pre-built associations–a blank slate.

It worked out pretty well, don’t you think?

This Design Observer article agrees.

So which do you prefer? Ideas with pre-built associations? Or the blank slate?

If you prefer the blank slate, how do you propose to build a healthy, marketable context for your brand?