What’s With The Fish?
You've seen it on our website. You may have noticed it on our promotional deck. And, it's been inked onto my left arm.
Meet “Swimmy.” The Strong Studio Mascot!
WHAT’S WITH THE FISH?
I was recently on a call with a potential client about a website project. After I gave my spiel, I asked if he had any questions. "Yeah. What's with the fish on your site? I don’t get it."
To be perfectly honest, I was caught off guard by the blunt question. It “just sorta happened,” and “just worked.” However it's time to explain why our adorable clownfish is perfect for us.
THE ORIGIN STORY
Like many great ideas, “Swimmy” (more on the name in a few more downward scrolls) was spawned by a happy accident.
After a long day in the Studio (and a longer night of teaching back-to-back classes at Pratt Institute), I was brainstorming with Kate about the perfect image to represent all that is Strong Studio dot com. Lots of ideas bounced around, but nothing stuck. We do this for our clients all the time, why is it so hard for ourselves?!
By 1am I was ready to give up and, as a joke, did a iStock photo search for our corporate colors using the term "orange, gray, white background, no people," and the first image to catch my eye was a clownfish — looking as lost as I felt. To my surprise, Kate’s response was an all caps “YES!” I figured that she was just as exhausted as I was and just wanted to shut down for the night.
After much thought (and some sleep), the clownfish was no longer a late night joke but instead embodied the Strong Studio spirit — always moving forward, always making people comfortable and smile, and always on brand.
And, did you know that clownfish have a symbiotic relationship with anemones...just like Strong Studio has with its clients? Bonus points!!
A FISH BY ANY OTHER NAME
Once we realized the clownfish was growing on us and wasn't just a fluke (fish pun), we began to love it even more.
It was our mascot and our digital pet as much as it was our corporate identity and attitude. But our clownfish needed a name, and a name needed a naming contest.
Contenders included: Clowny, Sushi, Appetizer, Taco, The Most Powerful Fish in the Sea, James, Banana, I like Turtles, Not Larry Bird, Swimmy, Creamsicle, Meh, MicrosoftSux, Swimming Is My Passion, and a few other inside jokes not worth the pixels.
We made an online poll and "Swimmy" edged out the other 47+ names by one vote — I think Swimmy got a total of three. Sorry “Cabeza de pescado por favor” and “Just for the halibut.”
NOT GOING ANYWHERE
As for the tattoo, that was my way of adding a bit of Strong Studio to my DNA during a trip to Milan in February 2020.
The tattoo is by my favorite artist who goes by the name Mambo. Long(ish) story short, I won a free tattoo from Mambo and planned a vacation around it, including Bologna, Venice, and Milan just a few weeks before the world went on lockdown. Mambo was amazing, and we’re pretty sure I’m not Patient Zero.
So there you have it. That's what's up with the fish, and the fish is what's up with Strong Studio. .
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