Coming up with a name for a business is a careful process. You want it to be something that encompasses what you are, but also has depth, meaning, and some soul to it. You want it to be cutting edge, but it also has to be timeless.
At Ekko, our name means a great deal to us. It’s not just a random catchy word we liked, but it’s a real reflection of who we are. Over the years, many people have asked about the meaning of “Ekko,” and now we want to take the time to define ourselves for you all.
As a business, the meaning of Ekko comes from our desire to tell your story. Whoever you are and whatever you do, we want your story to flood into the eyes and ears of all who come to experience it. We may build websites, create brands, and film videos, but at our heart, we’re storytellers and we are all about telling your story to the people that you need to hear it.
But there is deeper meaning behind the name Ekko. An implication that means a great deal to us on a very personal level.
It Starts With Nature
We love admiring the details of nature. The other day my wife said to me, “I think God’s favorite color is green.” When I asked ‘why’ she responded with, “Just look around.” She’s right, it does seem to be the color He dipped his brush into most often. And we can learn some incredible things about design by simply taking in the world around us.
The brilliant mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci came up with a sequence of expansion called “The Golden Ratio” that both trained and untrained designers follow, sometimes without even knowing it. When you look at a design, you often think to yourself “that feels right” or “something is off.” Well, Fibonacci is the one who pin-pointed what “feels right” about the spacing and sizing of a design. (You can get a full explanation here)
But here’s what’s incredible about his ratio: It is already found within the visible world. Everywhere you look, you will see design in nature that perfectly follows Fibonacci’s golden ratio. Here are some examples:
God may have “read ahead” and decided to use Fibonacci’s ratio to precisely design the visible world, but it’s likely that Fibonacci simply tapped into the design mind of God and found that He has a specific taste when creating–like any designer does. And good design taps into the true and right nature that we were originally designed for. Good design reflects the Ultimate Designer. (click to tweet that) We call it the “Ekko Principle,” and it’s what we strive for every time we create.
Learn From The Greats
Click The Image To Tweet This Brilliant Tolkien Principal
The adored and reknowned author JRR Tolkien gave us the foundation for the Ekko Principle. He coined a term for what he liked to call “sub-creation.” The idea behind sub-creation is that we were all created by God with what the Bible calls the “Imago Dei,” or the “Image of God.” This Imago Dei doesn’t mean we “look” like God, but rather that we carry characteristics of him, the same way my own son bears characteristics of me. So when Tolkien would write legends and craft new worlds for us to relish in, he was reflecting the Image of God that was placed within him by his Creator.
At Ekko, we have a passion for great design. It’s what drives us everyday when we boot up our MacBooks and get after it. We have a palpable love for creating. We often tell clients that all we do is arrange pixels on a screen, but we don’t believe that’s nearly as trivial as it sounds. Rather, we believe our passion for creating is instilled in us by God. When we design, we are mirroring the image of the Ultimate Creator that lies within us. We are following the Ekko Principle.
Not only do we want to tell your story, but we want to express the image of God inside of us. We want to reflect our Creator, we want to imitate His uncanny skill to design.
And that, when the day is done, is why we’re in the industry of design, why we love to create, why we push ourselves to limits of our abilities. That is why we are Ekko.