Shapeways OTTO: Digital manufacturing platform naming

Catchword developed the name for an end-to-end digital manufacturing platform from Shapeways, an international leader in advanced 3D printing solutions.



Founded in 2007 with facilities in New York and the Netherlands, Shapeways is at the forefront of digital manufacturing services and technology, most notably 3D printing. As its digital manufacturing business scaled up, Shapeways developed a platform to increase efficiencies and manage operations. Combined with the company’s wide selection of materials and technologies, this platform virtually eliminates manufacturing barriers and automates a complex process, accelerating product development and delivery.



Most manufacturers use multiple tools in an unintegrated, patchwork workflow. Although a number of companies were offering software and services for a piece of the manufacturing process, none provided an end-to-end solution. Shapeways realized its solution would empower manufacturers to address such inefficiencies to deliver even more value to their customers. The company tapped Catchword to create a brand name for the SaaS product.



Catchword worked closely with the Shapeways team to understand the market space and business objectives, clarify brand strategy, and define naming parameters to guide creative development. We created more than 1400 names, shortlisted 120. After screening, the client selected OTTO, a friendly, reassuring name that, like this platform, wraps a lot of value into one streamlined package.



OTTO sounds like a helpful personal assistant, your digital buddy, while also recalling automatic and automated. The word’s construction is as impactful as its tone and meaning and offers rich possibilities for design. OTTO’s spelling economy (only 2 different letters) emphasizes the system’s efficiency and simplicity. Its symmetry suggests balance and order, its brevity streamlining and speed. The repeated Os underscore the solution’s multiple end-to-end capabilities—this full circle of service goes from start to finish to start again.



Shapeways was delighted with the name and launched OTTO in October 2021.