Time does fly. Seems like it was only yesterday when I became unceremoniously jobless, not knowing if the automotive industry still had a place for me. And just like that, this website is now six years old. For this, I express my gratitude to the Almighty and to all those He used to make this humble concept a reality.
To mark this little occasion, let me share the story of how the name VISOR came about.
In my last days in my previous employment—while using my terminal leave and anxiously drifting in the office (yes, I was so pathetic that I stuck around while on leave waiting for my last day)—I conceptualized the website you’re reading now. The nitty-gritty of the business wasn’t the hardest part of the challenge; I had been doing this for so long that I was sure I could rehash it in my sleep. Okay, maybe not. But you get the point.
The most difficult part in cooking up this website—at least for me—was coming up with…a name.
Believe it or not, I stressed so much about this. I can still see myself fidgeting inside my former cubicle while trying to conjure up a website name that, hopefully, had a nice ring to it. The name obviously had to do with “cars” and “transportation” and “mobility.”
Should I name the website Oversteer? Corny.
Torque? Already taken.
Jaunt? Too pretentious.
Move? Too woke.
Fortunately, I had a copy of the Road & Track Illustrated Automotive Dictionary. I went straight to the “V” section. I wanted a word starting with the first letter of my name. Thankfully but crucially, the choices were few.
Valve? Too commercial-sounding.
Vehicle? Too generic.
Velocity? Too Hollywoodish.
Viscosity? Too technical.
Volt? Maybe if I had known that the industry would be crazy about electric cars, why not?
Ah, but my attention was drawn to Visor. The definition, according to the car dictionary:
A thin, flip-down panel stowed above the windshield for shading the driver’s and the front passenger’s eyes from glare.
A smart choice, I thought, since the word also applied to safety helmets. Something many road users could relate to.
And like a gift that kept on giving, the use of “glare” in the definition also provided our slogan: MOBILITY STORIES WITHOUT THE GLARE.
Initially, I worried that the name wouldn’t be cool enough to catch attention. A brand, after all, could make or break a business. But my misgivings turned out to be baseless. I now believe that it was God who gave us this name. Nothing is random in life—I know this now. I wouldn’t have any other name for our website.
Thank you for your support, guys. We promise to always strive to be better. May the Lord bless you all.
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