The Art of the Brand Name

A good name sets your brand apart, shifts perspectives and influences your business. Think of some big brands - apple, Twitter, or Meta for example. Had they chosen Plum, Chirp, or Space instead, they just wouldn’t have had the same impact, partly because each name works perfectly with the product, and partly because of important factors like sound, memorability and semantics.

Finding a good name can be hard, though. Just like naming a child, it’s subjective stuff, peppered with personal opinion, prejudices and biases. That’s why when I’m working on brand naming, I really focus on strategy over subjectivity. Because if you can tap into a your brand positioning and how you want your customers to feel and think when they see your product, then you’re more likely to get nods around the room.

The importance of positioning

Before considering a verbal identity for a company or product, a brand must first be clear of its promise to customers and what makes it unique. Brands must begin with the end in mind, working backwards in a funnel-like way from the selling proposition by asking themselves:

• What is our purpose?

• What makes us different?

• What gives us the advantage?

At first thought, naming a brand sounds simple enough. Just think of the product, come up with a few names that work, narrow it down to one that you like, and hope it makes an impact. Right? Wrong. Brand naming is one of the most important parts of creating a brand, and you can’t just focus on which name you like the most, it has to be rooted in strategy. Which is why it is paramount to have a solid process to coming up with a good one.

A brand naming brief

A naming brief is essential for getting it right. This is usually a short document outlining the parameters and criteria for the name to be developed, which will help you align on details like what the name should express, what approaches are acceptable (e.g., descriptive names) or what approaches are out of bounds (e.g., no made up words).

My advice for brands? Start by looking back over your positioning and strategy (if you need help with this, then ping me a message), and then write your naming brief. Then go wild and brainstorm as many different names and categories as you can, using as many different naming tools you can.

There are countless ways to come up with a name online, from using first names or characters from books, to rhyming words or made up words. But whatever you choose has to work for your brand, both for the type of brand it is and your positioning. Being broad initially will ensure you’re not missing a potential avenue or interesting angle, but have really explored the whole playing field. A recent brand I named involved an exploration of categories like education, emotion and selfhood, before thinking about etymology, semantics, the brand portfolio, translation, inclusivity and more.

How to create a strong brand name

As a reminder, a good brand name is:

• Unique and distinctive

• Easy to pronounce, identify and remember  

• Able to subtly hint about the product or key message, or holds a strong underlying meaning

• Easily translated into foreign languages (if it’s for a global brand)

• Aligned with the brand’s personality and positioning

• Not necessarily the “safest” option

• Longlasting, not just based on current trends.