Welcome back to Summer School. This week, we’re exploring naming: one of the most visible, memorable and ownable elements of a brand.
A name is the shortest brand story. It can clarify what you do, signal change or spark a feeling. Whether you’re naming a new or existing organization, program or initiative, the right name can make it easier for people to understand, choose and champion it.
But naming is not just a creative exercise. It is also a strategic process. Our three-part approach will help you navigate that process with confidence and land on a name that audiences — internal and external — can rally behind.
Naming Brief
Naming begins and ends with a brief — the parameters and criteria that guide creative exploration and define what success looks like.
In just one to two pages, it should outline the challenge, context and competitive landscape, using the brand strategy as a starting point for strategic ideas and creative territories to explore.
The brief will not only help steer name generation but will also set the criteria for judging name options and choosing your final winner. A useful brief includes:
- Objective: What the name needs to do
- Audience: Who the name needs to reach
- Peer Context or Inspiration: Where the name will need to stand out among
- Brand Strategy: How your organization or offering is compelling and different
- Creative Considerations: What conceptual territories you’ll explore or avoid
Name Development
Now it’s time for the fun part: generating names. Because there are more trademarks than there are words in the dictionary, creativity and volume matters here. Depending on your brief and objective, most names fall into a few broad categories:
- Descriptive: Clearly explains the offering or category
- Expressive: Suggests a benefit, emotion or point of difference while remaining relatively clear
- Evocative or Abstract: Uses metaphor, association or invention to create meaning over time
Although useful, try to move beyond the thesaurus where plenty of names have already been used and legally claimed. Get creative by:
- Engaging your senses (e.g., the sights, sounds and feel of your strategy)
- Turning abstract concepts into concrete actions and objects (e.g., an “opportunity” is an “opening” like a “front door”)
- Shaking up your routine (e.g., take a walk, use pen and paper)
Once you have a longlist of names, narrow it down to 10–15 options that fit the brief and are most viable. Names need to be believable and easy to read, spell and pronounce. If your audiences speak different languages, you may also consider translatability and cultural nuances.
Lastly — but most importantly — your shortlist should be pre-screened through trademark and web searches. This critical step will narrow your list down further to names that are available and as close to legally protectable as possible.
Name Selection
No matter if it’s a brand, a boat or a baby, naming is subjective. So before you share or present naming options, use the brief to remind people what the goal and role of the name is. A name cannot say everything. It typically communicates one or two things well: what it says and how it makes people feel.
That means the strongest name may not be everyone’s personal favorite at first. It may be the one that best supports the strategy, creates the right associations, feels distinctive in context or can inspire more storytelling.
But a name will not do all the work alone. It will have the support of a messaging platform, visual identity and experiences that will also bring your brand to life.
When a name is strategically grounded, creatively distinct and legally protectable, it can become one of the most powerful expressions of what a brand is ready to become.
Questions about naming? Let’s chat — connect with us here.
