Discover the art of brand naming with Brand Purist. Our tailored process blends creativity with strategy, transforming your vision into a resonant and distinctive brand name. This article is a deep dive into different facets of naming and how we craft meaningful names.
What is brand naming?
Brand naming is the creative process of developing a unique and memorable name for a brand, whether it’s a product, service, or an entire organisation.
Why is the brand name important?
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First impressions and identity
The brand name is typically the first encounter with your business, influencing initial impressions and setting the tone for future interactions.
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Differentiation in the market
In a crowded market, your brand name distinguishes your business and highlights what makes it unique.
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Memorability and customer loyalty
A memorable brand name plays a crucial role in fostering customer recognition and loyalty.
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Psychological impact
A name that resonates positively with customers can influence their perceptions and motivate their choice of your brand.
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Versatility in marketing
A well-chosen brand name enhances marketing campaigns, inspiring creative concepts, slogans, taglines, and more.
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More than a name
Ultimately, a brand name is more than just a word or phrase; it’s a vital part of your brand identity, driving decisions and growth.
What makes a strong brand name?
A powerful brand name captures your brand’s essence, and conveys its personality and values. It resonates with your audience and helps them recognise and recall your brand.
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A strong brand name is relevant
It feels right for your industry, your audience and your organisation.
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A strong brand name stands out
It helps you differentiate your organisation from its competition.
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A strong brand name matches your identity
It’s aligned with your brand purpose, values and personality.
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A strong brand name is easy to explain
Or better, it’s self-explanatory.
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A strong brand name is short and easy to spell
It’s easy for people to understand on a phone call or type it in the browser.
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A strong brand name is future-proof
It doesn’t go out of fashion easily and allows your organisation to evolve or pivot.
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BONUS – A strong brand name inspires design
It can be expressed visually, making the design process all that much smoother.
Challenges of brand naming
Brand naming is a complex and nuanced process. Finding the right name poses challenges which require a blend of creativity, strategic thinking, and thorough research. Once achieved, your brand name becomes an integral part of your brand’s identity.
Emotional connection
The brand name should evoke the right feelings. For example, a luxury brand needs a name that conveys exclusivity and elegance, while a children's brand might look for something playful and approachable. The challenge lies in finding a name that not only reflects the brand’s identity but also creates an emotional bond with the audience.
Differentiation
Differentiating a brand in a saturated market isn’t easy. Cutting through the noise involves thorough research to avoid similarities with existing names and ensuring that the name is memorable. The name should clearly communicate what sets the brand apart, be it innovation, tradition, quality, or any other unique selling proposition.
Listening to feedback
Balancing feedback with the brand's vision is key in the naming process. You should listen to the target audience, stakeholders, and legal advisors, but too many opinions can lead to confusion and compromise. Strike a balance between being receptive to constructive feedback and staying true to the brand’s vision and goals.
Common mistakes in brand naming and how to avoid them
When it comes to naming, there are several common mistakes that businesses often make without proper professional help. By being aware of these common pitfalls and actively working to avoid them, you can choose a brand name that effectively and positively represents your organisation.
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Too complex or hard to pronounce
Keep it simple and intuitive. Test the name with diverse groups to ensure it’s easily pronounceable and memorable.
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Overly descriptive or literal
While clarity is important, overly descriptive names can be limiting as your business grows. Opt for more versatile names that allow for future expansion.
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Neglecting cultural sensitivity
Conduct thorough research to ensure your brand name does not have negative connotations in other languages or cultures.
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Choosing trendy names
Avoid names that are too tied to current trends or slang, as they might not age well. At one time brands were going for misspellings like Flickr or Tumblr but this is no longer ideal. Aim for a timeless name.
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Forgetting SEO and online presence
Consider your brand name’s impact on online searchability. A unique name can simplify SEO efforts and improve online presence.
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Ignoring checks for trademark and domain availability
Before settling on a name, perform thorough trademark searches and ensure the domain is available to avoid legal issues later.
Types of brand names
There are various types of brand names, each with its unique characteristics. Choosing the right type of brand name depends on your brand’s personality, target audience and market positioning.
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Descriptive names
These names directly describe the product or service offered by the brand (e.g. General Motors, Lastminute.com).
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Real names
Named after the founder or a notable figure in the company (e.g., Ford, named after Henry Ford; Disney, named after Walt Disney).
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Invented or neologisms
These are completely made-up words or names (e.g. Kodak, Xerox).
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Geographical
These include the name of a region or place (e.g., Patagonia, named after a region; Cisco, shortened from San Francisco).
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Mash-up or compound names
Combining two words to create a new meaning (e.g. Facebook, YouTube).
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Portmanteaus or combined words
Blending parts of two or more words to create a new word (e.g. Pinterest from “pin” and “interest”; Uniqlo from “Unique” and “Clothing”).
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Founder names
Named after the founder or a notable figure in the company (e.g. Ford after Henry Ford, Disney after Walt Disney).
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Fictional or mythical
These names are based on characters or elements from mythology or fiction. They often carry connotations related to the stories or traits of these mythical entities (e.g. Hermes, Mars).
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Metaphorical
Metaphorical names use symbolism to represent the brand’s values, vision, or the experience it offers. These names are not literal but have an underlying meaning that resonates with the brand’s identity (e.g. Tesla, Nike).
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Latin or Greek sounding
These names are crafted to sound like they’re derived from Latin or Greek, giving them a classical, sophisticated and often scientific aura (e.g. Sonos, Aviva).
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Acronyms
These are names formed from the initial letters of a longer name or phrase (e.g. IBM from International Business Machines, NASA from National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
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Misspelled
These are names that deliberately misspell real words, often to make the brand name more unique or memorable (e.g. Google, Flickr).
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-ly, -fy
These names end with "-ly" or "-fy," giving them a playful, tech-savvy feel. They used to be trendy among startups but their popularity has faded significantly (e.g. Spotify, Weebly).
Our brand naming process
At Brand Purist, our brand naming process is both thorough and collaborative. Workshops and brainstorming sessions help us explore a broad spectrum of naming possibilities. This ensures the final name not only resonates with your audiences but also stands out from the competition.
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Research
We start with a research phase to understand your industry and market. It’s helpful to learn from competitors’ naming successes and mistakes. We establish what kind of names resonate with your target audiences.
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Strategy
The insights we uncovered feed into the brand strategy. We crystallise your brand purpose, core values and personality. These provide a foundation for your entire brand and also influence the direction of your brand name.
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Criteria
We establish a criteria that your brand name needs to meet (see inspiration in the ‘Common mistakes’ and ‘Strong brand names’ sections). Having a relatively objective benchmark keeps the creative exploration within realistic bounds.
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Name generation
We generate lots of names, sometimes even hundreds. Though most names are discarded, this expansive approach often reveals unexpected gems. There are rare occasions when thinking through the brand name slowly and logically delivers a solution that’s just perfect, and also available as a domain name.
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Assessment
Once we have a list of potential names, we test them in context. We write a few sentences with them and integrate them into visual templates, then evaluate these names against our established criteria.
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Feedback
We gather feedback from key stakeholders on a shortlist of names. If the options don’t meet expectations, we repeat steps 4-6 until you’re happy, or hit the project deadline, or budget ceiling.
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Design
Once we’ve identified a suitable name, the design phase begins. Ideally, the chosen brand name seamlessly translates into a meaningful visual concept.
Brand naming examples
Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, helping them find the perfect name for their brand. From startups to established businesses, our portfolio showcases our ability to create names that capture the brand’s essence and leave a lasting impression.
Mind Detect
A rigorous process helped find the right brand name for Mind Detect. The name needed to align with the brand values of being adaptive, perceptive and honest. It also needed to be protectable and available to register as a domain address. The Mind Detect name met all of these requirements, and more: it also inspired a design solution with animations.
Spell Change
The name needed to be meaningful, energetic and in line with the brand strategy. ‘Spell Change’ captures the essence of the brand of ‘moving people, driving change and creating a better world. The name is short, memorable and gives the company a sense of credibility, right from the start.
Shape Beyond
Naming is often the most challenging aspect of branding. We set ourselves strict deadlines to deliver an evocative name. The Shape Beyond name is the result of hard, collaborative work. It expresses the idea of transforming and shaping businesses, while going beyond expectations. It also captures the idea of nurturing future business leaders.