The characteristics of a good name

To understand and achieve what you want begins to discard what you do not. 

Mark Twain

Why is it important

How to get started

How can I help you

Choosing a product or service’s name is very important. Each choice signals its essence and what it wants to reveal about itself. The choice is the result of a strategic evaluation of marketing that accounts for all aspects and use in a specific context. It should fit and be effective.

The success of your business’ product or service extends to your name. The heart of your brand goes into the name you have chosen, and then into its visual representation—a logo—and slogan you choose to define and make it memborable.

What features

should it have?

  • unique
  • durable
  • simple
  • expandable
  • relevant
  • transversal
  • unforgettable

 

The next step

  • Do not evaluate names created. Censorship and criticism are the next step.
  • Work on creating lots of possible names. The larger the base, the better the end result. For once, quantity beats quality.
  • Don’t use logic, method, or reason. Leave room for creativity.
  • No idea is stupid. The seemingly misplaced or ridiculous names produced by free association can lead to positive and interesting results.

 

Let's discuss your naming project! 

  1. Ask yourself these questions and write down the answers:

  • What kind of product or service is it? What does your company do?
  • What are the core products or services?
  • What words best describe your brand?
  • What is your value proposition—the answer to the question, “Why should people choose us?”
  • What you would like to be recognized for? (i.e., specialization, originality, internationalization, etc.)
  • Who is the main target?
  • Who are your main competitors?
  • What are the names of competing products?
  • Does the name has to live alongside other product names?
  • Is the product traditional, or does it open a new genre or type?
  • Is the product marketed online and exported to other market, requiring attention to be paid to the name’s meaning in other languages?

  1. What to do next

Some tips to help you find the right name:

  • Play with letters: Start with parts of a word, then branch out (technology-> Wi-Fi). Begin by changing first the vowels, then maybe a consonant, double meanings, accents, and every aspect of your word (i.e., changing different parts of the word combination always gets different results).
  • Combine words: Skype (sky + peer-to-peer), Wikipedia (wiki + encyclopaedia), Alitalia (Ali + Italy), Lego (Leg + godt), Luxottica (Lux + Ottica)
  • List (famous) brands that you like: Yoox, Trivago, Mozilla, Geox.
  • Use all available sources: Geography, fairy tales and mythology (Nike), astronomy, animals (Reebok), people (Adidas names) and mathematics (Google).
  • Avoid acronyms, though not always.

These are some hints, but to put a true naming project into practice, you need experience, expertise, and the right tools.

 Choose a name

I can help you choose a brand that is not longer than three words, because it must be easy to remember, simple, and easily associated with the product. A brand should reflect your target market and tell all about your product.

 Create a Slogan

I can create a short and catchy slogan that in two or three words lets people know why they should buy your product or what it can do for them. It should evoke positive feelings and confidence in your brand and reflect its personality.

 Design a logo

The logo is a powerful symbol, provided it is used consistently and as often as possible. As with a slogan and name, a logo should represent all of a product. It can be as simple or complex as you want, as long as it is easily recognizable and identifiable with a specific product

Some hints 

  1. Look around you: Get familiar with the environment in which your company will survive.
  2. Do not forget the corporate image: The naming is combined with the logo, and the link between these two is crucial because it creates credibility through consistency. If it parts from an existing logo, you can use it to find keywords to search and analyze.
  3. Make a list, preferably written and as long as possible, that includes keywords and associations of ideas that come to mind. Remove any that seem out of place, and you’ll get a solid starting point from which to build your name.
  4. Aim for simplicity, not the obvious: Apple may seem like a trivial name, but the company has established itself globally over the years. A similar name will not work with a small company somewhere in a province. Also consider that Apple was Apple Computer at the very beginning.
  5. You’ll finish by having a list of more coherent, logical, and harmonious words and concepts. Mix them together, combine them, edit, misspell, mangle them if necessary!
  6. Last step: Use your head! With friends, lovers, relatives ... what was a mental linear path for you to get the right name might be incomprehensible to others. You must be sure that it is easy for everyone to understand. Ask the opinion of others. If everyone understands what it refers to, you did a good job!