A Glossary of brand naming terms
Coming up with a new name is one of the most difficult things an organization can do. After all, your name is the most recognizable, consistent, front-and-center, and fundamental parts of your brand. And you’ve got to consider how it looks, sounds, and can be interpreted — completely subjectively, by anyone anytime. It needs to tell a story, get a trademark, be easy, be memorable, be unique, inspire, convey, not get you in trouble... Easy, right? Now throw in ego, factions, politics, and subjective opinions and you’ve got a harrowing journey ahead of you. How does anyone ever name anything?
This may be surprising, but we LOVE naming. Truly. Love it. It’s the ultimate puzzle. It’s the best combination of creative thinking and strategic thinking. Not just coming up with the name itself, but also navigating the process with our clients to get people excited, bought in, and inspired.
If you’re curious about naming, embarking on the journey, or just need to know what the key terms are, here’s our Glossary for Brand Naming terms for reference. Enjoy, and go be good!
Architecture – The organization of your brand and sub-brands (i.e., products or subsidiaries). Different types of brand architecture treat the naming of this system differently, but you may need your name to adapt to your entire architecture (Google, Apple, FedEx, and Virgin all borrow from the parent brand name for products in the architecture).
Back vowels - produced by the back of the mouth (like “o” or “u”), they can make a brand sound more grounded, authoritative, or big.
Etymology - The origin and historical development of a word, which can inform the meaning, associations, or recognition of a name.
Fricatives - Consonant sounds produced by forcing air through a narrow passage (like “f”, “s”, or “v”) they can make a name seem faster, nimble, or lighter.
Front vowels - vowels made with the front of the mouth (like “e” or “i”) that can make names seem lighter, brighter, or energetic.
Morphological - Refers to the structure and formation of words and parts of words (morphemes) like a suffix, prefix, or root word; crucial in crafting names that are meaningful, memorable, and have positive associations.
Nomenclature - The systematic naming conventions used within a brand or industry to ensure consistency and alignment.
Palindromes - Words or phrases that read the same forward and backward, often used in naming for memorability and visual symmetry.
Phonemes - The smallest units of sound in speech that distinguish one word from another, playing a key role in how a brand name is heard and remembered.
Phonetic structure - The overall arrangement of sounds in a word, how the name sounds, which can influence associations, meaning, and memorability.
Plosives - or stops, these are consonant sounds created by a burst of air (like "p," "b," or "t"), can make a brand seem bigger or more powerful.
Semantic relevance - the core meaning or message of the name.
Resonance - The emotional or cultural significance a brand name evokes in its audience, contributing to deeper brand connection and recall.
Sound Symbolism - The idea that certain sounds inherently convey meaning or emotion, influencing how a brand name is perceived beyond its literal definition.
Voiceless consonants - Consonant sounds made without the vocal cord vibration used in vowels (p, t, c, k, q, f, h, s, and x), can make names feel heavier or slower; this could also make a brand sound authoritative or trustworthy. If this is confusing, keep in mind the meaning can vary by industry.
Wordmark - The name presented in a distinctive typographic style, serving as a primary visual identifier for the brand.
About Good Brands Creative
We’re a creative studio on a mission to help brands be good: to know their audiences, have something of value to offer the world, and tell good stories. We’re senior creatives, marketers, and strategists offering everything needed to make a brand good: research, strategy, creative, content, marketing, and production. And yes, NAMING! We’ve worked with Fortune 100 brands, game-changing startups, and some of the biggest names in the world to build brands, products, and movements. Go and be good.
