The Field Guide to Naming
Introduction
Welcome to the Field Guide for Naming, by Good Brands Creative.
Naming is one of the hardest things to do in branding, regardless of whether you’re an existing brand or new. Some of the things you have to consider include symbolism, etymology, history, linguistics, psychology, emotion, storytelling, opinions, culture, letterform, copyright, design, opinions, interpersonal dynamics, business strategy, and competition. And even if you can come up with a great name idea that everyone agrees on (not possible) — guess what? It’s probably taken by another brand!
This Field Guide is your primer and tool for the journey of naming. It won’t be easy. But at least you’ll know what you’re facing and be equipped to navigate your way through it.
Good luck.
Name Categories
Alliteration – same letter or sound at the beginning of the word
DunkinDonuts, PayPal
Acronym – formed from the initial letters and pronounced as a word
IBM, BMW, UPS
Conjoined - names that are a combination of two or more ideas
FedEx, Instagram, Netflix
Descriptive - deliberately clear descriptions or attributes
Bed Bath & Beyond, United Health
Emotive - Meant to evoke an emotion; uses an existing word
Uber, The Honest Company, Triumph Motorcycles
Invented - completely made-up words
Google, Kodak
Metaphorical - Names that borrow from stories or cultural icons
Nike, Virgin, Starbucks, Oracle
Origin - Names that pay tribute to a specific inspiration
Patagonia, Hilton, Ford, Johnson & Johnson
Playful – Names that challenge the ordinary
Yahoo!, Monster, KaBoom
Random – Completely random words that will be appropriate over time
Twitter, Slack
Technical – Names that blend a mix of modern words, tech language, and function
Panasonic, Xerox
Guide to Identifying Good Names
Is it ownable?
Finding a good name is like finding a needle in a stack of needles: it’s hard to come up with a good name. It’s harder to come up with a great name. But it’s nearly impossible to come up with a great name that hasn’t been trademarked. So in all likelihood, your name idea is going to be taken. That’s why invented or altered names are popular. That’s also why we don’t ask if it’s unique. Instead, ask if it is taken in your market. Is your audience going to be confused? Can you ensure that to your audiences, in your market, you own that name – they’ll find you, and you will be the only version of that name they know and care about? Can you become the most recognizable, unique, and relevant version of that name when and where it matters to you? This will also go a long way towards copyright protection.
Does it tell a story?
A name can’t tell a story on its own, but it is the beginning of a story. Can you use it to tell a good story about your brand? Does it spark curiosity, questions, or interest? Note that we don’t want to have to tell a story about the name. So there should be some level of intuitiveness to it.
Is it easy to pronounce?
We want audiences to be able to grasp it intuitively. Can they pronounce it easily – and correctly? Say it out loud. Have colleagues, friends, family, strangers read it aloud. Any issues? Any risks? You can also borrow a term from the culinary world: does it have a good mouth-feel? Certain sounds can even evoke emotions: the wonder and vastness of the “oooh” in Google, the firmness and strength of the plosives in Kodak, the smiling “eee” in Disney.
Is it future-proof?
This is especially important to consider with descriptive, origin, and acronym names. Are you focusing too much on the past or present, and not enough on the future? If you focused on a founder, or a product/service, is it too narrow? E.g., as you expand your organization or offerings, will this name still be accurate? Imagine if you added a new line of business or market: would the name still accurately describe that future version of your brand? Choose a name that leaves you room to grow.
Is it memorable?
One of the most important roles of a brand name is to aid recall and recognition. A brand name that catches attention, evokes a good story, has a unique twist, or uses strong sounds and phonemes will be more memorable. You also want to make sure it is simple, pronounceable, and readable. Try showing it to friends, family, colleagues, or strangers and asking them to recall it a few minutes or days later. Even if they don’t get it right, do they remember the idea behind it? The story? Are there sounds they get correct? Those may be the elements you need to preserve as you iterate.
What are your first, second, and spontaneous impressions?
First impressions are important with a name, but they’re not everything. The name is the beginning of a story; your brand is the story you tell around it. But first impressions can be useful data points: How did you feel when you first saw it? How did you feel after a few days? Try the name out like a new pair of shoes: walk around in it, break it in (i.e., use it over the course of a few days, say it out loud, write it down, tell a story explaining the name). How does it feel now? Try introducing yourself with it. Add your title. Mock up your email signature. Your business cards (do people still use those?). Update your resume with it. Add it to your LinkedIn (just don’t hit save!). How does it look in those contexts?
One great method we recommend: Write it on sticky notes and place them around your office and home to catch yourself off guard. How did it strike you in those moments when you saw it and you hadn’t been thinking about it?
Does it work in other languages?
We don’t want any nasty surprises here. You should mostly focus on the languages in your market with your target audiences, but it’s a good bet to do a watchout check in the major world languages. The last thing you want is to be named after the Mandarin word for defecate. It’s 船尾.
Can you spell it?
It may sound simple, but if someone hears your name first instead of seeing it, will they be able to spell it correctly? If it’s altered or invented, and you do need to explain how to spell it, could you do it quickly — e.g., in a 15-second radio spot? If they see it first instead of hear it, will they be able to pronounce it?
Does it sound OK?
Say it out loud. How does it feel to say it? How does it feel to hear it? How a brand sounds is an important part of brand naming called sound symbolism. This is the meaning not of the word, but of the sounds that make up the name both as you speak it and hear it. Sound symbolism influences how we interpret a name, as well as how likely we are to remember it. Certain names can sound bigger or smaller, faster or slower, calmer or more energetic, innovative or trustworthy, etc. The vowels and consonants in the name (see the Glossary) are important parts of sound symbolism. Even the shape your mouth makes and how you form the words can influence the meaning we give to a brand name. Think about what you mean when you say “Oh!” vs “Ah!”. Google would sound a lot different if it were called Giggle. There are lots of interesting studies on sound symbolism, including how it relates to brand naming.
Does it have story appeal?
This is where Exercise No. 3 is useful. Are you able to craft a story around the name, using it as a starting point? If you explain the name ( hopefully it doesn't require explaining to be effective, but when you do) does it make sense? It is a compelling story, or is it recursive — a story about the name, rather than the idea which is behind both the name and the story? Does the name spark interest, i.e., are audiences curious about the story behind it, and can they start to imagine or tell a story themselves?
Does it relate to your brand strategy?
You want your name to fit into the larger brand story you’re telling, not to have to build a brand around explaining a name — that sounds frustrating. The name should align with your mission, vision, personality, brand values, etc. And not just the meaning of the name, but the sound symbolism too. Note that deciding the name might also be a chance to revisit your brand strategy, not to alter the underlying strategy behind it, but some of the word choices and narrative to ensure alignment.
Stop: Are you asking it to do much?
We’ve asked a lot of questions here. And maybe the answers aren’t universally positive. That may be OK. This is a guide, but in the vast wilderness of naming a brand, you also have to use your instincts. After all, it’s only a few letters. Maybe one word, hopefully no more than a few. It can’t tell the whole story of your organization. It can’t explain your entire brand strategy. It’s subjective; some people might interpret it in an off-brand way. And that may be OK. The most important things are: does it have potential, is it ownable, and is it usable? We’ve given you the tools in this field guide to make these judgment calls and survive the adventure that comes.
Naming Exercise No.1
One of the best places to start is identifying which categories appeal to you and which do not. Try not to box yourself in; be open to categories that might not be your first choice. Those ideas might not be the final name, but they could spark something interesting in a more appealing category. But it’s helpful to identify any categories you absolutely cannot or will not do because of real barriers. And it’s helpful to spot where your preferences naturally go.
Now for each of your viable categories, come up with 3 name ideas. They don’t have to be good, in fact they’ll likely be bad. And even more likely, they won’t work or be viable. But get them down. Go through the exercise. Get your creativity flowing. And do at least 3 for all of the categories, even the categories that you don’t like as much. Those may spark ideas elsewhere.
Naming Exercise No.2
What three words would you use to describe your brand? These should be the best three words, don’t try to come up with a name here but an important feeling, emotion, goal, or value you want to be strongly associated with the brand.
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You can do more than 3, but also force yourself to prioritize 3 here and identify what matters most to you.
Now, do any of these words, or their synonyms, lend themselves to names? Go through the name categories and see if these 3 words inspire ideas in each category. Here are exercises for 5 of the categories:
Conjoined: Do these words combine to an interesting format? Can you take a portion of any of these words and use them as part of a conjoined name?
Invented: Can you come up with a made-up name that evokes these words or sounds similar without being exactly the same?
Descriptive: Do any of these words lend themselves to being a literal name?
Playful: Do these words remind you of a sound or feeling you can capture in a playful name? If the word was an action, what would it sound or look like?
Random: Make up words that remind you of these actual words. Don’t overthink it, just get it down on paper. Your first 5 ideas might be bad, but as your conscious mind takes a back seat, something surprising might come out.
Naming Exercise No.3
We’re going to focus on creating a strong story/narrative for your brand first. There are a couple of ways to do this; pick the prompt that works best for you:
Write a 30-second elevator pitch for how you would describe your brand to a key audience. You can also say it out loud and write it down after.
Write a 3-4 sentence paragraph telling the story of your brand. This could follow the format of who you are, what you do, and why it matters.
Tell the story of your brand as a hero. What problem do you solve, who do you help, why does it matter, and how are things different because of your brand?
Now, take the narrative you wrote and write down words that capture the core ideas and essence of the story. These can be single words, sounds, hyphenated words, or invented words (any of the name categories). Go for volume – as many ideas as you can write down. Again, your first few ideas may be terrible. But as you warm up and let go, your ideas will start to flow and you may surprise yourself with where your mind goes as you let it wander.
Name Glossary
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
Field Notes
A needle in a stack of needles
Finding a good name is like finding a needle in a stack of needles. It’s easy to come up with hundreds of names. It’s less easy to find names that work for your brand and follow some of the best practices in this Field Guide. But it’s nearly impossible to then find a name that isn’t taken. Trademark searches are where your heart gets broken. That’s why vowels get dropped, spellings get changed, and words get invented. Be open, keep going.
Sound symbolism
Sound symbolism is an important example of paying attention to all the different ways a name will be interpreted: visually, audibly, physically, emotionally, and intellectually. How people hear, speak, and construct a word can have an impact on the meaning they assign to it (that’s sound symbolism); it’s not the only way the name will be understood, but it’s an important part of evaluating the name.
Languages
It’s a good idea to check your name’s meaning in other languages for direct translations as well as similar pronunciations. You (or your creative agency) is probably going to have to use a service for this, but if you’re only checking the languages of markets where you operate, you may have native speakers on your team or in your network you can use. If you think your brand will enter markets in the future, it’s a good idea to check those languages now rather than later. For a fun bit of trivia, the most spoken languages in the world are (in order): English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, French, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, and Urdu. Note if you’re operating in a region you may want to add the adjacent languages; e.g., if you’re in the European market, you might include German, Italian, etc.
Infuse it with meaning
Especially for names that are invented, conjoined, playful, random, or metaphorical, you may have to create the meaning behind the word. If it’s not an existing word, or if it’s not a term or reference that people are readily familiar with, it could be a blank slate to your audiences (or nothing more than the sound symbolism). The narrative you create around the name will give the word itself meaning, symbolism, and associations. Work hard to tell this story and explain the name when you preview and launch the brand.
Don’t overburden it
Remember, as you evaluate this name but also as you launch it, not to expect it to tell your entire story. Support it with an explanatory narrative, messaging, resources, and content. Put the name in front of people with context. It’s helpful to have a single short sentence that people can easily remember and always use when introducing the name or using it in conversation or content.
Five letters or less
Some of the best brand names are 5 letters or less. Research has shown that this is optimal for memory and retention. Think Fedex, Kodak, Apple, and more. Of course, longer names can be effective too (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!). The thing about rules in brand is that sometimes breaking them is best. But brevity can be a powerful tool if it aligns with your brand.
