A quick internet search will tell you there are five “most common” types of brand names, six “name categories,” seven “popular” types of brand names, 10 “types of brand names to consider,” three “categories” of brand names that include over 13 types of names, and 18 types of product names. In case your head isn’t […]
naming approach
Definition: What is a naming approach?
A naming approach is how a brand name connects to qualities or ideas related to the underlying brand (e.g., descriptive names, suggestive names, abstract names).
Definition: What is a naming construct?
A naming construct is how a brand name is structured (e.g., real-word names, coined names, compound names).
Definition of abstract brand name (What is an abstract brand name?)
An abstract brand name is a brand name with no apparent connection to the underlying brand.
Definition: What is a descriptive brand name?
A descriptive brand name is a brand name that clearly describes what it refers to (e.g., a feature, product, service, or organization).
Definition: What is a suggestive brand name?
A suggestive brand name is a brand name that evokes a quality of the underlying brand.
A seven-step process for brand naming
I worked on my first naming assignment about 15 years ago at Interbrand San Francisco. I liked it so much that after leaving Interbrand, I decided to start moonlighting as a freelance namer for agencies all over the world, and I started to gain insights into each agency’s process for brand naming. I’ve since lived […]
How to improve your naming process
In my experience, brand consultants are a contrarian lot. We agree on very little, right down to the best definition of “brand.” The high-level naming process, however, may be a rare point of consensus: create a brief, generate ideas (often hundreds), shortlist, prescreen, and present. If necessary, repeat. But as any home chef will tell […]
What to include in a naming brief
How to write a naming brief; a list of what to include
