From the outside looking in, naming looks easy. But, as complicated as corporate and brand strategy can be, naming is one of the hardest tasks we face. At BrandingBusiness, we’ve created hundreds of company and product names. We’ve learned there is no easy way to find that one perfect name that is legally available and […]
naming brief
Pitfalls in the naming process
When it comes to the brand naming process, we usually only see the final result: the new name. At that point, it’s easy to pick out flaws. The name might be hard to pronounce, offensive, or too similar to a competitor’s brand. But what about mistakes along the way? The “bad” brand names we encounter […]
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 […]
A short guide to creating a naming brief
Back in July, I wrote a post about what to include in a naming brief based on my own experience as a professional namer, interviews with other namers (including Amanda Peterson, Clive Chafer, and Jonathan Bell), and other available resources, like a blog post by well-known naming expert, Nancy Friedman (AKA Fritinancy). As a follow-up to that post, I’m excited […]
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 […]
Six big mistakes to avoid in brand naming
We’ve identified six common mistakes made in naming, as well as pointers for avoiding them.
What to include in a naming brief
How to write a naming brief; a list of what to include
