Table of contents Skip to a section in the ultimate guide to brand naming: Why brand names are important What makes a good/bad brand name? Types of brand names The brand naming process The naming brief How to generate name ideas Trademark prescreening Domain names How to present brand names Books about brand naming Websites […]
naming process
You don’t need that exact dot-com domain
Read through a list of “tips for naming your company,” and, almost without fail, one piece of advice will revolve around ensuring the exact dot-com domain name is available. For example, the fourth of “12 Tips For Naming Your Startup Business“ in Forbes is “Get the .com domain name.” This advice comes from an executive […]
Nine naming lessons I learned the hard way
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 […]
How to do preliminary trademark screening on name ideas
Note: I am not an attorney. This article about preliminary trademark screening is for informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice for any individual matter, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship between you and me (the author) or the publisher. For further questions, I strongly recommend you speak to a […]
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 free ebook full of tips on how to generate names
Earlier this year, I shared a free ebook about how to write a naming brief, including an interactive naming brief template. As a follow up, I’ve written an ebook full of tips for generating name ideas: How to Generate Names. Just like the previous ebook, this one is based on my own experience as a professional […]
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 […]
I talked to ten of the best brand namers in the world. Here’s what I learned about creativity.
A few months back, at an overpriced San Francisco juice shop, I met up with a woman interested in becoming a professional namer. After 10+ years in the naming world, I’d had this conversation before. When people hear I’m a namer, their response is often some combination of, “That’s a job?” and “I think I’d […]
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
