Brand Naming

Naming a brand, a product or a service.

Names that fit the strategy behind the brand, checked for domains, handles and existing use, and presented with the thinking that led to them.

01 // Method

Naming follows the brand strategy: who you are, your purpose and who you are speaking to. Without that the exercise is guesswork, so if it hasn’t been done we do it first.

I work in rounds. A long list against the routes we agree, narrowed to a shortlist, each one checked for domains, social handles and obvious existing use before it reaches you. You see the reasoning, not just the word.

02 // Deliverables

A shortlist of names with the reasoning for each, the routes they came from, and the domain and handle availability at the time of checking. Where it’s useful, a first look at how the name sits as a wordmark.

03 // Value

A name you can explain and defend, that is actually available to use, chosen against the strategy rather than picked because it sounded good in a meeting.

04 // Process

  1. 01

    Strategy first.

    The brand strategy, or the brand identity work that establishes it.

  2. 02

    Routes.

    The directions worth exploring, agreed before any names are written.

  3. 03

    Long list.

    Names against each route, taken wide on purpose.

  4. 04

    Shortlist and checks.

    Narrowed down, then checked for domains, handles and existing use.

  5. 05

    Handover.

    The shortlist with the reasoning behind each one.

05 // Related

  1. Brand Identity
  2. Creative Direction
  3. Logo Design
  4. Visual Identity