Naming is a key element when creating a brand. For me, it is one of the most complex processes in this profession. Whether your clients remember you easily or put you in the drawer of oblivion depends on it.
Finding namings or brand names for companies is not an easy task. When looking for a name for a company, we tend to be very demanding and it may seem that none of them is good enough.
Are there any rules for choosing a brand name? Is it enough that it sounds “nice”? How do we know if it is really a good naming? We have all asked ourselves these questions at one time or another. If you are looking for a name for your company, this post can help you. In order to find the perfect name, it is important to know the qualities of a good naming.
What is naming?
First of all, let’s go to the basic concept. Naming is a set of techniques, criteria and guidelines that are shaped according to a given brand architecture to give it a name. It can be a company, a product, a service or a project in general.
Every company must feel identified with its brand name, or sooner or later it will have to resort to a new naming process with all the problems that such a change entails.
Brands are made up of many elements: names, logos, packaging, claims, etc. All of them must coexist in a coherent and consistent way. The name is the key element that establishes the brand’s identity. Thanks to the naming we communicate a message and differentiate ourselves from the competition. We could understand the brand as a link between company and consumer and a guarantee of quality. The brand name helps us to maintain this relationship. It is quite common for identity elements to change over time, but the name should not change. It is the fundamental pillar to identify the company.
In any naming process, brand names are never arbitrary or random. When they are decided upon, it is because they seek to convey certain associations and values established for the brand.
Why does naming matter?
Naming does matter. It is one of the fundamental assets for brands, as it works by itself the positioning, proposal and values offered by the company. More than important, it is essential that your naming is good, because otherwise it will not fulfil the objective of making your brand known.
Surely when you hear Apple, Ikea, McDonald’s, Disney or Nike, you don’t need a description or explanation to recognise these brands. Just by hearing their names you know what they represent and where they fit (or don’t fit) in our lives. They are names that convey a meaning in themselves, can you imagine these brands named any other way? I’m sure you wouldn’t.
A good naming prepares the ground for your brand. We see this through the following example: What would Apple be without its naming? There are many innovative technology companies around the world, but Apple has the brand. The naming provides a platform and foundation for the brand, and is the first indicator that this company “thinks different”.
And just in case there are not enough reasons, here we remind you of the strategic advantages of having a good brand name:
- It communicates the attributes and differentiating values of your business.
- It establishes the personality of your project.
- It allows your brand to have an international projection.
- It gains competitiveness in the market to which the company is dedicated.
- Avoids confusion when reading.
- Increases brand positioning and recognition.
- It gives class, category and reliability to your business.
Although the brand is the container of meaning and the symbols or logos help to make them more recognisable and consistent, ultimately we refer to and talk about its name.
Types of Naming
Knowing all the types of naming that exist will allow us to better assess the possibilities we have when creating a brand name. There are many (and very different) brand names and creating a single classification of brand name types is a complicated task, as we could establish different parameters to catalogue them.
Here is a more or less standardised classification of types of brand names.
1.- Descriptive
A name that describes more or less literally the professional activity of the company. It is a descriptive naming when it describes what the company is or does.
For example, descriptive names are: GasNatural, Telefónica, ToysRus or Don Limpio.
2.- Evocative
Here the creation of the naming begins by choosing a known root and from there to form something new. It is taking inspiration from a word, or a fragment of a word, and complementing it.
Some examples of evocative names: Cabify, Kinépolis or Vueling.
3.- Abstract
They are invented names without any obvious meaning, but powerful. They are elaborated by what the sound conveys. The advantage in these cases is that the meaning can be attributed from scratch, because there is no prior judgement or association. So your brand will be the sole owner of the meaning.
Examples of abstract names are: Kodak, Rolex or Pringles.
Perhaps the most famous in this category is Kodak. A brand name that means nothing. Actually, it was invented by George Eastman in 1888 because “K” was his favourite letter and he wanted a name that was easy to pronounce in all countries. It’s as simple as that.
4.- Suggestive
They are designed to evoke the feeling or experience that the company conveys. In other words, the meaning must connect with the brand. This is their biggest obstacle. For this reason, a deep understanding of the business and what it represents is required before the naming process of this type can begin.
They are suggestive names: Lexus, Ruffles or Beats.
5.- Geographical
These are place names that have an evocative intention. We talk about a geographical naming when it includes the location within the brand name. They are those that include a specific place to keep the origin in mind.
Examples of geographical names: Banco Santander, British Airways, Patagonia or American Express.
6.- Ego or Patronymic
This is one of the most used and least elaborate names. It consists of using the names of the family or the founder to name the brand. This typology is very common in the fashion world.
For example: Ford, Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Disney.
7.- Acronyms and abbreviations
In this case the naming is made up of acronyms or combinations of letters that have a meaning. They are abbreviations that can be said quickly and are sonorous. Most of these namings abbreviate longer names.
For example: HBO, IBM, UPS or KFC.
Another curious example is IKEA. It stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd, where Ingvar Kamprad is the name of the founder, Elmtaryd is the name of the farm in Sweden where he grew up and Agunnaryd is the name of the village where the farm is located. The farm where Ingvar started his business life selling matches.
8.- Neologisms
Neologisms are brand names that are developed according to new concepts. And they are built from others that already exist. They can arise from different techniques of composition, contraction, combination or simply invented.
Examples of this category are: Movistar, PayPal, MasterCard or Netflix.
9.- Game of words
These are brand names that include a nice wink that is attractive to the collective. The idea is to play with elements that are easy for anyone to associate and fit them into the naming.
Some examples: LEGO, whose brand name comes from the union of “Leg” + “godt” which means in Danish “to play well” or Volkswagen which comes from the union of “Volk” (village) + “Wagen” (vehicle). Something that makes perfect sense, as the German brand was born with the intention of manufacturing affordable vehicles, hence its name “cars for the people”.
What are the characteristics of a good naming?
The name of your business should be flexible, easy to read and pronounce. As far as possible, we should try to ensure that the name has a series of positive evocations, as well as avoiding negative ones in the languages where the brand is going to be implemented. We will look for a name that expresses or evokes a concept, meaning or value of the brand that is valued by our target audience. We never tire of repeating it: the name, like the logo design, does not serve to describe but to distinguish.
In the naming process, it is almost more advisable to prioritise the emotional benefits and values that the name can transmit. These will act as differentiating elements. Below you can review the most important characteristics to take into account when creating a naming for your company.
It must be recognisable, unique and distinctive.
The name should contribute to making the brand easy for the consumer to remember. In order to find an outstanding name, it is important to study our competition closely beforehand. It will help us to project an original brand with its own personality, identifiable and innovative.
If, for example, we see that the rest of our competitors use a lot of Anglicisms in their names, perhaps it would be a good idea to choose a name in Spanish. On the other hand, if our competitors use more classic names, it may be a good idea to choose a more innovative name. It is important to distinguish it from other brands.
It must be flexible and durable.
We will ensure that the chosen name will allow for evolution over time, including new products or services. Names that describe a particular activity or attribute of the brand, or that have a very rigid mentality, will be problematic later on.
For example: GasNatural had to invest a lot of budget and years of marketing and advertising to change its name to Naturgy, when it changed to include electricity in its services.
It should be suggestive and evocative.
We must try to ensure that the naming or brand name communicates relevant and differentiating values as well as an outstanding personality. The more concrete the concept to which the name refers, the easier it will be to retain in the memory. We will assess whether we want a more abstract and more distinctive name, or a more concrete but less differentiating name. The more innovative a product is, the more innovative its name should also be.
It must be consistent with the company.
If we need to create a new brand that will coexist with other existing brands in the company, it is important to identify the characteristic features of the existing brands so that they all coexist in harmony and coherence.
It must be pronounceable and legible.
Good namings have good sonority and legibility (they are euphonious). Names that have not been thought through as a whole can lead to reading problems. Let’s not forget that building an unpronounceable brand identity is much more complex and costly. It will take more investment to get the name into people’s heads.
It must be registrable.
At present, identity checks are carried out in the trademark and patent offices of all countries to check whether the names are already registered. In Spain it is necessary to register the trademark and the body in charge of controlling the registration of namings is the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas). Therefore, the name must be exclusive and legally registrable. Preferably it should also have an available domain name.
The basic principles of effective naming
Although we have previously seen 6 basic characteristics that all naming must fulfil, at this point we are going to expand it to talk about the 10 basic principles of brand names.
- It must be coherent with the company’s brand architecture.
- A good name must be able to convey and synthesise a story.
- It must be distinctive, differentiated and unique.
- A naming should be timeless and adaptable to the growth or extension of the company.
- A name must be evocative and suggestive. It should be easily associated with the brand’s values.
- It must be easy to remember.
- It must generate credibility. Both in its current category and in future extensions.
- A brand name must be easy to read and pronounce.
- It has to be registrable. It is important to explore the legal viability of the name, as brand saturation truncates many naming processes.
- You must study and avoid possible negative associations and connotations, both in your market and in international markets.
Developing a well thought-out naming process is a clear competitive advantage over companies that do not give it the necessary importance. Comply with these ten principles, and you will have many points to gain in order to come up with a perfect naming.
The brand name should represent a unique, beneficial and sustainable story that resonates in the minds of consumers, investors and employees.
Philip Durbrow
Steps to create a good brand name
Now we are going to see the steps that will help you to segment, filter and arrive at the naming that best represents the brand we want to create (or re-create). Here is a summary of the steps to follow to get a good naming for your company, without any complications. Pay attention!
1- Define the main attributes of your brand. What are the 5 adjectives that best describe the personality and attributes of your company?
2- Establish your promise. What are you going to offer in the market that does not yet exist or is unique? What is the value you will give to your target audience?
3- Analyse your competition. It is important to know what the market in which your brand will be established is like. What names do they use? Which ones are good? How does the target audience respond?
4- Determine the category of your product. This will allow you to know in which market your brand competes and to identify the main competitors.
5- Think of several names and then filter them according to the attributes of your brand. Does the name represent the values of the brand? Are there any negative connotations? Brainstorm names and select the best ones.
6- Classify the names according to their typology. That is, if it is descriptive, acronymic, abstract, suggestive, evocative, geographic, etc.
7- Evaluate the characteristics and basic principles of a good naming. Check that it meets the criteria detailed earlier in this article and choose the one that best fits these parameters.
And that’s it! In this order of priorities are the actions to follow to elaborate a competent naming.
These steps, as well as helping us to define and filter the perfect naming, will also help us to define the strategic platform of the brand. The brand name must be 100% compatible with the brand we want to build (attributes, benefits, values, personality…).
Real examples of successful naming
Let’s review some famous brands with memorable names, with their original names above and their current version below. The examples are shown only with their logo excluding their symbol, if they have one. This way we focus more on their naming.
Can you imagine these brands with their original names? You will probably find the current names more attractive. Because they meet the necessary criteria to be remembered in the consumer’s mind.
Conclusion.
Creating a good naming involves a creative process, but above all a strategic one. Because it is the first approach that consumers have with your company and the initial basis for forging your brand recognition. It must be clear that the name of your project is more than a simple term. It is the way you will be called and a golden opportunity to position yourself in the market.
Hi, I’m Roberto Vidiella.
I am the founder and Creative Director of VIDI. I am passionate about graphic design, and through this blog, I try to deepen my knowledge and share what I have learned during my career. If you leave me a comment, you help me to keep learning and improving, and I’m really excited about it!