How to Find the Perfect Brand Name?

You have the passion inside that drives you to start your business as soon as possible.

‍

Everything's ready: Who to hire, where to base the office, what to sell.

‍

But...

‍

You get stuck at a point.

‍

FINDING A NAME FOR YOUR BRAND.

‍

That's OK. We're all having this. This shows one thing: You are a creative person and you are aware of the importance of a strong brand name.

‍

And you're right: Your brand is like your baby, and it will live its life with the name you choose for it!

‍

But don't worry, you'll find the insights about how to pick the best name for your brand in this article.

‍

SUPER IMPORTANT ADVICE: First of all, silence the perfection monster inside. With its voice all the time in your head offering you millions of names, you can't end up with picking one.

‍

Here is an example screenshot of my "possible" names for Daçe Studio, when I was first founding:

‍

Here is a quick guide to help you in finding your brand name.

‍

A good brand name is

1. Distinctive

Does it stand out from the competitors?

One thing to avoid being generic is to invent your own word.

👍 — Google, Oreo, Kleenex

‍

‍

A good brand name is

2. Simple & Brief

Keep it short up to 3 syllables to be more memorable.

👍 — Intel, Apple, Logi, Amazon

👎 — PricewaterhouseCoopers (it was awkwardly long, so it evolved into “PwC” as a nickname)

‍

‍

A good brand name is

3. Easy to spell and pronounce

Does it pass the bar test? It should be easily understood when you talk about your brand at a crowded and noisy bar.

Or try your chance with Siri or Alexa. If she can't understand what you say, your customers will have a hard time doing so as well.

📢 ❓ 🥂 🍻 🎶

‍

‍

A good brand name is

4. Harmonious with the local cultures

Avoid sounding inappropriate where your brand will work.

👎 — Ford launched a new car “Pinto” in Brazil, but didn’t realize that it means “small penis” in Brazilian Portuguese.

‍

‍

A good brand name is

5. Extendable for “Brandplay”

Does it allow you to create endless opportunities to have your own language?

👍 — Twitter - tweets, tweeting, retweeting

‍

‍

A good brand name is

6. Enduring

Will it still fit if your focus audience or products expands or changes?

👍 — “Apple Computers Inc.”, a super descriptive name on what they sold, changed its name to just “Apple” in 2007 to shift its emphasis from computers to consumer electronics.

‍

‍

A good brand name is

7. Defensible

Can you own your brand name legally?

Can you find a suitable domain on the web?

Can it be trademarked easily?

‍

‍

To summarize, a brand name is good if it is:

1. Distinctive

2. Simple

3. Easy to spell

4. Harmonious

5. Extendable

6. Enduring

7. Defensible

‍

‍

The “name game” is not a random thing. It has a pattern in it. A psychology behind.

‍

Play the game carefully.

‍

Imagery:

Jess Bailey, Pexels.com

Heiner, Pexels.com

Pixabay, Pexels.com