Naming a company isn’t as easy as it sounds. But don’t worry, we’ve got some help! This post goes over four proven, key methods to naming a company.
At the beginning of 2015, 48hourslogo added a new kind of contest to our roster: Naming Contests. Now businesses can tap into the collective creativity of our Design Community like never before. To help the Design Community, I would like to go over four key approaches to naming a company. If you apply these strategies, you will have a greater chance of winning those contests! It beats flooding variations of three words found the brief (that’s the wrong approach, the clients can do that, it just ends up wasting everyones time).
Naming a company is foundational to branding. With a more creative name, you can get more creative with the logo! It goes hand in hand. So let’s get past the generic methods of naming a company – and let’s get creative!
FOUR KEYS TO NAMING A COMPANY
Practical Names are very straight forward. They are functional as they tell you exactly what to expect from the company they represent. They key into what a business does, or the product it produces. Practical names combine nouns in most cases to paint an easy picture. It sounds easy, but there’s wiggle room for creativity to help the name stand out.
For Example: Internet Explorer, General Motors, 48hourslogo, The Food Network, Under Armor.
Creative Names are probably the most common and the most fun to say. They’re more often made up words. Combining two things within the business or about the company to create something new. This is where a deeper knowledge of the individual business is helpful. It allows a company to creatively take ownership of their product.
Think about this: many social media sites let you post status updates, but only one lets you “Tweet.” Twitter has created a new word and shot to the forefront of status update social media.
Other ways to get creative names are through rhythm and poetry. Say it with me – “Oreo.” Did you taste it? It’s fun to say. What about “Snapple.” Created from the “snap” of their bottle caps and the word apple. Creating a new word as your business name give you an automatic boost to dominate your specific industry.
For Example: Google, Walmart, Snapple, Oreo, Nabisco, Twitter, Wikipedia, FedEx.
Experience Names simply describe the experience you are getting with a particular product. It’s combining an uplifting adjective with a proper noun. Words like superior, ultimate, advanced, or plus indicate a better experience within an industry. You could almost look at this as a marriage between Practical and Creative names. You’re not creating something new, but rather one-upping the function of a business. Just remember, they focus should be on describing the experience the customer will have with the product or company.
For Example: Super Soaker, Michelob Ultra, mega Bloks, Advanced Auto Parts, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ticket Master.
Expressive Names can be more difficult, but pay off with greater association. It takes the risk of being more representative, capturing an emotion or concept as opposed to concrete ideas. Expressive Names take into consideration the bigger picture. You’re more likely to get inspiration for one from a company’s mission statement. Use the public’s knowledge of history, culture, and art to choose a name. More often than not they refer to mythology and ideology. In the end you get a bold name that can put you at the forefront of your industry.
For Example: Pandora, Amazon, Nike, Apple, Delphi.
__________
This should help give guidance and structure to your suggestions for naming a company contests. Look at them through these approaches and I’m sure you’ll have more interest in your submissions. It will keep your ideas from falling to the generic side and give them more depth. More background. That gives a company the advantage of a greater connection with their audience.