For the benefit of anyone who wants to know a bit more about branding and the logo design process I am slowly putting together a series of articles about how an identity is developed from start to finish. In this first article, we will start at the very beginning. The brand name.
Obviously, a lot of my clients already have company or product names when they come to me and it then becomes my job to construct an identity around them. However, the name is also a big part of the identity and by working logically through a few small steps you can pinpoint an appropriate name in order to build a stronger brand.
Most small to medium sized businesses will name their companies and products themselves. However, there are companies out there that specialise in name development like this – but obviously this costs money and for the smaller budget it may not be viable. So what I’ll try to do here is to go through a logical process for outlining a list of possible names for your business.
The first rule of naming and logo design is to remember that clients and consumers will associate your name and logo with that brand, and by following the right steps we can try and make the brand and its identity more memorable, more unique, and more recognisable than the identities of your competitors.
There are basically two types of name:
- Abstract/Inventive Names
- Informative Names
Basically, an abstract name is one that is made up. It can be complete nonsense, made up of two words, or be similar to an existing word. Some people believe that abstract names make for a better brand as they allow you to build the brand however you want, without the suggestions that come with an informative name. As with everything though, there are pros and cons. The abstract name is harder to market, as people may not be made aware of what your business does or what your product is simply by seeing your name or logo. However, there’s nothing to say that you can’t be suggestive and abstract. Also a good point to note is that some of the world’s biggest brands are based on abstract names: a number of soft drinks, snack foods, and clothing brands instantly come to mind.
You could say that an informative name can be seen as a bit lazy by spelling out who you are and what your product/service is. However, there is one MAJOR benefit to an informative name: it allows you to advertise what you do simply by displaying your company name. In informative names you’ll see words like engineering, design, finance, etc… all very suggestive words. You’ll also notice that a lot of small to medium sized businesses will use informative names – where advertising budgets are minimal just putting your name on show can be enough to put you ahead of your immediate competitors. Also, the use of the internet now plays a massive part in running a business and generating revenue and that you may find that you are more likely to be found by a search engine if your business or product name contains keywords that people are more likely to be searching for. For example, if you call your courier business Cheshire Couriers, and some searches for couriers in Cheshire, you should be fairly likely to be returned as a search result. Again, there are pros and cons – “Sparkling soft drink flavoured with vegetable extracts” doesn’t really have the same ring to it as “Coca-Cola”.
So what is the naming process? Well, it depends how in depth you want to go, it may be as simple as brainstorming a list of names, both abstract and suggestive and picking the one you like best. A professional naming agency with start with a list of thousands of possible names before whittling it down to a few, I know you don’t have that much time so for small to medium businesses I would recommend the following steps.
Question Yourself
What does the company or product do? Where do you sit in the current market? Are you offering a budget product, or a top of the range one? You need to ask yourself about how you want to convey the business or product, who are your competitors? Where do you see the business in five years time? Ironically, these are the same types of questions that a graphic designer will ask you to compile a brief for a logo design. You may find it useful to speak to a designer right at the first stage of the process and get them on board, it’s someone to bounce ideas off and they will understand whether a name will work graphically on signage, stationery, products, etc.
Brainstorm
This is the point where you need to start thinking hard about a name. Write them all down; don’t just settle on one thing. Everything you think of – WRITE IT DOWN, even if you don’t like it, just get it out of your system. After you’ve got ten or twenty possible names, favourites will start to stand out and blends of the less suitable names can be re-jigged to form winning combinations. If you can get more than twenty, keep going! The more the merrier.
Ask Around
There’s no need to employ a market research company, we’re talking DIY here remember. Just ask people you know and work with, and ask friends and family what they feel about the names you’ve thought of. Two heads are better than one, so a dozen heads is really good. If you have or are thinking of having business partners or potential employees, ask them what they think. The more feedback you get the more insight you will have into the market and how people perceive your business or product. Remember though, you are looking for feedback – feel free to take suggestions but remember that too many cooks can spoil the broth and may just confuse matters.
Existing Businesses
Obviously, to keep your name as unique as possible you should try and keep away from businesses with the same name or similar names, particularly if they are in the same line of work as you. You can pay people to do this for you, by running a trademark search to make sure there won’t be any lawsuits. I recommend that my all clients do this, although with most businesses advertising online nowadays a simple Google search will normally be enough to find out if anyone is already using the name or not. As always, be careful, and the more research you do, the more peace of mind you have.
Settling On A Name
Choosing your name from your list of favourites can be a tricky business. Don’t forget to make sure the web address you want is available. Think long and hard about your chosen name, you could be stuck with it for a long time. If you still don’t like any of the choices, go back and start again, you’ll get there in the end.
Obviously, the largest part of this process is the brainstorming process, coming up with a list of names that you like can take a long time. I like brainstorming names using the computer. I just open up notepad and start making a list. On the computer, I find I can spot combinations more easily, make changes and I can see patterns that might make for an interesting aesthetic through alternative spellings, abbreviations, etc…
If you want to read more on selecting a brand name then take a look at this article, I found it really useful.
Anyway, I’ll leave it at that for now, though I do plan on posting a list of tips and tricks for how the brainstorming process can help with naming, and a list of do’s and don’ts to consider.
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