After all, how do you know how many names to show the client team? When do you show them? It’s all fun and games till you have to start getting rid of names. Step 4: Use your focus areas when you start to narrow the pool of names Waste a little time researching the origins of the term “motte-and-bailey.” Write down names that you might never use, but that bring you joy, like “rumspringa.” Savor the discovery of new words like “pochette.” You'll think more freely, which will lead to more and better names. Another team member was in the middle of an exceedingly thorough podcast on British history, and not only had a wealth of obscure, Middle English words, but who could also regale us with stories about “hoards” (the correct archaeological term) of historical artifacts found in fields. During our work with The Great Courses Plus, we had one person on our team who previously worked as a handbag designer, and who had a treasure trove of arcane and fascinating words related to handbags and fashion. I’m constantly surprised and delighted by how each person’s life experiences and interests influence the kinds of names they come up with. This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s worth emphasizing. Step 3: Brainstorm with at least two people and ideally three or four Turns out, you can do a lot with GoDaddy and TESS (the Trademark Electronic Search System associated with the United States Patent and Trademark Office). But we could eliminate the ones that clearly wouldn’t be, thus avoiding heartbreak. As we repeatedly told our client team, we are not lawyers and couldn’t say definitively whether a name was trademark-able. Side note: we do recommend doing preliminary domain name research on your names. When we were renaming The Great Courses Plus, our strategy explored the feeling you get (or rather, your brain gets) the moment you learn something new. It encompassed themes like curiosity and love of learning, but it also led us to questions like: what would you call a place that contains an endless hoard of fascinating information? What would you call a person on an endless quest for ideas? Is there a single word that captures what an “aha moment” feels like? From that "mind=blown" idea, we were able to derive several unique focus areas that could kickstart our brainstorming. Use your strategy to identify focus areas for your brainstormingįocus areas are really just a fancy name for “themes and ideas found in your strategy.” After all, what is a strategy but a really good story? It should be jam-packed with themes and ideas that resonate with your audience - and that can be explored when you’re trying to come up with a word that resonates with that audience. ![]() After all, your strategy should be the foundation for everything - from your voice & tone to your logo.īut on an even more practical note, your strategy is a fountain of inspiration for coming up with names. Why do we always start by creating a strategy, or studying the existing strategy?įor one thing, using the strategy as your starting point ensures that your name, just like everything else, will be consistent with your brand. Okay, we realize this is a big first step - a step with many steps, as it were. We wish we could say that there’s a special formula to naming - that Nike, Cadillac, and Apple were concocted using a specific blend of creativity, Greek, and the thesaurus. But just how does one come up with a name? ![]() Or you never loved it but never had time to do anything about it.Įither way, you need a name. I wonder what it’s about?”Īlternatively, maybe your company has been around for a long time, you’re realizing that it doesn’t seem to “fit” anymore. Will they remember the name? Will they be able to pronounce it? Will they think to themselves, “that sounds like an interesting thing. But, as you get closer to putting it out into the world, you begin to wonder whether that name will mean as much to your audience as it does to you. Maybe you’ve already started calling it something - a code name, or a word that means something to you and your team. ![]() So, you’re working on building or launching a new company, product, or service.
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