Ideas + Insights
November 5, 2019
Emma Nolan
I went to school with a guy named Jackson Jackson. No joke. It’s funny, but it’s no joke.
At the time I thought it was weird, I guessed his parents were either stoners, super lazy, or thought it was funny to make a mockery of their very own spawn. Thinking about it now, in retrospect, however, I actually think they ticked all the boxes… If perhaps their child was a business. Either way, they succeeded with a name that was thought-provoking, memorable, easy to spell, fun to say, and would actually look great as a logo.
Choosing a great name – whether it’s for your baby or your business – is no easy feat, but it sure is important. A brand name is how a company introduces itself, the very first impression.
And how does one go about choosing a business name, you ask?
You could try your luck on a random generator like the following. Or you can dive deep, strategise and end up creating a brand name that not only resonates with your customers but delivers a memorable, meaningful experience that sticks with your company throughout time.
Your name is with you through every step of your business journey. This means coming up with the right name is probably the single most important branding concern for a business.
You’ll first need to figure out what you want your name to communicate. They tend to fall into one of a few categories; based on a founder’s name, descriptive, experiential names, made-up words and then those that are just downright random. Each of these categories tend to evoke their own unique set of feelings. When you see companies named after their founders – think the likes of Oglivy and Johnson & Johnson – it correlates to a feeling of trust, stability and confidence, right? Compare that to names that you would consider experiential – like Lush and Girlboss – and you are presented with an entirely different set of values.
Your name should reinforce the key elements of your business and reflect the foundational tone you’d like to establish with your customers.
Once a name is out in the world, the meaning of the word itself and the connotations attached to it will evolve based on how people experience the brand. The way you choose to express the visual identity, the brand story and the way your marketing affects how people engage with it. Look at Apple. If you told someone today that you were considering naming your brand after a fruit or create a completely new word as Aesop has done, they’d look at you like poor Jackson Jackson’s mother – complete disbelief in the ludicrously of it all. There will always be exceptions to the rules as all brand names, as most things in life, are subjective.
A brilliant name is the basic core differentiator of your brand. And with 300,000 brand names being registered every year, it’s imperative that your business name makes you the talk of the town, or at least enagaes someone beyond you, your mum and your massage therapist.
Here’s our checklist of 8 characteristics to consider before embarking on the naming process.
If the cat’s got your tongue or just downright stuck on where to start, we have a team of creatives who are ready and raring. The result? A damn fine name that sets your heart and brand racing. Your brand name sticks to you like glue and will last longer than almost any other investment you make in your business, so choose wisely. No pressure.
Image credit: Ina Jang
Thankfulness to my father who shared with me about this website, this blog is really awesome.