Possibly one of the hardest decisions in your life will be:

“What shall we call the business?”

The reason why its hard is not down to its dire importance in life but more so the choice you have, its practically unlimited. It’s also a name which you’ll want to become popular so you want it to be just right (Provided that it’s not already trademarked).

Some people say it’s not important whilst I wouldn’t. I agree that it’s not the most important factor but it does play a big part of the business if not even a personal part for you. It’s going to be your baby if not one of many.

As I’ve helped to brand many businesses I’ve come across all sorts of ideas and business names. Some were horror stories whilst some were spot on but what makes it a good decision. I noticed that if the name was not created in a certain way, the actual brand of the business suffers making it hard to create a brand image, a goal and a clear message for your clients. Overall it just lacks depth.

Some of the best projects I’ve worked on have been for businesses that had a straight honest and clear reason for using a name, a reason which correlated directly to the brand in one way or another and that’s what made them good projects and good businesses.

With regards to branding and business names I’ve established some guidelines as to how to name your business effectively for the long run.

Any business name will fall into one or maybe all of the following categories:

1.) A made up name. (two words joined to make one or a name adapted from an already existing word)
2.) A real name (named after a person)
3.) A symbolic name (one which expresses the business in the form of an idea)
4.) What it says on the tin ( a name which simply says what the business is/does)

1.) A made up name.

The made up name can be the most daring of them all because we can all get carried away with creativity and a gimmicky approach. For some reason we all think (even I’ve had the misconception) that a gimmicky name is sure a fire recipe for success. A gimmicky name will create a brand and bring in huge sales because it’s so catchy and clever.

Our notions are completely wrong. The name should not be used to define the brand, it should be the brand that defines the name. I’ve come across people who simply took two totally unrelated words and put them together because they sounded stylish. As well as being a totally meaningless made up word they were meaningless to the business itself. The focus was on creating a name that sounded cool and slick whilst their service/products and business were totally forgotten.

It’s like taking the Mercedes logo and sticking it on the front a childrens nursery. There’s nothing wrong with either of the elements except they don’t match, there irrelevant to each other and tell you absolutely nothing about the business and its values. Overall it lacks communication to the client and throws the whole brand into a maze.

Don’t get me wrong, a made up name can work wonders if used correctly. A name that’s relevant to the industry or the brand itself is a brilliant idea so if you do decide to use a gimmicky/made up name make sure its not one made up aesthetically for branding purposes. Make sure it’s your business idea that created the name and that it’s a relevant name which reinforces the brand values.

Coca-cola
Ecademy
Microsoft
Intel

2.) A real name

A real name can be ideal to create a position in the market or just present an idea in the simplest form. It can create a more traditional feeling of trust and character with an instant connotation to brand values by relating it back to a person.

It may be a boring idea and say little about a business but with a strapline it’s a straight forward and honest approach to creating a unique identity.
It’s also used to project an image of experience and history, showing real expertise rather then marketing glamour.

Real names can also be entered into another category in today’s market with the use of celebrity endorsements but again the main goal is still the same, relating back to a person to show character and reach a market effectively.

As old fashioned as it sounds, you can adapt a real name into anything, anytime giving your business ease to change with the times.

McDonalds
Adidas
John Lewis
ThorntonGrant

3.) A symbolic name.

Symbolic names usually come down to a bigger idea, a way of expressing your brand with the use of connotation. The name may be totally unrelated to the business activities but correlate directly with the business brand. It can also be thought of as the mission goal.

Being different such as using a name that doesn’t correspond directly to your business is fine. In fact they probably work the best with regards to success rate. It doesn’t have to be blatantly obvious what you do but make sure the name derived from your brand or business in some way (not just a slick sounding name). Keep it honest and truthful, it shows character and links back to your business brand/history in some way.

Orange
Paramount Pictures
Nike
Apple

4.) What it says on the tin
Again it could be a boring approach but maybe the most safest. There’s no cleverness, or risk of misinterpretations, just a straight forward name. Communication is direct and so is the business. Often gives a hint of seriousness because there are no gimmicks or fancy work involved, its intended to be a no qualms name and service.

British Telecom
NTL

So how do you pick your name?

The name won’t make you millions on its own but it plays a part in how you communicate your business. It sends messages to your potential clients and if you’re using the wrong message you won’t get much response. Whatever route you take there’s one common tactic for a successful name which is mentioned in all three tips above.

“Relevancy is important.”

Have a solid reason for calling your business a particular name and that reason should flow back to the brand, values and or history.

The design of the logo and identity will also affect the business name with the use of fonts, colours and symbols so options such as 2 and 4 don’t have to be a boring approach, it could be quite the opposite. It may also solve any weaknesses found in options 1 & 3 where the message is not so obvious.

If you do the above you’ll find that in the long run that your business name actually stands for something as the brand was always there, it’s not just a gimicky name which may fade away or become obsolete. It creates unique character and certainly helps your logo designer to create strong design concepts, showing depth to your business.

Authors Note: I realize that the Swastika is a controversial symbol offensive to many but the goal of this article is not to promote fascism, any modern day western connotations or offend any cultures. This article explores the historic Worldwide use of the Swastika (positive & negative) through recorded facts.

In all honesty I cannot give an accurate account for the history of this symbol because there are so many different interpretations, myths, legends and stories about its use but the below account is what I have summarized as the probably the Worlds greatest logo.

The beginning of the Swastika.

The swastika has been used by many countries, religions and cultures throughout the thousands of years it’s been in existence. It’s first appearance came through Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, deriving from the Sanskrit text which is recorded as the oldest and only written text to make authentic use of the symbol and term “Swastika” to represent good luck.

Since its origination the symbol has been recreated Worldwide, century after century under various names as a strong symbol of “good”. Its sheer precise over usage makes it (IMHO) possibly the greatest logo of all time. How can you argue with the opinion of a thousand generations?

Today the Swastika is commonly associated as an icon of the Nazi’s movement and it’s pretty hard not to see it in any other light. Hitler used the symbol with such power that the once good hearted and loved Swastika now has a bad stereotype by no fault of its own.

Its still used today by old and new religions in the same manner and being of Hindu descent myself I’m probably a little more familiar with seeing it with both (western & eastern) associations.

I remember a friend of mine (when I was a ladsmile) asking why I had a swastika in my house. I had of course seen the German Swastika but at that age was not entirely sure what it was. I had already unconsciously made a graphically connection between the two versions but never really gave it a second thought. Not until my friend asked me that question did I raise my own questions and realized that I have a Swastika hanging in my house. (I thought, “Where the Nazi’s Hindu’s?” lol).

Soon enough my questions on the German Swastika were answered in History lesson and the Hindu version became apparent at home.

Who used it, where and when?

I knew that Germany and India used the Swastika but not until recently did I relaise that at some point or another its been used by the U.S., China, Russia, Finland and literally every country in the World (even England) with their own interpretation. This again reinforces the point that it must be considered as the world’s greatest logo. How can you argue with the whole World?
So why is the Swastika such a popular symbol? Overall it stands as generically the most positive image in the World of all time. Most people used it for that reason except for Hitler and in doing so he ruined it.

• The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika on the dust jackets of all
his books until the rise of Nazism.

• Swastikas also appear on the vestments on the effigy of Bishop William Edington in Winchester Cathedral.

• In September 2007 the United States Navy announced it would spend $600,000 to “camouflage” a barrack at the Naval
Amphibious Base Coronado near San Diego, so that it would no longer resemble a swastika from the air.

• Native American basketball team in 1909.

• The swastika shape was used by some Native Americans. It has been found in excavations of Mississippian-era sites in
the Ohio valley.

• A controversy arose in Maasmechelen, Belgium, when Google Earth users found that a 27 year old fountain at the city
council office looks like a swastika from the air. As a result the mayor said he would replace it

• The bronze frontspiece of a ritual pre-Christian (ca 350-50 BC) shield found in the River Thames near Battersea Bridge
(hence “Battersea Shield”) is embossed with 27 swastikas in bronze and red enamel.

• An Ogham stone found in Anglish, Co Kerry was modified into an early Christian gravestone, and was decorated with a
cross pattée and two swastikas.

• At the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, there is a swastika-shaped pattern engraved in a stone known as
the Swastika Stone.

• In Christianity, the swastika is sometimes used as a hooked version of the Christian Cross, the symbol of Christ’s victory
over death.

• Some Christian churches built in the Romanesque and Gothic eras are decorated with swastikas, carrying over earlier
Roman designs.

• Iranian neckalace found from Kaluraz in the first millennium BC marked with several swaskitkas

• The swastika symbol was found extensively in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy and can also be found in some of the
mosaics in the ruins of Pompeii.

• A meander of connected swastikas makes up the large band that surrounds the Augustan Ara Pacis.

• A design of interlocking swastikas is one of several tessellations on the floor of the cathedral of Amiens, France.

• In Hinduism, the two symbols represent the two forms of the creator god Brahma: facing right it represents the evolution of
the universe, facing left it represents the involution of the universe.

• The Hindu deity Ganesh is often shown sitting on a lotus flower on a bed of swastikas.

• The swastika is found all over Hindu temples, Hindu weddings, festivals, ceremonies, houses and doorways, clothing and
jewelry, motor transport and even decorations on food items such as cakes and pastries.

• “Swastika” is a prominent literary magazine in Kolkata (Calcutta) is called the Swastika.

• In 1922, the Chinese Syncretist movement Daoyuan founded the philanthropic association Red Swastika Society in
imitation of the Red Cross. The association was very active in China during the 1920s and the 1930s.

• Swastikas are prominently displayed in a mosaic in the St. Sophia church of Kiev, Ukraine dating from the 12th century.
They also appear as a repeating ornamental motif on a tomb in the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan.

• The stole worn by a priest in the 1445 painting of the Seven Sacraments by Roger van der Weyden presents the swastika
form simply as one way of depicting the cross.

• The Swastika is clearly marked on a hilt and sword belt found at Bifrons in Kent, in a grave of about the sixth century.

• In the 19th century the swastika was one of the Russian empire’s symbols; it was even placed in coins as a background to
the Russian eagle

• All the Unit Colours of the Finnish Air Force feature the same basic design, with a swastika as a central element. This is
the Unit Colour of the Finnish Air Force Academy.

• Latvia adopted the swastika, called the Ugunskrusts (“fire cross”), for its air force in 1918/1919 and continued its use until
1940.

• The use of the swastika in conjunction with any other Nazi allusion, and also its manufacture, distribution or broadcasting,
is a crime as dictated by law 7.716/89 from 1989. The penalty is a fine and two to five years in prison.

• The Swastika Laundry, founded in Dublin in 1912, used a swastika in a white circle on a red background as its corporate
colour scheme until it was bought over by a rival in the late 1960s.

• Boy Scouts at the prewar (1937) national Scout jamboree in Washington, D.C., using swastikas as part of their Native
American portrayal

• The swastika symbol was popular as a good luck or religious/spiritual symbol in the United States

• The Raëlian Movement, who believe that Extra-Terrestrials originally created all life on earth, use a symbol that is often the
source of considerable controversy: an interlaced Star of David and a Swastika.

• Tantra-based religious movement Ananda Marga uses a motif similar to the Raëlians, but in their case the apparent star of
David is defined as intersecting triangles with no specific reference to Jewish culture

• It was also a symbol used by the scouts in Britain

• During World War I, the swastika was used as the emblem of the British National War Savings Committee.

• The Swedish company ASEA, now a part of Asea Brown Boveri, used the swastika in its logo from the 1800s to 1933,
when it was removed from the logo.

• The Icelandic Steamship Company, Eimskip (founded in 1914) used a swastika in its logo until recently.

• In Windsor, Nova Scotia, there was an ice hockey team from 1905-1916 named the Swastikas, and their uniforms featured
swastika symbols. There were also hockey teams named the Swastikas in Edmonton, Alberta (circa 1916), and Fernie,
British Columbia (circa 1922).

Above are just a few of the thousand recorded facts that I found and its quite amazing how so many people are intrigued by this symbol. Is it the Worlds greatest logo?

The Nazi movement obviously shrowded this symbol with evil and reduced its relevance as the Worlds favourite logo but nether the less many have overcome the modern day stereotype and still use it in its original form for both old and new cultures.
The Swastika has managed to stand the test of time and come through to the 21st century in its natural form. INMHO it can be seen as the World’s favourite logo design.