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.