How to Create the Perfect Brand Name
Developing a great brand name involves more than just coming up with a clever idea.
In this article we look at everything from Brand Goals, Target Markets, desired Brand Positioning, and how your Demographic Interests affect your naming process.
We analyze what makes up a good brand, look at some of the best brand name examples, Brainstorm Ideas, and give you brand name inspiration.
Naming a brand requires a lot of research. It shouldn’t just relate to your product or service.
It should carry deeper contextual associations that capture the quintessential nature of the business.
It needs to identify with the overarching message of the business, and it needs to be easily remembered. When people see the brand it should be quickly recognized and trigger a positive emotional response.
Essential things a brand name should do:
- It should be unique and stand out from the competition;
- It should be easy to pronounce, spell, remember, and identify.
- It should relate to the product in some way, offering an idea about the purpose, benefits, and quality of the products produced by the company.
Hey, I’m Ashley (Branding Expert) and I’m going to show you how to come up with a great Brand name!
We’ll start with examples of twenty interesting brand names I created to show you what’s possible when using the right tools for the job.
These are brandable name ideas that can be used for all types of businesses.
I’ll show you exactly how you can create your amazing names by following the steps I lay down in this article.
Try our brand name generator to help you uncover interesting ideas for your brand name.
- Avanta
- Vario
- Accolent
- Logio
- Ronu
- Revoment
- Rovaniq
- Trumio
- Crevo
- Bene & Bright
- Fortiva
- Zavos
- Artilla
- Kezona
- Verulo
- Orbina
- Aruna
- Vorelle
- Natolo
- Optivio
Top Brand Names In 2022
The current trends in the naming world revolve around short and memorable names.
Short names are usually more striking and easier to remember. Having a name that’s easy to spell and pronounce will never go out of style.
We can see that even brands in niches commonly seen as boring or traditional use modern and interesting names that fit the modern checkmarks.
Here are five brands that picked the right name for themselves. You can use the brand name generator on our site to find your perfect name:
Canva:
Canva is a popular design software targeted at beginner designers. Their goal is to help anyone create great-looking designs.
The name is derived from the word “canvas”. This implies that the software gives you an option to create anything. You start with a blank canvas and watch it turn into something interesting and appealing.
The name sounds very smooth and elegant. It helps position the brand as an easy-to-use tool for anyone.
Cazoo:
A smooth-sounding name with a catchy flow and memorable pronunciation.
The inspiration probably comes from the word “kazoo”, which denotes a buzzing musical instrument.
This name evokes positive emotions and shows what the brand delivers – fun, simple, and exciting adventure when buying a car.
The name stands out in the market because it’s hip and modern. It accurately positions the brand in its quest of transforming the car buying experience across the UK and Europe.
Lyft:
The original name of this ride-sharing brand was Zimride. They changed the name because they wanted something shorter and snappier that people would use daily.
The meaning of the name isn’t officially known, but there’s no doubt it’s inspired by the word “lift”. This implies what you get from the brand – a fast and easy ride-share experience.
The unusual spelling makes the name unique and interesting.
Atoms:
An innovative shoe brand selling thoughtfully designed shows for everyday lifestyle. The name Atoms is short and sweet.
It metaphorically represents how something as small as shoes can dramatically affect the quality of your life.
Just like atoms, the shoes on your feet carry an immense amount of energy.
Atoms also imply something lightweight and minimalistic. It shows that every little detail is taken care of. The power of the metaphor fuels this name.
Lunya:
This comfortable sleepwear brand for modern women draws inspiration from the word “luna”. Luna means “moon” in Latin.
This can easily be tied to a sleepwear brand since it describes the part of the day when we’re sleeping.
They went with a smooth and elegant suffix that accurately represents the comfort and style that Lunya delivers.
This is a smooth-sounding name that captures the essence of the brand.
Expert Tips for Naming Your Brand
A good brand should be relevant, appealing, unique, and inspirational. It should contain attributes and associations that make up your brand’s identity.
1. What makes your brand?
Brands work as promises. They are assurances that the products made by that company will perform as expected.
It is a promise of quality and design. “People use brands to categorize their choices”.
A strong brand is a means of making people aware of what the company represents.
“A brand is built over time, by the impressions, one has of the company, its products or services, and is confirmed (or destroyed) by experiences.”
The brand is the face, the portrayed personality of a business, and a good brand is something that the consumer will connect with on an emotional level.
For example, many consumers are swayed by the ethical implications of purchasing from a particular brand.
A brand that is known to use child labor in the production of their goods, no matter if their products are cheaper, will suffer against a brand with a clearly outlined ethical manufacturing process.
In one survey it was found that “more than 50% of the survey participants chose the products and services by a particular brand”.
2. Consider your Brand Positioning
Brand positioning is a key part of your marketing strategy. You need to constantly pay attention to your customer’s needs and desires “in order to create a competitive brand.”
Smart Brand positioning will enable you to actively reach and credibly talk to your identified target markets.
You need to have a solid understanding of the similarities and differences between you and your competitors to stand out from the crowd.
Think about your niche and the current trends within it.
Try to identify the interests of your target audience and what kind of brands they associate with, and why? How can you serve them better than your competitors?
Disney’s brand is an example of very clever positioning.
They bring to mind the wonderful animations and fairy-tales that they are so well known for. This whimsical artistic flair is aimed at children, but its unique and clear identity breeds nostalgia in older generations.
It also neatly highlights their specific niche – animation.
If for example, they decide to completely change their visual appearance, they would struggle to reach their target markets and elicit an emotional response in the same way.
3. Keep in mind your Brand Identity
In short, brand identity is how an organization identifies itself. Brand identity is the way an organization wants to be perceived in the marketplace.
This might be their quality, or perhaps it is identifying with a valuable charitable cause.
The brand Descended from Odin for example is a small clothing brand that has built an identity around the perception of Vikings as strong.
This makes their sportswear stand out in a competitive marketplace.
They built this perception around their name, and have supported it through a clever marketing campaign involving high-profile brand representatives.
One example is Ben Mudge, who is a personal trainer inspirationally fighting his condition of Cystic Fibrosis.
The ensuing association is a brand identity of strength in the face of adversity.
When thinking about your own brand identity you need to consider several things.
Where do you want the brand to be in 5 (or even 10) years?
Consider brand culture not just in the marketing but in the workplace. This will help you pin down your tone, brand positioning, and relationships.
How can you portray all these ideas that make up your brand identity through associations, providing both familiarities with the consumer and differentiation from your competitors?
A strong brand identity should make up everything a brand wants to be perceived and isn’t just in the name, but includes recognizable trademark colors, a logo, and a tagline.
4. Plan your Brand Image
The brand image sits with the consumers, it is their perception of the brand and what it stands for.
Your brand image is created around more than just a name or a logo. Three of the main things you have to consider when realizing a brand image are:
- The Logo
- The Slogan
- The Visual Identity
All three things should be interesting, engaging, memorable, unique, and above all consistent across all the marketing that goes towards building your brand image and identity.
They should support your brand values, positioning, and identity.
“Brand characteristics that are easily recognizable, yet which do not convey the brand’s symbolic and functional benefits or do not provide aesthetic gratification, fail to take full advantage of their full potential.
” The point they are making here is that a strong brand image must be paired with purpose. A brand image needs to make it easy for customers to associate the brand with a solution to whichever problem your product(s) solves.
The brand image for Disney for example is all about fun, but it also has heritage. The brand image for Apple is unique and innovative products.
5. Outline your Brand Personality
Brand personality is what stimulates an emotional response from your target markets.
“Creating emotional brand attachment is a key branding issue in today’s marketing world. One way to accomplish this is to match the brand’s personality with the consumer’s self.”
Dyson for example is an innovative, scientific, and smart approach to the creation and manufacturing of vacuum cleaners.
They take a rather dull everyday item and through their branding give it personality and flair, and we as consumers love it.
Henry Hoovers is another Vacuum cleaner example. They gave their vacuums a human name and a literal face.
This allows people to connect with their brand on a deeper level.
The human association makes the brand more memorable and again makes a rather dull household tool, fun.
The difference between brand image and brand personality is that the former is the physical, tangible benefits and associations of the brand whereas the personality is much more indicative of an emotional response.
6. The Step-by-Step Process
Now that we’ve identified the factors that go into naming a brand, we can write down the steps you need to take to find the right name for your brand.
You can do this on a piece of paper or use a brand name generator to make the process even faster and easier.
Start by creating a list of words that relate to your overarching brand identity. Include relevant synonyms, antonyms, metaphors, and phrases.
Once you have an extensive list of words cross off the ones with potentially negative connotations, are unfamiliar, or hard to pronounce.
Next, take your favorites and create a broad list of name ideas.Screen this list with your brand objectives in mind. Do they fit your brand?
- Start by creating a list of words that relate to your overarching brand identity. Include relevant synonyms, antonyms, metaphors, and phrases.
- Once you have an extensive list of words cross off the ones with potentially negative connotations, are unfamiliar, or hard to pronounce.
- Next, take your favorites and create a broad list of name ideas.
- Screen this list with your brand objectives in mind. Do they fit your brand?
- Make sure you can legally use the names. Cross off the ones you can.
- Cross off the names that don’t have available domains and social media handles.
- Gather feedback from people in your target markets.
- Consider how the names can be visualized.
Repeat this process until you find a name that feels right. It may take weeks or mere hours.
A good brand name generator like the one on our site can help you save a lot of time.
Don’t rush it, get other people’s opinions, and when you’re ready, you can register the name.
Brand Name Inspiration
Here, I’ve come up with a few brand name ideas for various industries to give you an idea as to how the process works.
Edge Technologies:
A simple name like Edge is easy to remember and has clear connotations in the technology industries. It is a statement of advanced innovative products that have an edge over competitors. However, it’s not unique as there are several high-profile products by Samsung – namely the Galaxy Edge – already in the market. A variation of this though could be an interesting place to start.
Daemon:
This is an interesting word. In Greek mythology, it means an inner spirit or guiding force. In technology, it is a subprogram is that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user. Because of the plurality of meaning it stands out as a name.
Paramore:
By combining the words parameter and more you are suggesting an ever-extending range of possibilities. On top of this, a paramour is a loved one, which adds implications of intimacy to the brand identity.
Blended Flavours:
A straightforward name for a food business. Blended flavors have positive connotations of unique and new flavors.
Bubblicious:
Combining bubbles and delicious. This would make an interesting name for a fizzy drink company aimed at children. However, the childish nature of the name is limiting in the possibilities down the line.
Activate:
Active, activate. As a sports goods name, this acts as a command, seemingly telling people to activate their sporty side. This opens up interesting marketing possibilities around the idea of people achieving their goals.
Sword and Shield:
This would work as a men’s sportswear brand. It references old weapons that are in our current society romanticized.
Eros:
The Roman God of love. For a beauty brand, this name would speak directly to the consumers’ desires. Exploring different deities and people from mythological books is always a good option for names.
Mi Amor:
An extension of the idea of Eros, this translates as My Love. It is possessive and almost comes off as a command. Again as a beauty brand, this speaks to the consumers’ desires.
Advocate:
An advocate is a friend and supporter. As a clothing brand, this implies an interesting message. Are the clothes advocates for you, supporting your fashion sense. Or are you advocates for the brand? By working both ways subtly involves the consumer with the brand on a deeper level.
References
Chovanová, H.H., Ivanovich A., & Babčanová, D. (2015) “Impact of Brand on Consumer Behavior” Procedia Economics and Finance, Vol. 34, pp. 615-621: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212567115016767
Escalas, J.E. (2004a), “Imagine yourself in the product: mental simulation, narrative transportation, and persuasion”, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 37-48: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4189256
Jeon, J.E., (2017) “The impact of brand concept on brand equity” Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vol. 11 No. 2, 2017 pp. 233-245: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/APJIE-08-2017-030
Malär, L., Krohmer, H., Hoyer, W.D. and Nyffenegger, B. (2011), “Emotional brand attachment and brand personality: the relative importance of the actual and the ideal self”, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 75 No. 4, pp. 35 – 52: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057740805700954
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