Deciding what name to give your business is a harder process than many people think it will be. What’s in a name?
It’s the first time business owners are confronted with the issues of both pleasing themselves and trying to appeal to an audience. With visual identity this is relatively straightforward, there are a lot of ways of comparing how that feels, relative to competitors. But at the initial business naming stage, it can feel very nebulous, as though there are thousands of possibilities and you are searching for a needle in a haystack.
Don’t worry, this is perfectly normal!
To avoid a tortuous guessing-game, you need a framework and a process to get to the right name methodically and remove unhelpful subjectivity. That’s where Sufu can help!
There is no such thing as “the one perfect name”
We have a proven system for helping businesses choose a company name that works, and moves you through a process you can feel confident in at every stage.
That involves understanding your mission and doing a little research on your market, to feel how a name might help you fit in, but also stand out, in an appropriate way. There is no “right and wrong” in this, and part of that we do is help you stay open-minded and fluid to different ideas. We know you think you’ll be good at that, but it’s amazing how our biases and preconceptions kick in once it comes to making actual choices.
The qualities of an effective name
MEANINGFUL
It communicates something about the essence of the brand. It supports the image that the company wants to convey.
MODULAR
It enables a company to build brand extensions with ease.
DISTINCTIVE
It is unique, as well as easy to remember, pronounce, and spell. It is differentiated from the competition.
PROTECTABLE
It can be owned, trademarked and a domain is available.
FUTURE-ORIENTATED
It positions the company for growth, change and success. It has sustainability and preserved possibilities.
POSITIVE
It has positive connotations in the market with no obvious negative or contradictory elements.
VISUAL
It lends itself well to graphic presentation in a logo, in text and in brand architecture.
Adding taglines for better meaning
It’s important to consider how names and taglines might work together to inform the visual identity. It’s not essential for a brand to have a formal tagline that is visualised within the logo, but for certain businesses it can be helpful. This is usually where the name has no descriptive element or might be misconstrued without an additional piece of information
If you would like advice on how to approach naming or renaming a business as part of a full rebrand, get in touch and we can give you the key information to ensure you approach the task in the right way to get a successful outcome.