- In the graphic designers perfect world,
an organizations brand
would be easily recognized and remembered.
The audience would see the name and logo
and know what the organization did, produced,
and how it behaved.
The world of logos and brand names
would be instantly recognizable.
In the past, an organizations name
was a critical component of the brand experience.
Today, the name is even more important.
In a social media world, there may be no logo.
Only the name.
This adds pressure to our work,
but offers opportunities to help a business succeed.
When is it time to rename?
The questions are similar to the ones
we asked about the redesign.
Did the clients business change?
Are there different goals?
Did something negative taint the original brand?
Here, the issue of a cultural change
can force a name change.
A brand name that seemed innocuous originally
could now have different associations than intended.
There are several approaches to naming or nomen colature
It can be a complex process
involving research, focus groups, and testing.
But let's assume that, like me,
you probably have clients that can't afford
to spend a year or more on the name.
Using that hypothesis, let's look at a few ways
to determine a good brand or product name.
First and foremost, check the name options online.
If it's already taken, move on.
You can contact the owner and negotiate a purchase
of the existing name, but that may not be necessary.
Remember, any name you choose, like the logo,
has no value until the audience connects it
with the brands values and products.
Pepsi, by itself, doesn't describe anything.
We know what it is due to a century
of exposure to the products.
The process to determine a name should link
to the brand attributes.
I start with each and create a list of synonyms.
These may not be the final name,
but start the creative engine.
I can then branch into various types of names,
always referring back to the brand attributes.
A name can be based on an individual or partnerships name,
such as Charles Schwab, JcPenney, and Herman Miller.
It can be a descriptor of the purpose
of the organization, MTV Music Television
and American Airlines.
The name can be based
on mythology, Starbucks, Hermès, Oracle and Nike
are all based on Greek mythology and literary figures.
Acronyms are a good way of shortening a name
or making it less product specific, such as NASA.
The name is either helping the brand or detracting from it.
Nothing is neutral if a company wants to move
from one industry to another, or expand into new areas.
If it has a name too strongly identified
with a past direction, or everyone hears
the existing name and thinks bad, it's time to rename.