Naming Systems
Names, and the logic that governs them. What the company is called, what the products are called, and the rule that decides the name of the next thing you ship.
In development. Ask what the current scope covers.Who it is for
Anyone naming a company or a product. Businesses whose product names have accumulated with no pattern and now confuse their own sales conversations.
The problem it solves
Naming usually happens once, under pressure, and then every later name is improvised against it. Without a system, the fourth product name fights the first three.
What I do
- 01Set the naming logic first: descriptive, coined, or borrowed, and how far the family can stretch.
- 02Generate in volume, then cut hard against the position rather than against taste.
- 03Check exact match domains, social handles, and obvious trademark collisions before you get attached.
- 04Pressure test the shortlist out loud, on the phone, and spelled from memory.
What you end up with
- A shortlist with the reasoning for each name written down.
- Availability notes on domains, handles, and visible conflicts.
- The naming rule for whatever you launch next.
01Also in Brand & Strategy
- The ReadPositioning and the competitive read, before any design.
- Visual IdentityThe mark, the lockups, and the world the brand lives in.
- The SpecificationThe identity written down as rules, not as a picture.
- Setting the VoiceMessage hierarchy and tone. The brand in words.