Branding Series - How to Generate Names for Your Brand

Naming your brand is not always easy, but in this blog I have a few tips and tricks that can help you get closer to finalizing the name of your brand.

Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Chanel…would you believe that they all started out with the same question. What should the name of the brand be? Name creation for a brand can be daunting but there are a few tricks to make it easier.

Your first decision will be to choose to name your line based on your name or pick a brand name. There are pros and cons to choosing your own personal name. Like in the last blog, “Establishing Brand Identity” self naming a brand works if you already have a built in audience; however, many designers use their full name and later on aim to sell their brand. There are two problems that can occur here. The first being the possibility that you may not be able to sell your self named brand because the face of the brand is you, and if sold you may not be the face anymore which can reduce sales. The second is, naming legalities. Some designers who sell their self named brand might face contracts that legally bind them to the inability to sell other products in certain industries under their name. A way to navigate around this is to use a nickname for your brand, or only first or last name.  However, you will ultimately need to choose if having a self name brand is worth the risks and benefits. 

Going with a brand name versus a self named brand can give you a lot of creativity in terms of name creation. The first thing you want to do is brainstorm a big list. During a brainstorming session you want to be open to all ideas, later on you can cross names off the list but at this point you want to be open to all possibilities. Depending on what stage you are in during your brand creation perhaps you already have established your design aesthetic,  your ideal customer, or your brand values. This is a great starting point for a brainstorm, however if you are still stuck or need to edit your list, consider the following: Is your brand easy to spell? Does your brand name speak to the products you will be selling? Is your brand name already taken or  trademarked? Does your brand’s name have available social media handles and domains? Does your brand’s name speak to your ideal customer? Will your brand’s name have longevity? 

When it comes to naming a brand, spelling does matter. While it is important to be unique, it is important for the spelling to be relatively clear to the customer. There is a chance that a customer will like your product enough to review it in a video, if the brand name is said in a video, you want to make sure the listener to the video can understand the spelling by just listening to the name. 

Next, does your brand’s name speak to the products you will be selling? This is not a necessary qualifier but it can be helpful to establish a brand name that truly speaks to what you are selling. Under Armour is a great example. Under Armour addresses what they sell, they sell Under Armour or underwear, clothing meant to protect you from sporting and weather conditions. Nike, another sporting goods company, first branded as “Blue Ribbon Sports“ but later rebranded as Nike, which is derived from Greek Mythology meaning Goddess of Victory. In both of these cases the name of the brand relates to the product and values the brands sell. 

Something important to consider is, if your brand is already taken or trademarked. Brands like Nike and Under Armour can not be your next brand because they already have a built in audience and they are trademarked. In order to prevent any trademark issues it is recommended to check the trademark website HERE. By checking for any trademark issues early on this can prevent the need to rebrand later. 

Coordinating with trademark checks, it is also important to check if your desired social media handles and website domain are available. You can always add shop to the end of your social media handle or domain but it is important that you like and are happy with the sound of the name. 

After establishing that your name is clear, if your brand’s name is available, it is important to verify that the name truly speaks to your customer. Take a second to look over the names on your brainstorm list. Are there any names that would irritate or offend your ideal customer, if so take those off the list. Next,  take values into account, are there any names that go against customer values? More importantly, are there any names that appeal to your customer’s values? If so you might have a winning name on your hands. 

Another thing to consider is if the name has the capacity for longevity. Nike will last the test of time because of its inspiration from Greek mythology but also because its value of victory also transcends into the products. A slang term or trendy word might not have as much longevity. 

Finalizing your brand name can take a little bit of time but it should also be easy and fun. It is important to double check that you can legally use a name but what matters is choosing a name that communicates what you want to say about the brand. It may take a couple of cycles to find the right name but by keeping both the creativity and the logistics in mind you will find the right name for the brand.

But what if you need a little help finalizing the brand name? At V.Mora we can help you finalize a brand name you will be happy with. By taking a deeper dive into your brand our team can come up with brand name options. For inquiries please contact: vmorainquiry@vmora.com

Do you have your brand name already? At V.Mora we can help you through the entire production process from designing, to sourcing and so on through our Production Development services. If you are in need of the following Development and Production services: 

• Sourcing 

• Technical sketches 

• Pattern Making

• Prototype making 

• Sample Making

• Fittings 

• Digitizing and Grading

• Marker Making

• Manufacturing

Please contact us at: vmorainquiry@vmora.com