Be Smart(ist)

So, what’s in a brand name?  Well, it would appear that there is quite a lot and not a whole heck of a lot, depending on where you look.

I’m working on a project with some friends that seems to have a lot of exciting opportunities and loads of potential … if only we could figure out a name.   We all think it’s great, but what in the heck do we call this thing?  A name will say a lot about our product, our ideology, our services, and how people will eventually remember, identify and incorporate this product into their everyday lives, not to mention, it has to be memorable, spellable, emotional, logical, scalable, available and clever.

So, with all of these various requisites, and after a few weeks of meetings, brainstorms, naming parties, and dictionary upon dictionary upon dictionary, we’re still in the air about what this thing will be called.  Interestingly enough though, it’s forced us to look at major brands and their names, to understand what thought processes have gone into the most successful brands.  Here’s a great link to the etymology of famous brands that highlights some of the really curious origins of some of your favourite brands!  (Top of my list so far is Asics, most likely because I’m on a Latin kick for the moment.)

A part of me feels like this should be dynamic and interesting, but not given too much analysis to the point that it loses its’ fun for function.  (Makes me think of a favourite saying: a camel is a horse designed by a committee).  Another part looks at some very ‘easy’ names on this list and realizes now that many of them were given lots of thought before launch (Nike is great example here).  Either way, once we have this sorted out it will be come a matter of branding and positioning the name, just like Nike and Coke and Apple, which is what brings us from just a name to a successful brand.