Like architecture, brand naming is highly creative and is informed by solid principles. If adhered to, these principles can contribute to the creation of enduring brand names. And while a bad name isn’t necessarily a smackdown for a quality product, a superior name greatly enhances a good one.

Stand Out and Be Noticed

A Purple Cow stands out from the herd. One way to "Purple Cow" names is to fuse natural words in unexpected ways as in the case of Pinkberry. Breaking industry conventions works too. That’s what the medical company Medtronics did when they named their cardiac stabilizer the Octopus, a brilliant name that departed from the industry’s practice of building names from Greek and Latin morphemes.

Keep it Short

Generally one, two, or three syllable names are best. Why bother saying Chevrolet when you can say Chevy? And wouldn’t you rather talk mortgages with Fannie Mae than the Federal National Mortgage Association?

Engage the Senses and Emotions

Close your eyes and say these disposal diaper names: Pampers, Luvs, and Huggies. What comes to mind? What sensations or emotions does the name evoke? Do the same thing with Simply Dry. I rest my case.

Not too long ago, Namebase had a colorful assignment—to name a brand line of paint. To prime the team, we visited hardware and paint stores, exploring the brand names and copy of all things related to paint—brushes, varnishes, trays, and other accoutrement. Needless to say, we lingered longest in the chip sample section. These prismatic displays -- with the whimsical names - held us spellbound.

I’m not sure when our fascination with color and color names began; however, that first box of 64 Crayola Crayons played a significant role. And while the vivid or dreamily pastel hues always disappointed when applied to paper, their names, the majority nature-inspired—Cornflower, Mahogany, Sepia, Raw Umbria, Thistle, and so on—held one's imagination in thrall. Paint names today continue to draw from nature as creative source, albeit it in a more fanciful way—e.g. Carolina Sky, Snowstorm, Lava Flow, and Lily Pond—but the spectrum has been greatly widened to include names that play to mood, lifestyle, or state of being—names like Long Vacation, Socialite, and Breathless.

And while some consider this approach to paint naming somewhat subjective,—what color is Long Vacation anyway?—the names do seems to play a role in color selection, In fact, a poll conducted by Apartment Therapy revealed that the name of a color influences 54% of paint buyers. It seems, all else being equal, most people prefer to paint their walls Morning Zen than Beige with a Touch of Pink.

Are there secrets as to what makes a great product name? During our 20 years of naming, Namebase has developed the following seven key rules for great naming:

1. Focus. A good name can communicate no more than two ideas. Any more and you will have confused your audience. Remember that the name does not have to communicate everything on its own. Your logo, website, tagline, etc. will support your key name communication.
2. Unique. The name for your product or service should be distinct from others in your category of products. Oftentimes, a name has only seconds to tell a story and you want it to tell your story, not remind your buyer of the competition.
3. Memorable. It’s often the linguistics in a name that make it memorable. Things like alliteration (the repetition of a sound within a word) or the use of short or sharp sounds such as the “r” and “x” in Clorox play a key role in memorability.
4. Engaging. A name includes meaning, sounds and a tone. All of those elements can combine together to create a highly involving name that tells a story, making the product come alive for its customers and prospects.
5. Easy to say and read. What do Huawei and McAfee have in common? They are both difficult to say and often pronounced differently by different people. When a name is difficult to pronounce, people will naturally shy away from it, for fear of saying it wrong. By the way, it’s “WAH-way” and MAC-uh-fee.”
6. Future-proof. Remember when names with dropped volumes (Flikr, Tumblr) or cute endings (Napster, Friendster) were ubiquitous? Following naming trends like these might seem like a good idea at the time but as the years go by, trendy approaches can make products appear dated.
7. Believable. Steer clear of names that make statements the offering cannot possibly deliver. Names that are not believable will fail to inspire the customer confidence necessary to ensure trust and loyalty.

Whether you’re a brand new business seeking to grab mind and market share, or an existing company in need of a rebrand, a strong name is essential. And while powerful business names share many features with top drawer product names —both must express key attributes, roll easily off the tongue, have great storytelling power, and be able to leap ever higher trademark and linguistic hurtles—successful business names have extra lifting to do.

Unless the name is for a pure-play company, it must complement a range of products or services. Simultaneously, it must be flexible enough to scale up as the business grows, A great example of this is Amazon. Had Jeff Bezos chosen a business name focused exclusively on his initial offering, the company’s transformation from book seller to the seller of everything would have been far more daunting.

Additionally, in today’s hyper-connected world, a world in which inbound marketing is king, it’s imperative that a business name works with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. To get a feel for this, imagine tweeting or blogging about Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing or Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice Company (feel the finger fatigue?). Without question, the trimmed down, toned up versions of these iconic companies—3M and Starbucks —are far superior.

Repeatedly we encounter clients who have attempted name development through crowdsourcing sites, in-house teams, or advertising and design agencies. While these approaches can sometimes work, more often than not they result in names that are mediocre, legally indefensible, or both. Many things account for this less than desirable outcome.

More Than Scrabble

Non-professionals namers are often considered “good with words”. However, individuals at naming agencies aren’t just “good with words”. They are extremely good with words. They understand linguistics and how different word and phonetic structures impact consumer perception.

They know that names be easy to pronounce and must avoid inappropriate meanings in multiple languages, including street language. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of past and present brand names, naming professionals are experts at developing names that avoid the overly trendy. This is extremely critical. Packaging and promotions may come and go, but brand names must have staying power.

On Strategy

Naming agencies also spend a lot of time getting to know their clients. Just as good biographers thoroughly research their subjects before writing, the pros at naming agencies gather in-depth information prior to any naming. This information—ranging from brand personality and competition, to naming objectives and linguistic criteria—gets codified into a “naming brief,” a document that guides the naming process. But because brief development is time consuming, crowdsourcing sites, and even ad and design agencies who should know better, skip or skimp on this important step.