The Naming Company Methodology

Naming is a difficult task and not all companies approach it the same way. Some name consultants work from a database of Fanciful names that they have already cleared for trademark protection. When you go to them for naming services they match up your needs with a name already in their files. This is like buying a suit off the rack.

The Naming Company tailors each project to your specific needs.

We believe that naming is a creative process. We understand that each naming situation is different and deserves project-specific thinking and a customized approach.

Some naming consultants believe in the shotgun approach and present lists of hundreds, even thousands of names. We don’t believe it is useful to ask our clients to wade through endless laundry lists of “names” that are nothing more than English words culled from the dictionary. That laborious process wastes everyone’s time and taxes your concentration.

At The Naming Company we prefer to focus our thinking and come back with a short list of names that’s right on target. This way you can concentrate on a handful of valid names that stand a good chance of becoming successful trademarks.

Our creative process involves several methods of name generation. First we assemble a Name Team™ of ten or more professional namers. We concentrate, think, study and research to come up with possible solutions. We brainstorm. We noodle. We use a number of computer programs to kick-start our thinking. We consult the dictionary, the encyclopedia, and the thesaurus. We explore competitors’ names and examine your lists of rejected names for inspiration. And we spend plenty of time “blue-sky” thinking. It’s hard work, but it’s a process we enjoy.

Once our list of names has been compiled, it is edited down to just the candidates with the greatest potential. We look for names that are distinctive, memorable and marketable. A typical project yields 40 to 50 names, depending on the criteria the client specifies.

Rarely are there “eureka moments” when the winning name appears like a bolt from the blue. More often, it requires thoughtful consideration to determine which names have the greatest merit. Frequently, the winning name is not the obvious choice.