Working on naming you business? We’ve got some helpful tips to make sure your business name is appropriate and stands out from the crowd!
Choosing the right name is very important before creating your small business logo. Everyone will know you by it. Chosen correctly, it will draw interest in your customers and be uniquely memorable. If chosen poorly, it will be plain, forgettable, and may cross some socially unacceptable lines. It’s important to make sure when choosing a name for your business it is done so thoughtfully and with purpose.
If you’ve seen the movie Jobs with Ashton Kutcher, I’m sure you’ll remember the scene that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak name the company. They’re driving and discussing what they want their company to represent. They know they want everyone to desire their product, so they brainstorm stories of desire throughout history. Thinking upon the story of Adam and Eve, they talk about how Eve was tempted by the fruit in the Garden, traditionally represented by an apple. While apples have nothing to do with technology or computers, the meaning behind the story is widely known and relatable.ray ban new wayfarer
I encourage you to take some time when selecting a name for a company. Having meaning that you can market to your customers will make it much more appealing. So while you’re figuring out the name, I have some professional tips to help you out!Buy air jordan
TYPES OF NAMES
There are different methods to naming your business depending on your industry, involvement, and services you offer. Here are some popular ideas to consider and examples with recently winning logo designs.
Personal Name
If your business is more hands on or you are the one doing a bulk of the service, using your last name adds a personal touch. Last names are generally known locally. It allows for inclusion of other employees, whether they’re family or not. Avoid using your first name, it’s almost too personal and generic since many more people share the same first name than last names (except Smiths). Using a last name implies confidence in the future, that you can pass the business on to your children.
Party logo design using Personal Name
You can see in both examples that they use the same first letter in each name, a word play strategy that is easier for minds to remember. Even though “Garnet Gals” doesn’t tell me what they do, I can see they’re proud of the jams and jellies they make enough to put their names on it. Since magicians traditionally work alone or with one assistant, I know based on the name I will be getting Minton himself, as opposed to “Amazing Magic” or something less defined.ray ban sunglasses Italy
Made Up Words
Making up a word to name your business can be tricky. Part of the name should be recognizable or relatable. There’s a fine line between clever, and creatively taking it too far. The benefit of pulling this off is a unique and original name that will be related to whatever you do. You can control through marketing how the new word is represented.
The root word in Editari would be “Edit,” easily telling me they’ll edit something. It’s made clearer in the logo with the tagline “Editing Services” and the writing quill that they will edit my writings. Sensifye adds the “ify” suffix to sense. The new word conjures up images of working up my five senses. Sensifye creates emotionally engaging viral content.
Descriptive Names
The Prancing Pony. The Daily Bugle. Fictional businesses, but they still use a practical way of naming themselves. Combine an exciting descriptive word describing the company with a noun about what they do. It’s simple, but effective. (The Prancing Pony is an inn for travelers from the Lord of the Rings, and the Daily Bugle is the newspaper that Peter Parker takes pictures for from Spider-man comics.)
Restaurant logo design using Descriptive Names
This method is a very straight forward way of letting your customers know what to expect. From Smokin Eatz you can determine that you will eat food that is smoked, in this case barbecue. With Luxe Paw, Luxe is short for “Luxury” and paw tells us that it’s animal related. Which is great because they sell luxury items for your pets!
Combining Names
Mixing two names together can be a clever alternative to making up a word. It takes careful planning though, you don’t want to end up with anything offensive or non-sensical. Successfully combing two words your audience is already familiar with will yield easy recognition. Just make sure that both words are not so specific to your industry that it’s lost on the general populace.ray ban sunglasses Netherlands
School & education logo design using Combined Names
Half Pass Moon combines the Half Pass move from equine training with the Half Moon, something everyone’s taught in elementary school. Together they allow for a very creative image that designers and marketers can have a lot of play with. Shoe-ting Stars, as I’m sure you can see, combines Shoe with Shooting Stars! Both familiar objects, together they create a memorable image.
AVOIDING MISTAKES
Be careful with the spelling. If you add some extra vowels or purposefully misspell a word, it can reflect poorly on your business, that you’re inept or have no know-how. I would second guess the purpose for any spelling errors, they would have to have an obvious reason or story to work. See Toys R Us for an example that works.
Your city doesn’t count. Unless you are specifically endorsed or commissioned by the city you are working in, avoid using your city’s name as part of your business name. An exception could be made for especially exotic locations or if your city is famous within your industry, but most cases it ends up sounding generic and forgetabble.
Don’t use “shock” words. Be careful when using words that are taboo or draw negative connotations. It will instantly draw negative association with your business, and that will turn people away. This includes slang that may be known only to your local area. It limits your relevance outside of your immediate community, hindering your growth.
Avoid jumping to use initials. While businesses that use initials are trying to be personal, the meaning is lost on a majority of audiences. “LAS Trucking” and “TRV Mobile” don’t stick into people minds because they lack meaning. The only exception I could see considering this is if you have a lot of long names you need to represent in a logo, as seen in some law firms. Even then, spell out what the initials mean somewhere below the design.
Don’t be too smart for your own good. If your business is very technical, I wouldn’t use words from the business that are too far out of reach for the general public. Some try this to show how educated and specialized their business is, but it just ends up alienating most people because they can’t figure out what you’re business is about. A good way to gauge this is whether you would bring the word up at the dinner table, talking to family, or when you meet a stranger. If you would use that term in those instances, it’s safe to keep it out of your name.
EXPLORING IDEAS
I highly encourage you to explore words you can use by brainstorming. Make a list of words about your business, words you want to describe your company, how you want your company to be seen by your target audience, etc. Look at combining them, pairing them up, or maybe mixing them together. It should be fun!
These aren’t the only ways to come up with a name, but they are popular and effective methods for naming your business. You want to have a compelling name that catches the attention of your customers. It should be easy to read and readily memorable. Plus, a good name gives designers something to work with creatively and your marketing team an edge. Don’t let a boring name drag your good business down. Don’t be afraid to re-brand your business. Many do so each year to make sure they stay relevant and are capturing the right audience.
I hope this helps you in choosing your business name. Once you’re ready, we’ve got designers who are eager work with you on a unique logo design. Start your logo contest today!
How did you name your business?
Have you used any of these techniques?
I would love to hear about it in the comments!
Guy Writing List image courtesy of Pakron / freedigitalphotos.net
One reply on “Tips For Naming Your New Business”
I have name my company by the technique of combining names which is Bigtech Ideas.Thanks for sharing such an informative article about name a business because its the first step of starting a new business.