It all starts with a good name.
A name can be your brand’s greatest asset. It’s your identity. Your reputation. A sense of who your brand is, and its place in the world. A good name is worth its weight in gold, and then some. Hell, even the Bible agrees:
”A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” – Proverbs 22:1
Do not doubt King Solomon; the dude was a beast of branding. More than that, a good name carries equity; it embodies your values and brand promise. Having a distinctive name allows your brand to stand out in a sea of sameness, leading to opportunities and growth. ‘Tis a crucial component of your business’s potential success. So, play the long game and choose your name wisely.
I love naming stuff. It’s what I was born to do. As a professional monikerist, here are some of the things I name:
_brands
_products
_events
_departments
_games
_teams
_bands
_people
_pets (racehorses included)
_youth groups
_community organizations
_stage names / pseudonyms
_domain names
_NGOs
_buildings
_boats
_(I also do taglines.)
You name it, I’ve probably named it. But just like every client, every project is different. That’s why I offer a free 30-minute consultation for anyone who fills out an intake form, as well as three different tiers and naming packages to cater to your budget, time and naming needs.
NAMING PACKAGES
Tier 1
_NAMES GENERATED: 5
_ROUNDS OF IDEATION: 1
_TURNAROUND: 3 days
_COST: $250
_HOW IT WORKS: After you fill out the intake form and we have our creative consultation to glean brand attributes, DNA and long-term goals, I will provide 5 wondrous and apropos names—replete with reasoning, definitions and etymologies beneath all naming options. Further and full-service branding services are available for an additional fee.
Tier 2
_NAMES GENERATED: 10
_ROUNDS OF IDEATION: 1
_TURNAROUND: 3 days
_COST: $450
_HOW IT WORKS: After you fill out the intake form and we have our creative consultation to glean brand attributes, DNA and long-term goals, I will provide 10 wondrous and apropos names—replete with reasoning, definitions and etymologies beneath all naming options. Further and full-service branding services are available for an additional fee.
Tier 3
_NAMES GENERATED: As many as you need
_ROUNDS OF IDEATION: 3 rounds
_TURNAROUND: 3 days per round
_COST: $6,000
_HOW IT WORKS: Most naming projects that I consult for utilize this package. After you fill out the intake form and we have our creative consultation to glean brand attributes, DNA and long-term goals, I will provide 3 comprehensive rounds of naming options. Here’s what you can expect from each round:
R1: Explore and fill primary buckets—i.e., approved directions and themes—as well as casting a wider net to other relevant rabbit holes. In this round I do less self-editing and include more tangential ideas. You never know what might inspire a great thought or name from someone reading this list.
R2: take in all feedback, refine and build off list from R1, addressing all names and buckets that resonate with the client. For each name and direction that pique interest, I do a deep dive, approaching them from a multitude of directions. Now that I have a better handle on what you dig, I continue to populate each bucket with new names, as well as adding a slew of terms in other realms that seem connected. In this round, I explore functional modifiers that could work with each idea (if necessary). More self-editing than R1, but still leave plenty of new names for the client to consider.
R3: iterate and build off all feedback from previous rounds. Narrow down to a final set of names, provide new options and alternatives for each finalist, and hone ideas to naming perfection, adding functional modifiers where needed. After a comprehensive review, final shortlist is then formatted and presented to the client.
Further and full-service branding services are available for an additional fee.
WORK EXAMPLES
So you get an idea of what to expect, here are a few projects I’ve worked on, followed by 6-7 of my favorite names from each.
NextEra Energy is the biggest company you’ve never heard of. It’s the world’s largest utility company + the world’s leader in wind & solar energy, and energy storage capacity. I was asked to help name an alumni network for 35 Mules, its in-house innovation hub & start-up incubator program. Ultimately, they ended up calling it The Herd—which I found rather unremarkable, not least because a bunch of mules are called a “pack,” not a “herd.”
These are a few of my favorite names that didn’t get chosen:
The Savant-Garde
(combining “avant-garde,” which are new or experimental ideas—or those introducing them—and “savant,” which is a person of learning, especially one with detailed knowledge in a specialized field)
Masters of Power
(think master’s degree from a power company)
The Gridmakers
(a power grid is a network, and this alumnus group is all about networking and making things)
The League of Stubborn
(dig the idea of calling the graduates of 35 Mules a “league” like the Justice League. Or League of Nations)
The Powerneers
(combining power and pioneers)
Outcubitants
(as in, those who emerge from the 35 Mules incubator program)
The Glue Factory
(where they dispose of old horses or mules)
Denver Community Credit Union (DCCU) was a bank looking to shed its local image and drive membership growth with a full rebrand, while embracing forward-thinking, solution-oriented values and remaining an authentic, inclusive and guiding resource in the community.
These are some of my favorite names, one of which they ended up using:
Zing
(means “energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness”)
Worthy Bank
(could change it up and use as a versatile compound word, depending on message:
_______ Worthy
Life Worthy / Trust Worthy / You Worthy)
Rota (Financial)
(Latin for “wheel,” but also represents forward movement, transformation and wheel of fortune [rota fortunae])
Tegrity
(part of “integrity,” which means “the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction,” or “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles”)
Apis
(Latin for “bee,” and bees symbolize communication, organization, abundance, productivity and equality)
Pharos
(means “a lighthouse or a beacon to guide sailors,” or “an ancient Egyptian lighthouse, considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World”)
Mirador
(means “a tower attached to a building and providing an extensive view”)
Education Growth Advisors (EGA) was a firm created to bring education industry clients services in strategy consulting and investment banking. They wanted a new name that suggested the brand attributes of tenacity, strength and a conduit, while remaining true to the education sector.
These are some of my favorite names, one of which they ended up using:
Tyton
(shortened version of Tytonidae, the scientific family classification for owls)
Sisu
(a Finnish term that means “tenacity, determination, bravery and resilience”)
Synapt
(synapses are “the junction point between two neurons.” This is how thoughts move and systems communicate throughout the body. Apt means “quick to learn” and suitable in the circumstances”)
Taliesin
(Celtic god of magic, music, poetry, wisdom, writing, wizards, bards, and knowledge)
Sequitur
(means “a logical conclusion from the premises; a logical consequence”)
Class V
(refers to the strongest forces in nature [class 5 storms and tornadoes, rapids—which covers conduit and strength], as well as “class,” which speaks to education)