What Makes a Brand Name Extraordinary?
One of our most beloved tasks when creating brands is Naming. It also happens to be one of the most difficult undertakings a branding agency could sign themselves up for. Whether you’re renaming a company to give yourself a fresh start, or finding a name that reflects the vision for a new venture, naming is an emotional topic for everyone involved.
Throughout the years we’ve learned a lot about the naming process and have a dedicated method that helps the process go a lot smoother, and we’d like to share what we’ve found along the way.
In this three part series, we’ll dive into what makes a name extraordinary, how to find your own brand name, and finally the worries—and their solutions—to naming your company.
So, as part one of our series, let’s get into what makes a name extraordinary in the first place.
What’s in a brand name?
What makes a good name good? What makes a bad name bad?
Picture this: Your friend tells you they just started dating someone named Bertrand. What do you think about this mysterious Bertrand? Now imagine they tell you they’re dating someone named Xæ-12. What are your impressions then?
The same goes for brand names. Some can be great, some can be bad, and some can be extraordinary. We’ve identified that the best names follow are MOM, or:
Memorable, Ownable, Magical.
What do we mean by these?
A good brand name is memorable:
In a world where we are bombarded by brands, names have to have sticking power. Your name should conjure up a powerful image and stay there. Therefore, we believe that brand names should be simple, while also adding distinction.
They should be easy to pronounce and spell, but hard to forget. If your name is tricky to say, people will avoid saying it. Therefore, they should also never be too clever, or too highbrow either. The best names strike a balance—they are easy for everyone to say, but have depth behind them.
A good brand name is ownable:
Your name should be like a well-tailored suit: Uniquely reflecting the character of your brand in the most flattering way. It should be an aspirational representation of who you are, because in our eyes, nothing is worse than a name that simply describes what you do. Where an aspirational name is like a tailored suit that accentuates your best qualities, a descriptive name is like a spandex suit—revealing just a little too much and completely inappropriate in most settings.
To create an ownable, aspirational name we spend an extensive time figuring out what the vision for your organization is. Your name should represent the organization that you are striving to be—maybe you’re not there just yet, but your name shouldn’t limit you from getting there.
A good brand name is magical:
In order to be extraordinary, a name also has to have a bit of magic to it. By this, we mean it needs to start a conversation, not end it. Names are a unique brand touch point because they have to stand by themselves, without the set dressing of your visual identity. It can be spoken in a conversation, or on a podcast, it can appear in the caption of a Linkedin Post or in Comic Sans—but no matter where it appears or how, it needs to have a bit of magic in order to be truly extraordinary.
An extraordinary name can become the beginning of a conversation, but a bad one will end the story there. Too highbrow of a name and people won’t dare to try and utter it. Too descriptive and people will be bored to tears by it.
Your brand name needs to be intriguing enough to inspire people to think about your brand and want to know more. Because if your organization is worth the effort it took to build it, then you should take the time to find your own magical name.
Some examples for great brand names:
Okay so what does this all mean in practical terms? Let’s take a look at some extraordinary names and see how they fit the MOM principles of naming.
Brand Example 1: Apple
This little company by the name of ‹Apple› is fantastic for a number of reasons.
It’s highly Memorable because it’s easy to say no matter what language you speak, simple to spell, and evokes a relatable image that everyone associates with something positive.
It’s Ownable because it reflects their ambition. ‹Apple› is one of the first words one learns in the English language, and they were striving to become one of the first names in computing. They picked a name that they could grow into, and boy did they ever.
It’s Magical because the founders were heavily inspired by both Isaac Newton and the delectable fruit of forbidden knowledge in the garden of Eden. It’s a powerful image, and their desire to create accessible knowledge is a perfect blend of these storytelling elements. And at the time, computers were seen as huge, confusing machines that only high level universities could operate. Their mission was to make the computer a barrier free, everyday product for the people. Their friendly and accessible name tempted many to buy their product and the rest is history.
Brand Example 2: Alphabet
Which brings us to our second example, the parent company of Google, Alphabet. We love this name for a number of reasons.
It’s memorable because, well, it’s the alphabet. Simple and easy to remember.
It’s ownable because it’s one of the biggest companies on the planet and it needs a name to match. The alphabet is the fundamental building blocks of language, and they are responsible for the building blocks to our online lives. As the CEO of Alphabet, Larry Page, puts it: «We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity's most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that it means alpha‑bet. ‹Alpha› is the investment return above benchmark, which we strive for!»
It’s also magical because… the story that Larry Page tells is totally made up. The original name for the company came from their Hamburg office, which was located on… ABC-Straße. It’s a name that has dimensions to it, causing one to pause and ask themselves: «Why Alphabet?»
Brand Example 3: One Thousand
Which brings us to our final example, and one that we created.
One Thousand is an AI consultancy based here in Berlin, but they started their life as ‹LEAD ML Consultancy›—a descriptive and dry name for a company made of very cheerful, professional, friendly people.
So, after a number of interviews, workshops, and meetings with the brand (more on this process in the next post) we set out on creating a name for them that reflected the character of their brand and what they’re setting out to do.
During one interview their founder, Tim, mentioned that as a team they decided that they would be happy if they could achieve one thousand artificial intelligence breakthroughs with their clients.
JUST one thousand? we thought. In a time of superlative growth, especially in the AI space, we found their humble goal delightfully refreshing. So, we decided on One Thousand.
It’s memorable because it’s easy to say no matter what your native language is.
It’s ownable because it’s the goal that they’re striving for—not to mention computers speak in ones and zeroes. Where ‹LEAD ML Consultancy› described what the company does, ‹One Thousand› describes who the company is striving to be.
And it’s magical because it stands out in the crowd and reflects their vision for the brand. You couldn’t just pick a name like this out of a hat. It adds an element of curiosity to the brand that starts conversations and sticks in your mind.
So, what makes a great brand name?
If you’ve made it this far, you should have a good idea of what we define as an extraordinary name, but you may be wondering how we actually meet the criteria that we set out for ourselves. In part 2 of our Naming Series we’ll outline exactly how we go about creating names, giving a detailed understanding of our process. Stay tuned for more!
