1. 8 questions
to stack
candidates
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2. What’s so important about naming?
A huge part of branding is making sure you have the right
name. It’s the first thing people hear, see, and judge.
In the course of helping companies and organizations find
their “look and feel,” we at Design Kompany have seen
just how beautifully a great name can set up a brand.
For example, some that we came up with: Hindsight for a
veterinarian specializing in alternative medicine, Matchbox
Mobile for a software company, Million Monarchs for a
renewable energy nonprofit, and Loom for a foundation.
Here are 8 criteria we use to stack name candidates.
We hope you’ll find them useful, too.
Dipika Kohli
Design Kompany
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3. Is it
memorable?
8
Ditch anything unsticky. [This is a picture of me (left) and Akira (right) from the top of the
Empire State Building in1999!]
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4. Is it fun to say?
7
Think: Google, not AltaVista. [Or “goggle,” ha! Above is our son Kush, 2.]
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5. Is it relevant?
6
Design Kompany just named a new Seattle grantmaking foundation Loom. A lot of
foundations are named after their founders, but here the idea is about weaving change.
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6. Is it unique?
5
Is it you and only you? There is only one Curious George. And The Man in the Yellow Hat.
[And this desktop timepiece I picked up for Akira because it was so him.]
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7. 5 4
Is it surprising?
In a crowded energy
market, Million Monarchs
gets your attention. This is part
of the logo design.
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8. 3 Build a case.
Build relationships. Build trust.
Stay attuned. Sure, at the end of
the day it’s important to get cus-
tomers. But it’s also about keep-
ing them. Think beyond getting
Is it evocative?
your first dollar in the door. Think
about how to offer great service
Great names convey a feeling. Think: Red Envelope versus 1800GiftBaskets.com.
Or Etsy, as opposed to Craftsy. These leaves appeared everywhere one May so I
named my art site Wavular.
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9. Pay attention.
People want to be heard.
2
Is it playful?
Matchbox Mobile had a lot of fun with their new name. This is their business card.
For their tagline, they picked “Setting your mobile vision alight.”
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10. Want to know more? Read this
book Integrity Selling for the 21st
Century, by Ron Willingham.
For more on well-rounded brand
design, talk to Design Kompany.
letsplay@design-kompany.com
http://www.designkompany.com
1
Is it right?
Gut check time. Only you can know if a name is right for you. If it isn’t, keep going.
Don’t settle! Give the search the time it deserves. It’ll be worth it in the end.
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11. 1
Questions?
You can reach us at 206.778.5136 or letsplay@designkompany.com
Thanks! And thanks to Pecha Kucha Night Raleigh and SparkCON 2010 for inviting
Design Kompany to present “How to Pick a Name.”
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