3 Things to Note When Creating a Great Brand Name

You don’t want a brand name that sounds like Kräpp.

May 1, 2019

Last Updated on November 24th, 2020

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We’ve only got a limited number of words in the English language but new brands keep sprouting on a daily basis. How can we come up with unique brand names that work and yet doesn’t sound like gibberish?

Jonathan Bell, managing director of WANT Branding, a branding agency based in the U.S., offers three points of consideration when naming your brand.

READ: Check the availability of your brand’s desired URL and social media usernames all in one click.

1. Select the type of name that you want

There are seven categories of brand names:

1. Eponymous: Naming it after a person.

Examples: Disney, Yeo’s, Shaw Organisation, Stamford.

2. Descriptive: Tells people exactly what the brand does.

Examples: Singapore Airlines, Food Empire, Tiger Balm, BooksActually.

3. Acronymic: Shorthand versions of descriptive names

Examples: SMRT, M1, KFC, DBS

4. Suggestive: Implies an attribute or benefits of the brand.

Examples: Scoot, Homefix, MaxiCash, Naiise

5. Associative: Reflects the imagery meaning back to the brand.

Examples: Kingsmen Creatives, Banyan Tree, Olam, RedBull.

6. Non-English: Derived from romanising non-English words.

Examples: Lego, Samsung, Eu Yan Sang, Wing Tai.

7. Abstract: Made-up names with no intrinsic meaning and lends the power of phonetics to create impact.

Examples: Hyflux, Rolex, Cif, Pantone.

2. Decide what you want the name to say

The best brand stands for a big idea or an emotion.

The best brand stands for a big idea or an emotion. Bring your brand to life by giving it meaning.

3. Check that the name is available

Check your country’s registrar (in Singapore, you can check ACRA Bizfile) to see if you can register the brand as a business. Also, see if the brand name’s URL and username across various platforms are still available (here’s how you can do that easily in one click).

Listen to the man himself.