A good brand name strikes a balance between qualities in three areas: STRATEGIC qualities, CREATIVE qualities, and TECHNICAL qualities.
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STRATEGIC qualities include:
- Meaningful: the name conveys the intended messages or evokes the right feelings
- Adaptable: it’s able to stretch as the brand evolves
- Distinctive: it stands out against competitor names
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In CREATIVE qualities, we have:
- Memorable, whether that’s because it’s unique or because of its meaning or structure (for example, maybe it rhymes)
- Sounds good
- Looks good: It’s important to think about the letters and how the name will look when written out or designed as part of a logo
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Lastly, TECHNICAL qualities:
- Legally available: Definitely one of the hardest parts of naming, the name can’t be too similar to another name used for similar goods and services
- Linguistically viable, meaning it can’t be a bad word in some relevant language or culture, can’t have negative connotations, pronunciation challenges, and so on
- Easy to spell and pronounce: The name shouldn’t have a confusing spelling or ambiguous pronunciation
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Ultimately, there’s no magic formula for what makes a good brand name. It depends on the context and the underlying strategy. But these three areas and nine qualities are a handy, rough guide to keep in mind when coming up with name ideas.