A brand is what your customers tell you it is, not what you tell them it is.
So how do you create a new brand and give it immediate meaning? Start by considering the two key elements to a brand; the name and the brandmark (or logo).
The name
Brand naming is fun. And hard. Really, really hard. Not only do you need to come up with something clever and meaningful, it also needs to be unique and trademark-able, and the .com or equivalent available.
Here are a few tricks to brand naming that we’ve used over the years:
Slice & Dice
Combine two words to make a new word imbrued with meaning… Netflix. Say no more.
Cut it Short
A great example of which is Sorbent – a toilet tissue brand that instantly conveys its “absorbency”.
Completely Random
Tim Tam anyone? This classic Australian biscuit was named after the horse that won the 1958 Kentucky Derby. I do not believe any horses were harmed in the making of the first Tim Tam.
Work With What You’ve Got
The classic brand naming strategy uses the name of the founder.
Acronyms
Don’t use this strategy unless you’re a 200 year old financial institution, which I’m guessing you’re not.
The brandmark
I have to confess, while words are well and good, this is where I excel. Where brand naming is a science, transforming the name into a brandmark is true art. My grandfather was a “commercial artist” and he was responsible for the first ever Rosella Tomato Sauce brandmark. It is in my blood (art that is, not tomato sauce). Interestingly, rumour has it that the name “Rosella” came from the names of the daughters of the company founders (Rose and Ella) No idea if this is in fact true, but I like to think so.
THE NO-BULL BRANDER 