Namensfindung – nicht nur bei werdenden Eltern löst sie heiße Diskussionen oder Panik aus. Auch bei Gründungen gehört dieser Prozess mit zu den wichtigsten. After all, the name is the figurehead. The name is part of the first impression. It may or may not leave an impression. The name is sonorous or, in the worst case, meaningless.
A well-thought-out and appealing name can help you stand out from the competition, build a strong brand identity and attract the interest of potential customers. We would therefore like to list a few important aspects that founders should consider when choosing a name.
Memorability and simplicity
The ideal company name should be easy to remember and pronounce. You should avoid complicated words or overly long word combinations that could make it difficult to remember. Short and concise names often have a greater impact. Whether the combination of the first letters of the first name and surname is ideal cannot be said across the board. It worked for Haribo.(Hans Riegel Bonn)
Relevance and importance
The next point follows on from the previous one. Although the company name should ideally be related to the business activity or reflect the products, services or mission, this is not a must. Let’s stick with Haribo – standing on its own, nobody would think that gummy bears are hidden behind this name. Nevertheless, if the name gives you an idea of what the company is all about, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Emotional connection
A good company name should evoke a positive emotional response from potential customers. It should appeal to your target group and ideally arouse sympathy, trust or interest. Sometimes a slogan supports the name and creates a connection between the company and its customers. DIY shops have perfected this: “Obi – Everything doable for your project” or “Bauhaus – If it has to be good”.
Availability of the domain
In today’s digital era, it is essential that the chosen company name is also available as a domain. Basically, everything stands or falls on this and it makes finding a name even trickier. Nevertheless, it is important that the domain also matches the name in order to create a uniform public image. An exception may be necessary if the company name is gendered. Since neither the capital I nor the colon are possible in the domain name, you may have to do without equality.
To summarise, finding a name for a company is an enormously creative process that definitely requires a great deal of care and consideration. It is therefore worth taking enough time to consider various options and only making an informed decision once you are absolutely sure. To help you achieve this, we have summarised creative techniques from an older article that can help you:
Score points with creative naming techniques
A first step is to explain the company or service in the imagination of a three-year-old child. Answer the child’s imaginary questions and write down the answers! We explain the world to children in a more visual and yet simple way. The next step is to pick out a few significant nouns or verbs from the list. And now write each individual word so that the letters are vertical – i.e. from top to bottom.
B
E
R
L
I
N
The next step is to find a new word for each letter that can be associated with the generic term.
B – brave
E – exiting
R – rough
L – loud
I – integration
N – natur
This can be continued with all the terms you find, or just with the one that inspires you the most. There usually comes a point when you know exactly that it fits and that you are right with this name. In this context, I can recommend the book “ABC – KREATIV” by Vera F. Birkenbihl. The author uses 17 examples to present creative solutions that can be used for more than just finding a name.
On trend with ABBA
Even if the fact that the band has decided to work together again after so many years is extremely remarkable, it has nothing to do with the following method. The so-called ABBA matrix is the abbreviation for:
(A)ssociations (B)rilliant pictures (B)egriffe (A)nalogies
This method is specifically about collecting terms, image motifs and ideas for all four columns. In the end, you become a combiner by putting the terms from the different columns together and new associations emerge or even a name crystallises.
W-Questions
Another creative technique is the “if-were question” or the “how-were question”. These questions come in handy when you are looking for a witty slogan for a product. What would the product be like if it were a human being, for example? What if it was an animal? If the product were successful, it would be what?
All techniques can be worked on well in a group. However, strict brainstorming rules should apply. Everything is allowed, no thought is useless or bad – you can sort it out later!
And now: Have fun finding a name! And let us surprise you, because we also have something planned when it comes to finding a name.
