Business Naming Basics

Naming Resources come in all sizes and shapes, some free and some with a price.

As a professional namer, I’ve hunted down and identified many name resources, some of which were worth while bookmarking and using when the old muse stopped feeding my creative fires.

One such site is WordLab.

Here’s how the creators of this valuable site describe their objective and their resource:

“The leading free resource for naming and branding, Wordlab is both a Universal think tank, where users employ the services of anyone and everyone willing to contribute their own personal naming and branding genius to the Wordboard for immediate use, and an ever-expanding database…from the site’s co-creators, Quark and Snark. With over 40 categories ranging from Acronyms to Zen Koans, Wordlab’s original think-bank will have you sometimes smiling, sometimes howling and sometimes running for the trademark office. Browse and explore the vast riches.”

There’s an awful lot of naming help on this site, but much of it frustrating because there’s no relevance between your business or product and the suggestions you generate from their databases. Never-the-less, quite often you’ll see suggestions that resonate with you. Just jot these letter groups down without judging them. They may work as name parts or they may spark ideas that do. It’s all part of the creative process.

Then there’s the WordLab “Big List” – a list of “new words” invented by readers and WordLab staff that may trigger ideas or provide a couple of relevant candidates.

WordLab also maintains a naming forum where you can post your need for a name. Just describe the business or product and several contributors will provide some ideas for you. There’s no guarantee that folks will respond, or that responders will present good name candidates.

But all in all, if you’re attempting to create a long list of name candidates from many sources and from many perspectives, include the resources of WordLab in your quest.

Related business naming posts:

1. 10 Indispensable Naming Resources There are some reference books I keep going back to during the business naming process. Here are my ten most...
2. Business Naming Posts From Other Naming Blogs – August 4, 2009 Company naming, product naming and naming resources covered this week...
3. Naming a Business After a Song? Try It! Business naming can often settle into a rut. You’ve exhausted your normal resources and nothing’s sparked. Time to try, as...

Tags: Naming Resources // Add Comment »