How to Write

a Naming Brief
A practical guide for
branding professionals
 About the brief
A naming brief is a relatively short document that
outlines objectives and parameters for the brand name

Contents_
to be developed. Brainstorming name ideas without first
articulating what the ideal name looks like is a recipe
for disaster—especially when a group of decision-
makers is involved. The brief forces everyone to align on
what the name should convey, what kinds of names to
consider, and what’s in and out of bounds.
1. About the brief
This guide contains background information on how to
2. The naming process create a naming brief for any naming project. Whether
3. Creating the brief you’re a consultant or in-house, working individually
or on a team, and regardless of what you’re developing
4. What to include a brand name for, this guide will help you create an
5. About this guide effective naming brief.

6. Naming brief template

HOW TO WRITE A NAMING BRIEF

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 Brainstorming name
ideas without first
articulating what the
ideal name looks like is
a recipe for disaster.

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 The naming
process
While individual agencies and consultants may take
slightly different approaches to naming, most experts
agree on a general process. These steps can differ
from project to project, but the naming brief usually
comes first. Ideally, every decision-maker reviews and
approves the brief before a single name is generated
(step 2). When shortlisting (step 3) and reviewing name
candidates, the brief should be used as a guide to ensure
ideas are considered as objectively as possible. In other
words, the naming brief allows a team to evaluate names
with reactions such as, “This name does an especially
good job of expressing an idea from the brief” or “This
name doesn’t match the tonality described in the brief,
because…” rather than more subjective, less useful
reactions, like, “I don’t like that name."
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1. Brief
A short document—a naming brief—is created, outlining
the parameters for the name to be developed.
2. Generate
Based on the brief, one or more namers create multiple
name ideas (typically hundreds, if not thousands) and keep
track of them in a master list.
3. Shortlist
Namers select a subset of name ideas in the master list to
move forward through the rest of the process.
4. Screen
Shortlisted names are subjected to linguistic/cultural
disaster checks and/or preliminary trademark screening.
Only the less “risky” name ideas continue in the process.
5. Present
Name ideas are presented to decision-makers,
who select a smaller group of ideas to go through full
legal searches.
6. Legal
An experienced trademark attorney performs a full legal
search—a deeper assessment of legal availability and/or
risk associated with each name idea.
7. Select
Decision-makers choose the final name from those ideas
with an acceptably low level of risk.
 Ideally, every decision-
maker reviews and
approves the brief
before a single name
is generated.

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 Creating the brief
The approach to creating a naming brief can
contain some or all of the following steps:
1. Conduct research
Writing a useful and accurate brief requires knowledge of
what’s being named, the target audience(s) for the name,
and names used by competitors and peers.
Research could include reviewing marketing materials,
business strategy documents, survey data, or any
combination thereof. Often, a handful of one-on-one
interviews (e.g., with company leaders or product
managers) and some reviews of relevant websites is
enough to get started.
2. Write a first draft
Using the blank template in this guide (page 16) or another
format, create a draft of the naming brief. Use enough
text to explain ideas clearly, but try to keep it succinct and
avoid providing redundant information.
3. Share the draft
Seek reactions to the brief from others. If you’re
working alone, it’s useful to get outside perspective. If
the final name has to be approved by a team, the whole
team should review (and eventually approve) the brief.
Depending on the project and team, you can share the
brief via formal presentation, perhaps along with “reality
check” names (see next step), or simply send it via email.
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4. Present “reality check” names
This step is not always needed but can provide deeper
insights into whether the brief will help lead to a
satisfactory name. Reality check names are simply name
ideas that fit the naming brief but have not been screened
for legal or linguistic challenges. Presenting reality check
names can be risky—to avoid letting a decision-maker
“fall in love” with a potentially unavailable name idea, it’s
critical to clearly state that ideas presented at this stage
are for illustrative purposes only. They may not be—and in
many cases, probably aren’t—available for use.
5. Revise and finalize
Based on reactions and feedback, iteratively revise the
brief until all decision-makers approve its contents. In
some organizations, it may be important to share drafts of
the brief with increasingly large teams or senior decision-
makers, moving “out” in concentric circles or “up the food
chain” as you revise.
6. Secure approval
Ensure all decision-makers have reviewed and approved
the brief prior to commencing name generation. Some
situations call for written approval or signoff, while others
allow for a less formal go-ahead.
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 What to include
Abstract

A
P
P
Agencies and namers typically have their own, preferred Suggestive R
O
formats for naming briefs. Agency-specific and project- A
C
specific differences aside, however, most naming briefs H

contain the same, basic information. Descriptive

CONSTRUCT

Description of what’s being named Real word Compound Coined

This could—and probably should—be a simple, layperson’s
explanation of the product or company to be named or
renamed. A few bullet points may be enough. More complex
offerings might require images and/or a few paragraphs
with links to a Wikipedia page or other websites.
Ideas to convey through the name
Should the name make people think the product is fast?
Premium? Are you trying to convey a more abstract concept
like connectivity or expansiveness? Virtually every brand
name expresses some underlying idea or emotion related to
the product or organization it represents, even if only in a
tenuous way.
Naming criteria (approach and construct)
Naming approach ranges from descriptive (“The Container
Store”) to abstract (“Starbucks”). Does one end of that
spectrum make more sense for this name? The naming
construct could be real English words, compound names like
“JetBlue” (sometimes referred to as “composites” or “double-
barreled names”) or coined/invented names, like “Dasani.”
Naming criteria (continued)
The brief should also specify any additional words to be
“attached” to the name (e.g., if it must be preceded by a
parent brand name or followed by a descriptive modifier,
like “Technology”). This section of the brief can also exclude
constructs, e.g., “no alphanumerics” or “no Latin words.”
Name tonality
Related to brand personality, tonality is the feeling the name
should evoke. For example, “Javelin” and “Zippity” could both
suggest a fast product brand, but the latter name is more
playful than the former. Even with coined words, sound
symbolism can be used to evoke a tonality.
Description of target audience for name
What do we know about the people who’ll be seeing or using
this name?
Competitor/peer names
What names might be seen “near” this name? To avoid
confusion (and trademark challenges), it’s important to know
which names ours will compete against, as well as partner
names, vendor names, or even client names that could cause
confusion or other problems.

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 Optional
information
Many naming briefs also include some of the following,
optional content:
• Project overview
(e.g., timeline, milestones)
• Previously explored/rejected names
• Other brand names (in or out of category)
the decision-makers like, and why
• Domain name requirements
• Lists of concepts, words, or word parts
to explore or avoid
• Other brand strategy documentation (e.g.,
a brand platform or brand positioning
statement)
• Company naming guidelines
• Preliminary trademark screening criteria
(e.g., which International Classes to
screen against)
• Linguistic/cultural disaster check
criteria (e.g., which countries/languages
to review)
• Additional materials/links to review for
background information
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About this guide
This guide was written by Rob Meyerson, creator of
How Brands Are Built, a podcast and blog for branding
professionals. Ideas and insights from the following
naming professionals—all of whom Rob has interviewed
for the podcast—may have been incorporated into the
guide:
• Eli Altman, A Hundred Monkeys
• Jonathan Bell, Want Branding
• Clive Chafer, Namebrand (and freelance namer)
• Shannon DeJong, House of Who
• Scott Milano, Tanj
• Amanda Peterson, Milwaukee Art Museum
(formerly Head of Naming at Google)
• Steven Price, Tessera Trademark Screening
• Anthony Shore, Operative Words
• Laurel Sutton, Sutton Strategy (and co-founder
of Catchword)
To get in touch with any questions or comments, please
visit howbrandsarebuilt.com.
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 Naming brief Project overview (optional)

N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E
template
The following pages contain a blank naming brief you
or your client can complete prior to commencing name
generation. A few notes to consider when using the
brief template:

• Hold your mouse cursor over the icon next to each

section heading for instructions or more information.

• Some sections are marked as “optional.” All other

sections should be considered too important to omit
from the brief.

• Of course, it’s impossible to create a template that

What we’re naming
works perfectly for every project and situation. Feel
free to add details or links in the “Additional notes/
materials” section or add pages to the brief as needed.

• Get in touch and let us know how the brief worked

for you! We’d love any feedback and we’re happy to
answer questions.

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 Description of target audience Naming approach and construct
N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E

N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E
Abstract

A
P
P
R
Suggestive O
A
C
H

Descriptive

CONSTRUCT

Real word Compound Coined

Ideas the name should convey

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 Name tonality Explore and avoid (optional)
N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E

N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E
Explore Avoid

Competitor/peer names Previously explored/rejected names (optional)

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 Brand names for inspiration (optional) Additional notes/materials (optional)
N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E

N A M I N G B R I E F T E M P L AT E
Screening/domain requirements (optional)

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How Brands Are Built

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Version 2.0, May 2019

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