Coming up with a name for your project can quickly become a headache. You want something original, easy to remember and evocative enough, without ending up with a name that’s too complicated or has already been used everywhere.

The problem is that a name has to fulfil several functions at once. It must represent the project, appeal to the right audience and remain relevant as the business evolves. It must also be suitable for use on a website, in a logo, on social media or in printed materials.

However, there is no single method for finding the right name. Some names are the result of lengthy deliberation. Others stem from a passion, an anecdote or a long-standing habit.

This is particularly true of Creativity Rex, No More Pedals and AdriAna. Three projects, three names and three very different journeys.

Start by defining the project’s identity

Before looking for words, you need to know what the name should represent.

What is the project’s focus? What atmosphere should it convey? Is it aimed at individuals, professionals or both? Should it come across as serious, creative, accessible, technical or quirky?

The aim is not necessarily to describe the activity precisely in the name. Rather, it is to determine the impression it should leave.

A name can evoke :

• the field of activity ;
• the personality of the people behind the project ;
• its values ;
• its visual identity ;
• its history ;
• a particular emotion or atmosphere.

This initial consideration helps to rule out ideas that seem interesting at the time but do not really fit the project.

A creative studio and a consultancy firm do not need the same type of name. Similarly, a brand intended to expand into several areas of activity should not necessarily choose a name that is too specific, at the risk of becoming confined to its initial offering.

Drawing inspiration from one’s passions

A name can be taken directly from the world surrounding the project.

For Creativity Rex, we combined two elements that play an important role in our daily lives: creativity and dinosaurs.

The project is dedicated to various forms of creative expression, such as writing, drawing, craftwork and bookbinding. The word ‘Creativity’ therefore allows this world to be immediately recognised.

‘Rex’, for its part, refers to our passion for dinosaurs. It gives the name a more personal and easily recognisable identity.

Creativity Rex does not describe every activity on offer. That isn’t necessary. The name sets a direction, sparks the imagination and leaves enough freedom for the project to evolve.

To come up with ideas of this sort, it can be helpful to create two lists. The first contains words related to the activity. The second includes more personal elements: passions, animals, places, objects, references or memories.

By combining these two worlds, certain associations emerge naturally. They often result in a more personal name than a simple jumble of technical terms.

Look for anecdotes related to the project

A project’s history may also hold the key to its future name.

No More Pedals wasn’t the result of a brainstorming session around a whiteboard. The name came from a comment made to Adrien about his collection of effects pedals.

They were taking up more and more space in the house, and I complained about it. We had a laugh about it, the phrase ‘No More Pedals’ came up, and it eventually became the name of his business repairing and modifying musical equipment.

The name works for several reasons.

It contains the word ‘pedals’, which immediately identifies a specific part of the musical world. It’s short, easy to remember and distinctive enough to stand out. It also has a story behind it that we can tell when someone asks us where it comes from.

This anecdote forms part of the project’s identity. It creates a link between the professional activity and the person behind it.

When no idea seems to fit, it can therefore be useful to go back to the project’s origins. How did it come about? Was there a phrase that kept cropping up? Did a joke take hold? Did a particular object, situation or problem play an important role?

Sometimes the name can be found in a detail that wasn’t considered serious enough to become a brand. Yet it is precisely this sort of detail that can make a project more recognisable.

Don’t overlook the simplest solutions

Not all names need to be based on a complex concept.

AdriAna was simply created from our two first names: Adrien and Ana. Our friends and family had already got into the habit of calling us that, because it was simpler than saying ‘Adri and Ana’.

So when we were looking for a name for our company, this combination was already familiar to us. It represented our partnership and allowed us to bring together several very different projects under a single identity.

We wanted the company to reflect our personalities, rather than limiting it to a single activity. A name based on our first names fulfilled this aim.

And, let’s be honest, we hadn’t come up with anything better.

This simplicity isn’t a problem. A good name doesn’t need to be spectacular. Above all, it must be consistent with the project, pleasant to use and distinctive enough to be recognised.

Many companies are named after their founder, are a contraction of several words, or are a combination of first names. This approach can be particularly appropriate when a project relies heavily on the people developing it.

Choosing an easy-to-remember name

A name may look good on paper but prove far less effective when used in real life.

It must be easy to pronounce, quickly understood and remembered within a few seconds. Spelling that is too complicated or a string of words that are difficult to distinguish can cause problems when passing on a website address or an email address.

To test an idea, you should try to apply it to real-life situations :

• “I discovered this project at…”
• “The website is called…”
• “This project was created by…”
• “You can contact them via…”

The name must sound natural when spoken. It must also remain legible on a logo, a business card or a mobile phone screen.

It is best to avoid names that are too long, puns that are difficult to understand, or references that are so personal they become incomprehensible to the public.

Originality is useful, but it must not make the name impossible to remember.

Check that the name can evolve with the project

A project often changes over time. New services emerge, certain activities are discontinued and the target audience may change.

The name must therefore allow for some flexibility.

Creativity Rex can encompass various creative disciplines without being limited to any particular technique. AdriAna can bring together several projects, as it primarily represents the people who develop them. No More Pedals is more directly linked to the world of music, which is in line with its positioning.

A name that is too specific can become problematic when an activity expands. A company called ‘Website Design for Namur Restaurants’, for example, will find it more difficult to subsequently offer photography, copywriting or services aimed at other sectors.

This does not mean that a descriptive name is always a bad idea. You simply need to ensure that it aligns with the project’s medium- and long-term ambitions.

Ensure the name can evolve with the project

The choice of name can influence search engine optimisation, but you shouldn’t build your entire identity around a single keyword.

A descriptive name can sometimes help people understand what the business does straight away. However, it isn’t necessary to cram in all the terms that internet users search for in order to achieve a good ranking on Google.

Organic search engine optimisation relies on the website as a whole :

• page titles ;
• service descriptions ;
• content structure ;
• blog posts ;
• local SEO ;
• internal links ;
• the technical quality of the website.

No More Pedals does not contain the words ‘musical instrument repairs in Belgium’. This phrase may, however, appear in titles, text and pages dedicated to services.

A distinctive name can even be an advantage. When someone searches directly for the brand, they encounter less competition than with a generic phrase used by many companies.

The best compromise is therefore to choose a recognisable name, then clearly specify the business activity in the slogan, the website title and the content.

Check the availability of the name

Before finalising a name, several checks are essential.

Firstly, you need to check whether a company, organisation or similar project is already using it. A standard Google search provides an initial overview, but it is not always sufficient.

It is also necessary to check :

• the availability of the domain name ;
• the names used on the main social media platforms ;
• whether any companies exist with a similar name ;
• whether there is a registered trademark ;
• the results obtained when searching for the name on its own.

You should also check what the name means in other languages, especially if it consists of a foreign term or if the project is likely to reach an international audience.

These checks prevent you from building an entire identity around a name that, in the end, cannot be used correctly.

Seek advice, but keep the final decision to yourself

Having a few suggestions tested can help identify any issues with comprehension, pronunciation or spelling.

However, you must remain cautious. The more people you ask, the more contradictory the opinions become. Some will prefer a very explicit name, whilst others will favour something more original. It is then easy to gradually tweak an idea until you end up with a neutral result that satisfies no one.

Feedback is particularly useful for checking whether the name effectively conveys the desired impression.

What does it mean when you hear it? What sort of activity does it bring to mind? Is it easy to remember? Does its spelling seem obvious?

The final decision must remain in the hands of the people behind the project. They are the ones who will have to use the name, present it and associate it with their work for several years.

Knowing when to stop searching

It is rare for a name to seem perfect straight away.

At first, it may seem strange simply because it is new. Over time, the logo, the website, the content and the achievements will give it a stronger identity.

The value of a name does not depend solely on the words chosen. It is also built up through the quality of the project and the image associated with it.

Creativity Rex was born out of two passions. No More Pedals stems from a remark that turned into a joke. AdriAna already existed in the way our friends and family referred to us.

None of these names followed exactly the same path. Yet they have one thing in common: each one tells us something about the project and the people behind it.

To find the right name for a project, you need to look not only at what it does, but also at its history. The right name isn’t necessarily the most original or the most complex. It’s the one that fits the project, is easy to remember, and can still be used as the project grows.