Naming

Types of names

• Descriptive: say what the company does. Easy to understand, but hard to register and to differentiate.
• Compound: join two words, like Dropbox or Mailchimp.
• Evocative: suggest an idea without describing the product, like Asana, a Sanskrit word for a yoga posture.
• Invented: new words, like Kodak. Highly registrable, but you have to invest to give them meaning.
• Acronyms and surnames: common in traditional companies and not very memorable at the start.

The usual process

1. Brief: positioning, audience, languages and markets, brand personality and constraints.
2. Generation: hundreds of candidates through different creative routes.
3. First filter: pronunciation, spelling, meanings in other languages, length.
4. Checks: registered trademarks, domain and social handles.
5. Selection and testing with people from the target audience, without seeking unanimity.

Essential checks

• Trademarks: search the relevant national office (in Spain, the OEPM) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in the right classes of goods and services. For software these are usually classes 9 and 42. A prior consultation with a trademark specialist avoids surprises.
• Domain: you don't always need the exact .com; many companies add words like "get" or "app", or use other extensions. What matters is that it doesn't belong to a competitor.
• Languages: check the name doesn't mean something awkward in key markets.

Product and feature naming

Inside a digital product you also name plans, modules and features. Here clarity usually wins: a descriptive name such as "Reports" or "Automations" helps users more than an invented brand for every feature.

Related terms

• Rebranding
• Brand guidelines
• Go-to-market (GTM)

Sources

• Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM).
• European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).