Brand-name design criteria — Part 1: memorability

Saying you want to name your business is like saying you want to go to Istanbul. It's good to know where you want to go — but that's not the only thing you need to know. To start, you need to know how to get there. Naming is like wanting to go to Istanbul, but first you must know which route to take; a wrong turn could land you in Sakarya. That's why we say brand-name design, not brand-name finding.

One of the most common mistakes is deciding names independently of people, without agreeing on specific criteria. If you have no standard for a good name, you simply choose by personal taste. Here's how to shape your own naming criteria around certain factors.

Naming and memorability

If a name makes a person pause for a second, it has done its job. And if you can recall it after a long gap, the name is even more valuable. A 2003 Journal of Advertising paper ("The Relation Between Brand-Name Linguistic Characteristics and Brand Name Memory") listed the following features as important tools for recall:

• Rhyme
• Onomatopoeia
• Initial hard consonant
• Wordplay
• Figurative language
• Brand-name fit

You wouldn't want to use all of these in one name. Not on the list, but per the same journal: familiarity with a word is more powerful than any of the above. Repetition is one of the most effective ways to create familiarity. Trendyol, for example, runs ads on every kind of platform with a vast budget, repeating its own name — in advertising we call this frequency: how many times you show your name to make it stick. The creative function of ads matters; but a name made of easy-to-grasp, memorable words lets you teach it at lower frequency.

Using rhyme

Rhyme aids recall. Coca-Cola and KitKat are just two world-famous rhyming names. Rhyme isn't only for food and drink — if the words give valuable information about the business or product, rhyme can work for bigger businesses too. A catchy rhyming slogan can become impossible to forget.

Onomatopoeia for memorable names

A big word for a simple idea. Some words sound like the thing they represent: bam, boom, kapow. Picture an old Superman film — the speech bubbles representing punches and kicks are onomatopoeia. Names that look and sound like what they represent tend to be more memorable, so onomatopoeia is useful for creative names.

The initial hard consonant

According to reading research, words beginning with hard consonants are more memorable than those beginning with vowels or soft consonants — and they look stronger. Recent research suggests consonant use and placement can even affect a brand's perceived gender. Anyone after a memorable name should weigh the power of hard consonants.

Wordplay

Wordplay is a kind of joke that plays on words that sound similar but mean very different things. Such names grab attention and are considered memorable. But is the recall happening for the right reasons? That's the question to ask.

Figurative language

Figurative language is a way of saying something indirectly. There are different types, but we'll focus on metaphor and simile. Instead of 'her eyes are blue,' a simile says 'her eyes are like the sea'; a metaphor might liken her eyes to a sparkling emerald. The descriptions are similar, but indirectness adds richness. Using figurative language in naming creates memorable names — and if your business is new, it adds richness and depth.

Brand-name fit

Some names make a sound that fits the others in the sector, and those names are more likely to be remembered. For example, 'NTV' fits the news-channel sector far better than its full form 'Nergis Televizyonu,' which would feel far removed from journalism.