Brand-name design criteria — Part 2: tone, unwritten rules & meaning
In part two: the tone a name carries, the unwritten rules of an industry, and the choice between literal and invented words.
The importance of tone
Even a brand-new brand has a tone. If you're a founder, your character traits can be the brand's tone. Tones can express your products, you, or your first employees. In an established firm, tones represent the corporate culture — and the name is an important carrier of that culture and tone.
The founders of Bullhorn (a US HR-software developer) put it this way: "When we founded the company, what inspired us was being smart, bold and hard-working. Because we had no clearly defined product at the start, those tones actually described me and my partner — in a sense, we were the product. The same applies to our name. A name doesn't have to state the tones explicitly; Bullhorn doesn't directly say smart or bold. What matters is that the name doesn't contradict your tones."
Tones live everywhere in your business. While naming, ask yourself: How do you talk about yourself? How would you paint the walls? How would you describe the office decor? How does your product feel? The words you use to answer can help you find the words that define you. Some tones pair well, others don't — it's hard to imagine a brand that is both accessible and exclusive. Use tones in a way that minimizes confusion.
Unwritten naming rules
Every industry has a set of unwritten branding rules or tendencies, codified over time. Sometimes these rules — even the names — become clichés. One company finds success, and the next imitates it because it worked; it becomes a rule no one remembers the origin of.
In the branding world, some general naming tendencies have become unwritten rules. The first: using a modifier with the word 'brand' — names like 'King Brand,' 'Brand of the Future' or 'Awesome Brand.' They're forgettable because they're undifferentiated. The second common trend is naming the brand after its founder, like a law firm (Sarar, Tahsildaroğlu, Kığılı). These are unique but tell you little about the firm; they give a backward-looking weight and feel older, signalling that the brand tends to be safe, traditional and rather expensive.
Though in the minority, metaphoric names are still used in branding — often to great effect. A few successful examples: Matchstic, Salt, Murmur. Matchstic creates the spark that starts the fire; Salt provides the spice that makes your brand tasty; Murmur uses a similar communication metaphor from the opposite angle — it's about communication, but it doesn't shout in your face.
The brand name and meaning
When you think about a word's meaning, there are two paths. You can pick a literal word or phrase, and your name's meaning is built in. You take on some of those words' traits — but real words also bring along parts you may not want.
There are many reasons to pick a literal name: real words are recognized more easily and help build a clear brand language, because they have a reference point in the real world. The other path is choosing an invented word with no real meaning — like an empty bucket, what you put in is up to you. But shaping a name this way takes more time and effort. Choose it when you need a trademark in a very competitive industry: the unfamiliarity grabs attention while letting you tell your own story.