Strategic name development is a fine art. Indeed, it’s not an easy task to get to the core of your brand in a few syllables. Below are some of the processes that may be helpful.

1. Evaluate the competition.
The first step in beginning a naming project, or creative one for that matter, is knowing the competition. Note what names are used for competing companies or products and be sure to stay well clear of these names in order to drive your point of difference.

2. Establish a project vocabulary.
Essentially this is a list of words that describe what the name should communicate to the viewer. These words may not actually end up being the name or part of the name, but this list will help to serve as a guide when brainstorming.

4. Explore translating words to other languages.
You can start the project vocabulary and look at how some of these words translate to  different languages.

5. Explore suffixes/prefixes.
You can create a set of cards with prefixes and suffixes in order to pair them together as needed. It definitely helps to see the word, not just hear it.

6. Explore conceptual options.
Sometimes referred to as “blue sky territory” this step involves thinking about more abstract concepts that could be related to the company or product being named. This could include stories or fables that relate to what the company or product does.

7. Filter.
The final step involves filtering all of the names that were generated. Usually there are a few that stand out, but it’s time to evaluate each one individually and see if there’s cause to keep each. Typically this could take a couple rounds to get down to a handful of names. Also, this is a good place to evaluate possible URLs for the names. Typically we’re thinking about what unique URLs are open throughout the entire naming process.

8. Rate the final names.
Lastly you can rate the names that have made your shortlist as a group, thinking about the below attributes for each.

The attributes may include:

Appearance – rate how the word looks visually
Distinctive – is the name memorable or unique in the marketplace?
Depth – evaluate the meaning of the word as it relates to the company/product
Energy – what kind of energy does the name have when seen or heard?
Humanity – does the name have a human warmth to it?
Positioning – how does the name stack up against competitors?
Sound – evaluate the name when pronounced: is it easy to say/spell?
X Factor – rate the intangibles: cool sounding, double-meaning, etc.
Trademark – is the name protectable?
URL – can a unique URL be found for the name?
Tagline-ability – will the name “play nice” with a tagline?

At Liquid we love a good Cinderella branding story. It’s hard to believe a serious company like the Biotech Institute would ever use such a logo. The brand established in the 80’s is an overt example of how badly some logos can date. Clearly, it had to go.

The new logo is infinitely better and adequate for a technology company. The brand is represented by a three-dimensional picture of a hummingbird, origami-textured, intelligent, scientific, modular and scalable. A symbol that depicts the work of nature but also of engineering. As a final touch, the unusual color range stands out for this sector: mauve, purple and pink colors transition from the warmth of the magenta and blue technology. The typography is fine, nothing too absurdly techie but nothing too simple either.  The rest of the identity is exactly what you might expect: plenty of white, clinical space with dashes of the fractal texture.  Overall, a major and much needed positive transformation.

Last year, Starbucks – the worlds largest coffee chain revealed an updated logo, removing it’s ‘Starbucks Coffee’ wordmark.

The logo retains the memorable mermaid/siren that has served as Starbucks’ icon since the company’s formation 40 years ago.

Mike P., a senior creative manager at Starbucks explains how the new logo came to be:
“When we first heard about the possibility of modifying the Starbucks brand identity, our minds went wild with the possibilities…we broke down the four main parts of the mark—color, shape, typeface and the Siren. After hundreds of explorations, we found the answer in simplicity. Removing the words from the mark, bringing in the green, and taking the Siren out of her ring. For forty years she’s represented coffee, and now she is the star.”

Starbucks now joins the ranks of Nike, McDonald’s, Apple, and Target—a select few global brands that are recognisable enough to get away without a wordmark.

It must have been a leap of faith for Starbucks to change the brand with a wordless refresh—but as a company that prints its logo on billions of  paper cups worldwide each year , it’s a pretty safe bet that consumers will adjust.

It’s interesting to see the evolution of the Starbucks  ’siren’. The initial logo was based on the imagery of a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, and was chosen as a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots – thus to create a brand story.

The logo imagery had gone through 4 variations during it’s 40 year journey, changing in modesty, colour and clarity alike.

So is the refreshed logo a success? We think so. It is the clarity and simplicity of this archetypal illustration, that has achieved success in all key areas of logo effectiveness:

a. distinctiveness
b. visibility
c. useability
d. memorability
e. universality
f. durability
g. timelessness

London’s 2012 Olympic logo was specifically designed to appeal to a young, hip audience but research indicates that the London teenagers do not respond to it at all. They actually feel insulted that the logo was designed with their interests in mind with no understanding of their culture. London teenagers are proud, they love their city and they’re savvy about branding. They’re well aware of the brands they connect with and the ones they don’t. They are embarrassed by the image the London Olympic logo is projecting of their city.