We sometimes find ourselves involved with a startup application before a name has been chosen. It’s always flattering to be asked to contribute at this early stage and naming an application, company or product involves one of the most enjoyable meetings you will ever have. If you didn’t have fun at yours, you might have been doing something wrong!

I’ve worked on both large teams naming products for huge institutions and organizations as well as one man startups and the process is always the same. The key to any creative process is a good brainstorming session and the key to any brainstorming session is to first banish any negativity from the room. More often than not the best ideas come from thoughts being bounced around a room and that can’t happen if your idea it shot down at the first hurdle. It’s so easy for just one person to stifle the creativity in a room.

For example part of a recent brainstorming session went a little like this.

We need a name that says Notifications and ‘Everything on the web’

Like some kinda Alert Machine

A mixture of alerts

Alert Soup!

AllMyAlertsInOnePlace.com

StuffOnTheInternetThatYouCanNowHaveOnYouDesktop.co.uk

AlertThingy!

Wether you like the name or not, it was important to go though the down right ridiculous in order to get to a name we loved. One idea fed of another until we got where we wanted to be. Obviously there was an hour or so before we got there, but you can see what I am getting at?

So how do you get started?

Don’t start in front of computer hammering names into a domain checker. It will slow you down and you won’t get the banter you need. Instead check your ideas at the end of your meeting or when you think you have one you’re really happy with. If it’s not available but you like the idea behind it, there will probably be a variation that works just as well, if not better.

I kick start every brainstorming meeting with the same process. Get as many people in a room as you can, not just your creative types, but your account manager, accountant, developers, friends etc. Grab an A1 pad of cartridge paper and a thick marker and just let everyone shout words that they associate with the project, product etc. Clear the room after about an hour and just leave your core creative team to take over. Pin all the suggestions up on the walls for everyone to see. To get the second phase going start shouting out pairs of words “Notification System”, “Alert SIte” and so on… keep the ball rolling, share every idea you have, no matter how silly and most important of all, dont pass judgment on ideas you don’t like.

In Part 2: I will look at how you know when you have reached the right name.