To Each Their Own: Naming Beyond the Source Material
What’s the best way to name a company? That’s a rhetorical question. There isn’t one. In fact, Creative Director Eli Altman has created the comprehensive workbook Don’t Call it That (now in its third edition) and, in collaboration with Rose Linke, a stacked deck of naming cards designed by Out of Office, all in the service of demystifying the creative process. So there is no shortage of creative and naming resources around here.
But how do we individually name on a project? Now that’s an honest question. I asked every team member at A Hundred Monkeys to describe their personal naming strategies for day-to-day projects to see where we overlap and differ. Some of the answers you’ll find in the aforementioned books and cards, some are proprietary techniques specific to that namer. I think, in the end, it’s all about where you find artistic inspiration, and how your mind approaches creative problem solving. Here’s what the team had to say:
How do you name on a project?
Creative Director, Eli Altman
To me it’s more about fitting the method to the project. Names are invitations into stories so it’s helpful to think about the story you want to tell. From there you can think about different ways into it. Which words can trigger an image or a conversation into your story?
Director of Client Services, Rose Linke
I like to begin by free association, just going down some thematic road and seeing what happens. Most words remind me of other words and one concept can lead me to others. I try not to think too much. Sometimes, this is enough to get me to a solid list. Other times, I need more creative stimulus. For this, I always turn to text. I like physical books best, but the internet can suffice if need be.
Director of Strategy, Ben Weis
I walk around outside and write names in a notebook, free association style. I also use reverse dictionaries to get my mind jumping from idea to idea. Sometimes I dive into Wikipedia or resource sites that seem overbaked or scholarly and skip around to see what catches my eye. Another strategy I like is to lock a word, let’s say “run” and then try stuff before or after it. Runtime, Runaway, Out Run. I’ll also look at other people’s names and see where they’re headed, and find new roads that way.
Senior Creative Lead, Nora Trice
I like to sift through glossaries — everything from broad architectural terms to very niche corners of the sciences. Sometimes I’ll find familiar terms there that have completely different meanings in other contexts. Reverse dictionaries also a great jumping-off point for naming. I don’t often find names there, but I find unusual words that lead me down interesting paths.
Creative Lead, Carolyn McDermott
I like to start and end with our brief. First, I jot down initial ideas and notes while team leads add color to the project’s naming opportunity and meander from there. Some days I feel like I live in an encyclopedia, other days in the dictionary. I’m a big fan of everyday language, my favorite reference book in the A Hundred Monkeys library is Straight from the Horse’s Mouth: And 8500 Other Colorful Idioms. If the meandering leads to a dead end, I return to the naming opportunity and go after more. To wrap naming, I like to screen names against the brief to see if they’re still a good fit. Most days I add a few more in last minute, usually inspired by what the rest of the team has dropped in.
Senior Creative Lead, Patrick Keenan
I read a lot — the news, quarterlies, poetry — to find words or combinations of words that fit the specific project. Sometimes a word that might not be right will trigger another that will: task → tisk→ tisk tisk. I also like to read full definitions rather than hunt synonyms or scroll a thesaurus for adjacent words. I picked up that helpful tip from John McPhee in Draft №4 and it’s worked out. Project names from other leads are also a good weather vane to point me in the right creative direction.
