Crafting the Perfect Identity: The Art of Choosing a Name for Your Creative Business

Despite what Juliet would have you believe, that 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet', names matter. A business name is more than just words, it's an identity, an expression of yourself and your brand and the things that you stand for. As a creative business, your business name is especially important as it is evidence in itself of your creativity.

But how do you choose a business name and what factors should you be considering before you rush out and have business cards printed? Let us take you through the process step by step.

Let the creative juices flow

Start the ideas flowing by jotting down words or feelings that you associate with your business. If you are a musician, for example, this could include words like beats, rhythm, notes, jazz, blues, tempo, calm, energy - anything that springs to mind is useful at this stage.

If you're feeling stuck, try the best business name generator, an AI-powered name generator, to come up with initial ideas. You don't have to stick with these, but they might prompt other thoughts and feelings and get you started if you're feeling the creative block.

Think uniqueness and memorability

Once you've narrowed down your options, the first thing you should do is check that they're not already taken, or that they don't immediately make you think of something else. Test out your ideas on friends and ask for their first impressions and feelings - what do they think of when they hear your proposed name ideas? What images do they create for them?

Even if the words themselves don't spell out what your business is about, they should at least create the right emotional response. If your business is fashion related, for example, the name can't make people feel old-fashioned, frumpy, or boring.

An interesting way to test memorability is to go back to those same friends an hour, a day or even a week later and see if they can remember any of your ideas. If any business names have stuck in their minds, then you could be on to a winner.

Consider the practicalities

Finally comes the boring bit - the practical stuff. As a creative, this may not be the part you enjoy but it's important. Is your business name available as a domain name? When you write it as a hashtag does it scan properly? Nobody wants to see a repeat of Susan Boyle's infamous album release, after all.

How scalable and flexible is your business name? You might not want to call yourself the Hackney Artist's Collective if you have dreams of taking your brand international. And what about SEO? It's about the least sexy aspect of a creative business, but it's useful if your business name can help you drive traffic to your website.

Most importantly though, have fun with your name. It has to reflect you and how you want to make people feel, so make sure it brings a smile to your face.