Today, we’ll be exploring a fairly advanced naming concept that isn’t frequently talked about on the internet. What we see fairly often is that entrepreneurs and product specialists going through the name development and selection process struggling with what we have come to call Brand Imagination.

Brand Imagination is the ability to imagine, envision, and become excited about the elements of a brand and how they all come together into a powerful while at an early stage in brand development before the elements are actually built out.

How is Brand Imagination a Stumbling Block?

Let’s say you know all about your brand, you’re excited, and in that excitement, you grab a pen and paper and get into this naming process. 

You’re doing it yourself and writing every name that pops into your mind, or maybe you’re more sophisticated, and you’re using your computer; you got a few words in a fancy black font on your screen.

But that’s just what it is, words on a screen! It doesn’t stir any emotion within you; you’re not excited about it, you can’t connect with it the way you do with the names of other brands you’ve engaged with all your life. 

And the problem lies here because all the brand names you’ve engaged with aren’t just words; they’re more than that. They have logos, websites, videos, and often years of story and emotional connection. 

This creates a huge brand gap that separates what you’re creating for your business (which is currently just words on screen) and what you’re comparing it to—which are these big businesses you’ve been engaging with for so long.

And that’s where Brand Imagination comes in. You need to bridge that brand gap with creative imagination and start envisioning what the word on paper can become.

So How Can You Get Excited About Your Brand Name?

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Many people trying to find the best name for their business, or products, don’t get excited about the name—even after they’ve found a great one—because they don’t know how to get excited about it.

Most entrepreneurs we’ve met have found a name that satisfies all of their needs but because they aren’t excited about it, they keep moving in an endless circle, looking for more names, and wasting valuable time that could help their products in the market.

If that sounds like you, then a simple technique that’d help you get excited about your brand name would be to imagine your name in color, what it would look like with a logo, think about it with regards to your story, and how it’s going to help your business connect with its audience.

Learn From Slack’s Story

While using your imagination, don’t be literal about it. Think about Slack. Slack isn’t a descriptive name; there’s a huge amount of imagination needed before someone can see Slack on a piece of paper and build that company in their mind.

Anyone looking for the perfect name they’d be excited about must be willing to take a risk and not listen to their friends who’d probably go, “well, you know, your name has to be this, it has to be that,” because these friends typically aren’t naming experts, their advice could lead to a generic brand name, and that’s the last thing your want for your business.

Stewart Butterfield, Slack’s founder, must have been excited about being disruptive because for an app that connects people to the information they need by getting them to work together as a unified team, Slack, has a pretty laid-back name.

And just like Stewart saw a vision of how Slack could be very disruptive in their space, you too can start by putting the things you’re excited about your business and connecting them back to your brand name.

Learn from Apple’s Story

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were so excited about creating a human experience that when they wanted a name for their company, they opted for something human, something experientia. And what’s the one thing everyone’s engaged with? Well, an apple.

And even though they considered other options like Executex and Matrix Electronics, Apple became the perfect brand name because it tells us a wonderful brand story that was completely different from the cold and complicated images the brand names of other tech companies evoked.

But Jobs and Wozniak would’ve never chosen Apple if they didn’t start imagining how the name could help them tell a really special story, how it could be unique within the market. Their imaginations spurred them to excitement and led to the creation of the mega-brand.

And like Apple, it’s your imagination that would help you see how a particular name can help your business move towards what you want it to be when it grows up.

It’s like preparing for your wedding and seeing a dress on a rack—or thrown on the floor—versus putting it on, putting your make-up on, and having your hair done. The difference is obvious. Imagination is key.

We know it’s difficult to get excited about your brand name when it’s just on a piece of paper, but it gets a lot easier when you put your brand name ideas to work by visualizing them or telling stories with them.

Are There Other Ways to Imagine Your Brand?

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Sure! There are other ways to get excited about your brand, and one way you can do that is to visualize it in action. Start by thinking about the hero image of your website and how it’s going to look like.

But don’t stop there; think about Gucci. Gucci is a fantastic short name, the Italian brand has set itself apart as a brand of excellence, but when you think about it, Gucci didn’t just do that by building a brand around the excellent design of its products, they communicated it with creative styles, brilliant colors, superb models, and even celebrities.

Nike is another excellent example. The company is well known for sponsoring many athletes across multiple sports, from Tiger Woods to Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Now, Nike is just a cool short name on a piece of paper with a little hint of meaning, but with the athletes paid to promote their brand, customers began associating and connecting Nike with the greatness of these sports stars. And it’s this customer association that made Nike what it is today.

Like these brands, you can start by imagining the famous people who’d align with your brand. Imagine these celebrities saying your brand name; imagine it on their clothes; imagine them promoting your brand on their Instagram and Twitter accounts.

Your Industry Matters

Remember, it all depends on the industry you’re focused on. If you’re a tech company going to a venture capitalist firm, you need a name that aligns with the focus of the venture capitalist. How would you feel if this prominent venture capitalist says your name? Would it make sense? Would it align? Would it be able to tell your unique story?

There’s a big problem if you go to a client company for whatever reason and say, “I am the most innovative brand,” but your name is classic and flat. It could ruin your chances of closing the deal, so get a great name that represents your business in the best light. 

The idea here is, if you would love for Elon Musk, or whoever your role models are, to be excited about your new technology, then you need to ask yourself if it aligns with their personality and fits where they’re going.

Get your Mind to See Details

Using your mind to see your business in action transforms your name from an ordinary word into a real, tangible, three-dimensional part of your business.

We all get excited when we savor the food we’re about to eat in our minds for five to six minutes. We start tasting the different ingredients in it. 

That’s why when someone asks us if we want a hamburger, our minds instantly start remembering the cheese, the pickles, the buttery fresh-baked brioche bun, and the delicious ground beef on the last hamburger we had.

And that’s precisely how our minds work. Your brand name would become more enjoyable when you get into the details and start seeing the models, website, graphics, and the kinds of commercials you’d be making in the future.

Don’t Reject Your Name 

You know, it’s very easy to start nit-picking your brand name, and reject it because you think it doesn’t work, while in reality, there’s something wrong with every single brand name in the market.

There’s never been a completely perfect brand name. Take PayPal, for example. Even though it’s a wonderful name—one of our favorites—it is not intriguing. It just tells you what it is. Amazon isn’t descriptive. Tinder isn’t descriptive. These names don’t tell you who these brands are.

For many people who’ve found a brand name, it’s so easy to wrap your head around what it isn’t, and pretty hard to wrap your head around what it can be, and where it can go. But now matter what, don’t reject a name that’s perfect for your business because you weren’t excited about it. 

Be Daring

Everyone trying to learn how to name a business must get over the stumbling block of thinking their brand name is just a word on a piece of paper. You need to be daring enough to use your creative imagination to envision how that name can become what you’re trying to create.

Like we said earlier, Nike on a piece of paper is a short name; it’s cool, but no one goes, ‘Wow! That’s a great name’ when they hear it. 

But what makes Nike what it is today was the simple fact that Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman followed the mental picture they had about their company and built it into something great.

Now that you know how your imagination can make you fall in love with your brand name, it’s time to dig deeper and see how that name can breathe life into your business.