Core principle
Treat the client's initial ideas as rich hypotheses, not as conclusions. Derive each name proposal from the brand foundations, an explicit naming territory and verifiable evidence.
Never reduce the work to a word cloud or automatic combinations. A good candidate can come from business vocabulary, a metaphor, a family name, a lived story, an expression, a place or a culture.
References to consult
- Read references/fondations-de-marque.md to frame and draft the minimal strategy.
- Read references/territoires-de-naming.md before choosing the exploration angles and generating candidates.
- Read references/evaluation-et-disponibilite.md before ranking a shortlist or declaring a candidate available.
- Read references/structure-du-livrable.md to produce the final dossier.
Workflow
1. Frame the project
Note what is known: offering, problem addressed, audiences, market, geographic area, languages, ambition, competition, project origin, name ideas, preferences, prohibitions, possible acquisition budget and priority extensions or platforms.
Ask only for the missing information that genuinely changes the direction. If the client cannot answer, formulate explicit assumptions and indicate what will need to be validated.
2. Research the context
Study the sector, naming conventions, direct and indirect competitors, semantic associations, relevant languages and useful cultural references. Distinguish facts found, interpretations and information provided by the client.
Use current and reliable sources. Cite the sources in the deliverable when external research influences a decision. Never invent the etymology, translation or cultural scope of a word.
3. Clarify the brand foundations
Structure at minimum: purpose, vision, mission, audience, positioning, promise, values and personality. Add the brand story, manifesto and signature when the available information justifies it.
Preserve the nuances of the client's narrative while removing repetitions and generic phrasing. Have these foundations validated before exhaustive ideation in collaborative work. If a single-pass delivery is requested, continue with clearly flagged assumptions.
4. Define the naming territories
Present several plausible angles, then generally retain two, different enough to produce genuine alternatives. A territory is a search logic, not merely a grammatical category.
For each retained territory, specify: guiding idea, link with the strategy, linguistic or cultural materials, desired tone, possible types of construction and risks to watch.
5. Build the semantic material
Create separate, sourced word sets: profession, benefits, emotions, uses, movement, places, nature, symbols, personal history, relevant expressions and languages. Use a word cloud as a visual synthesis tool, never as proof of relevance.
For a cultural or personal track, document the stories, names, expressions and meanings before generating. For a constructed track, combine, contract or transform only words that retain an intelligible link with the brand.
6. Generate and filter the candidates
Produce a long list per territory. Briefly explain the construction and intention of each promising candidate. First eliminate weak names, confusing names, names too close to known players, names that are difficult to pronounce or that carry problematic connotations.
Then build a tightened shortlist with a comparable grid. Do not mechanically let a name win just because it is invented, English or has the exact domain in .com is available. Adapt the criteria to the market and the strategy.
7. Check availability and risks
Perform live checks only on candidates that are already solid. Check the relevant domains, the main social networks, search results, app stores if necessary, companies with the same name and trademark databases suited to the target countries.
Record the links, the date and time of verification, the variants tested, the displayed prices and the limits of the search. Never buy, reserve, contact a holder or create an account without explicit authorization.
Present the legal research as a preliminary screening, never as legal validation. Recommend intellectual property counsel before definitive adoption.
8. Sketch the visual territory
Connect the first leads for colors, typographies, shapes and symbols to the retained strategic traits. Gather the client's references or intuitions about logotypes, but do not turn this phase into full logo design.
Avoid arbitrary palettes and moodboards made up of unsourced images. Flag industry clichés and propose a way to use them, subvert them or avoid them.
9. Produce the recommendation
Present one recommended candidate, one or two credible fallbacks, the reasons for the choice, the remaining risks and the next actions. Keep the candidates not selected in the selection funnel to make the decision traceable, without cluttering the final recommendation.
Quality rules
- Clearly distinguish strategy, hypotheses, creation and factual verifications.
- Prefer a few defensible proposals over a long decorative list.
- Check pronunciation, perceived spelling, memorability and connotations in the languages actually concerned.
- Do not confuse the availability of an identifier, the absence of an apparent result and the legal right to use the name.
- Provide a dated status, because domains, prices, social accounts and trademark filings change.
- Respect the client's ideas without forcing them into the shortlist.
Expected output
By default, produce a “Name and Brand Territory Exploration” dossier containing:
- context and brief summary;
- clarified brand foundations;
- criteria and constraints;
- selected naming territories;
- semantic material and generation logic;
- longlist, filters and shortlist;
- availability checks and risks;
- reasoned recommendation;
- initial visual directions;
- next steps.
Adapt the depth to the request. If the client asks only for one phase of the process, provide that phase without claiming that the naming has been definitively validated.