Getting maximum impact for your logo design and marketing.
In our line of work, we always come across new businesses, some who have their business name sorted and others who don’t.
It’s not something that should be rushed, but at the same time, shouldn’t be so overcomplicated it stops you moving forward with getting the business off the ground!
Over the years, we’ve found out which business names are the easiest to work with (from a design perspective) and those that aren’t quite so easy…
We’ve put together some tips/hints so that if you’re looking for that perfect business name for your business, this may help you get there quicker!
- You don’t need to include your location in the business name. It’s really not necessary. When you’re searching for a business these days, you use a search engine and, provided your business website has solid SEO for your location, it doesn’t provide any value by having the location in the name. If your SEO is good, your business will come up for any relevant location searches.
- On that note, you also don’t need to put WHAT you do in the business name either. Have a think about all the fun and funky business names out there – do they have what they do in their name? Think Nike, Apple, Frank Green, Outspoken Entourage 😜. With a strong brand and solid marketing in place, people will know exactly who you are and what you do.
- Keep it short and simple. The shorter the name, the easier it is to use! How so? Again, think about big brands – short, catchy and even some with made up words! Short names are easy to remember, easy to design your marketing collateral with, easy to register a succinct domain name with and are more aesthetically pleasing to look at. And YES, we are guilty of a long business name! That’s why we use OE for short and don't have the full name in our logo 😉
- If you can’t avoid a super long business name, consider using an abbreviation or acronym for the purpose of creating a great logo. One example is Clarence Valley Regional Conservatorium which we designed a logo for a couple years back. It was shortened to CVCON. The logo was successful and was awarded a Finalist at the 2021 designers Australia Awards. If required, a tagline can be added with the full version if needed in the branding suite.
- Check domain name registration availability - if you have to use an alternative domain name such as ".net.au" or something else, more often than not, when someone enters your assumed domain name into their web browser, they will need to do a search for your business when it isn't available. It's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but well worth considering (especially if the business which does have the ".com.au" is in the same industry as you.
We hope the above is helpful if you’re starting up a new business and have been throwing around ideas. Most logos which we would consider successful in terms of identification and aesthetic appeal, will usually have a minimal character length in use. Taking a look at some of the most successful businesses in the world will also support this.
