I just came across The 8 Principals of Product Naming over at Fast Company and got to thinking about brand names in the wedding industry. Yes, the babies I’m referring to are the companies you put your blood, sweat and tears into (not the pooping and crying kind).

The tips range from the obvious (Make it Memorable) to the quixotic (Say it Loud), but there are some real gems in there. Two of my favorites are Stand Out in a Crowd and Expect Its Story to Evolve. 

Stand Out in a Crowd

It may be no surprise to find out that this is one of my favorites. You may not think it obvious, with a name like A Fine Press, but I’m a firm believer in setting yourself pretty far away from the rest of your market. (My name may be a little status quo, but wait till you see the new visual identity I’m working on!) How many photographers do you know named “Your Name Photography?” Or event planners that go by their own name?  There aren’t many ways to say you’re an event designer or a lighting company, so why use your name to say it at all? A few standouts in my mind are The Last Forty Percent (photography), RSBP Events + PR (Her name is Brooke Palmer – get it?), and Sharkpig (Videography – whodathunkit?).

That’s not to say that there’s anything inherently wrong in having a more traditional name; it’s all a matter of the clients you’re trying to attract. If you come to me for a full re-brand, though, expect some pushback on more standard names and some pretty out there suggestions; I really believe in the power of differentiation.

Expect Its Story to Evolve

This one’s incredibly important to me – particularly as I’m watching my own brand evolve. If your name is “So-and-So Wedding Films,” how do you add corporate work to your offerings? or video photo booths? If you’re “Such and Such Letterpress shop,” how do you incorporate design work and consulting?

The article points to Virgin as a perfect example. When Richard Branson started a record shop, he probably had no idea that he’d be lending that name to an airline and mobile carrier. That was four years before the first commercially available cell phone! Things would be a lot different if Branson felt he couldn’t attach the name of a record store to the more than 400 companies he now has a stake in.

 Is it too late?

Of course it isn’t too late. Heck, you don’t even need a full-on re-brand to give your name some new life and a little bit of breathing room. Maybe it’s time to name all of the smaller things you do under the larger umbrella of your company name. Name it all! Your services, your processes, your water bottle, rename your cat!

OK – maybe I went a little to far with that. But the idea is that people will attach a name to something in order to help them categorize and remember it. Be in control of what they call you and use it to your advantage.