How we name things without a 300-word shortlist

Naming rounds go wrong when nobody agrees on what a good name has to do. So we settle that before anyone suggests a single word.

Write the job first

A name has a job: be said out loud, survive a bad phone line, sit next to a mark. We write those down and score against them, and personal taste gets one vote at the end.

Check early, not late

Trademark and domain checks come before the presentation, not after it. Falling in love with a name you can’t own is an expensive afternoon.

Present three

Three names, each in use: on a door, in an email, on a receipt. People judge names better when they can see them doing something.