business names

New businesses, products and services are being created all the time. A professional corporate or brand identity can provide instant credibility. But finding a new name is becoming more difficult for various reasons:

many good names have already been taken
good domain names in particular are hard to find
competition for names has increased because many businesses are now operating internationally

domain names

The issue of domain names is especially difficult. The explosion of domain name registrations over the last few years means that many obvious words or combinations of words have already been registered. You may want the credibility associated with a short, legible and understandable .com domain name. But the only name that is available may be extremely long, incomprehensible and only available as a .co.uk.

who will be interested?

Anyone struggling to find a name for a new business, product or service could be interested in this service. However, it will be of particular interest to those requiring a professional corporate or brand identity such as:

larger businesses
new businesses created following mergers
new businesses spun out from existing companies
new businesses set up with venture capital or private equity backing
businesses operating at least nationally and with international potential
businesses managing major new product or service launches

how do you create a new name?

Interact has a process for generating ideas for names:

consider market position
review competitor names
consider key aspects of the business, product or service
consider what style of name is most appropriate - single word, combination of words, abbreviation, invented word, descriptive, metaphor etc
discuss these issues with the client, amend if necessary
generation of new name ideas through structured brainstorming
check availability
present shortlist to client
discuss and consider client's feedback
if necessary repeat this process

how do you check the name is available?

Availability checks will vary from project to project and will be agreed in advance with the client. Typical checks for a UK company name would include:

check for UK registered company using identical name
check in relevant trade association for company using identical name
check for availability of an identical or similar domain name (.com and/or .co.uk as agreed with the client)
very basic online search of UK trademarks identical to the name in relevant classes agreed with the client N.B. this is not a full trademark search and is completed merely to help expedite the identification of any obvious issues
basic internet search for businesses with an identical name - again, this search cannot be comprehensive but helps to speed up the identification of any obvious conflicts

Please note: Interact cannot accept any liability for trademark or other issues involving any names proposed. Clients are advised to undertake a full trademark search and take appropriate professional advice before adopting any name.

how much does it cost?

As a guideline, a project to create a name for a new UK company is likely to cost in the range £1,000 to £2,000 + VAT.

We typically bill this in two stages, with the client having the option to terminate the project after the first stage if unhappy with the general direction. This provides the client some control over what can be a difficult creative process.

Please bear in mind that the costs of initially creating a strong identity are usually minimal compared with the production and printing costs of the various corporate and marketing materials that will carry the new name. Don't waste all that investment by using a poor name!

beyond a name

A name is just the basis for an identity. We are happy to assist in developing the identity through managing the production of:

logos
letterhead and other stationery
brochures and other printed material
web sites
presentation templates