You love a name, a colleague cannot pronounce it, and a customer expects something entirely different. What should guide your choice? We have selected ten useful perspectives from public articles, professional experiences and methods shared by name creators, brand strategists and designers.

The perspectives follow the naming process: the brief and research, meaning and differentiation, practical use, explaining proposals and testing. Use them as questions to work through when choosing your own name.

1. Matez Jindra and Lovebrand: a name should serve the direction of the brand

Matez Jindra of Lovebrand grounds name selection in a brief, intended associations and differentiation from competitors, rather than the founders' personal preferences. If your team gets stuck debating taste, return to what customers should associate with the name. Ask whether the proposal helps create those associations.

2. Jakub Kantor and Pavel Cahlík: assess three different aspects of a name

Jakub Kantor and Pavel Cahlík discuss the strategic, creative and technical aspects of naming: fit with the brand, appearance and sound, and conditions for use. The discussion also covers Kantor's move from Kantor Graphics to Kantor Studio when the original description no longer matched the business. Prepare questions for all three areas rather than letting an attractive sound excuse unresolved checks or a mismatch with your offering.

3. Lenka Paprok: gather material before looking for a name

Naming specialist Lenka Paprok recommends collecting industry vocabulary, associations and inspiration from competitors and offline sources so that you have material to work with. Before looking for the final word, build a useful pool of ideas. Do not discard early suggestions simply because they are not finished yet.

4. Radim Hasalík: the right meaning can matter before creativity

Online marketer Radim Hasalík abandoned an early name using the Czech word for subtenant when naming SlušnýNájemník.cz because it did not describe the intended relationship. This is an example of checking a word's meaning, rather than a universal naming method. If you build a name around an industry term, first establish whether it describes what you actually offer.

5. Adrian Jansa: stand out while remaining understandable

Creative strategist Adrian Jansa describes balancing differentiation with clarity for the audience while working on The Parc. Examine both aspects of your own proposal: does it avoid looking like every other name, and can people beyond your team understand its explanation?

Designer Ondřej Kulíšek points out that difficult pronunciation can accompany spelling problems, and that an unsuitable name should be addressed before designing a logo. He recommends saying the name aloud and considering its use in a domain and visual identity. Have someone unfamiliar with the word read it and write it down rather than assessing clarity entirely on your own.

7. Ondřej Ilinčev: do not tie yourself to today's technology

Ondřej Ilinčev, who works in UX and website optimisation, warns against names that restrict the business and illustrates the issue with his former domain flashguru.cz, tied to Flash technology. Describe a realistic expansion of your own offering. Check whether your favourite name would still make sense in that situation.

8. Roman Káčerek: retain a common foundation when changing a name

Designer Roman Káčerek describes renaming Plazící dítě as Nitle: planned product expansion called for a broader name that still referenced sewing. When considering a change, identify which part of the original story to retain and which part now restricts you.

9. Lukáš Jan Bednařík: a proposal needs an explanation

In his account of renaming Schafferová as ODONTO, copywriter Lukáš Jan Bednařík stresses the importance of explaining proposals: their meaning, the thinking behind them and their use across the brand. Without that context, responses can remain at the level of personal likes and dislikes. Give each finalist a short rationale tied to the brief so that the decision considers its function as well as the first impression.

10. Tomáš Hrivnák: test the actual brief

Tomáš Hrivnák describes dozens of proposals and research with over 200 respondents when developing Dupetky for the Czech and Slovak markets. The name was meant to connect with a flattened snack. Decide what you need to establish before testing; a vote for a favourite word may not evaluate the brief.

Where these perspectives differ

The contributors do not all give the same weight to speed, descriptiveness or personal taste. Ilinčev advocates pragmatic decisions and a “Good enough” approach, while Hrivnák describes research and group discussions for Dupetky. A small service and a brand preparing to enter several markets may need different levels of effort; base the scope on intended use, investment and unresolved questions.

Public advice from a recognised professional is not legal clearance for your proposal. Before using a name, complete your business name, domain and trademark checks.

Explore the decisions in practice through four naming stories from the Czech market.

How to apply the advice to your own shortlist

Take two or three candidates and write down:

  • Brief: how does the name fit your offering, customers and intended tone?
  • Differentiation: how does it differ from names customers already encounter?
  • Use: can people read it, spell it from hearing it and use it after a planned expansion?
  • Explanation: can you justify the choice beyond saying that you like it?
  • Checks: what have you established, and which questions remain unanswered?

If you lack criteria, start by completing your naming brief. Then gather reactions from prospective customers using the guide to testing a business name, rather than holding a vote for the prettiest word.

You can generate more candidates and run preliminary checks on OverNazev.cz. Return to the shortlist with specific notes about what each name meets, what it complicates and what you still need to establish.