“We want a short, original and memorable name.” A brief like that can produce hundreds of ideas, but it does not say how to choose the right one. Before looking for words, write down whom the name should appeal to, what it should name and which requirements it must meet.
A good naming brief helps with two things: exploring suitable directions and later choosing between candidates. You can give it to a creative professional, use it in your own work or turn it into input for a generator. Below you will find questions and a template to complete.
What a naming brief is, and what it does not need to contain
A naming brief is a working specification for naming a company, brand, product or service. It does not need to run to dozens of pages. For a smaller project, start with a clear document that separates decisions already made, preferences and open questions.
The naming agency Catchword also uses a brief before creative work in its naming guide. The general principle of defining the problem before looking for solutions is also described by the Design Council. The template below is our practical recommendation for preparing a name, not a mandatory standard from either organisation.
A brief does not need every detail of your business plan. Include mainly information that could change the proposals or how you assess them. For example, a plan to enter Poland has a different significance for the name than your choice of invoicing software.
1. Define exactly what you are naming
State whether you need a name for a new business, a separate brand, a product or a service. Add whether the new name must work independently or alongside an existing brand.
For example, naming an entire studio requires room for its range of services. The name of a single course can be more specific. If you assess both briefs in the same way, you might reject a good course name simply because it would not suit the whole company.
The distinctions between these terms are explained in company names, brands, domains and trademarks.
2. Describe the offer and customer specifically
Start with the sentence “We help [whom] with [what].” Leave out general words such as quality, innovation and comprehensive solutions unless something concrete lies behind them.
Instead of “modern services for all entrepreneurs”, write, for example, “we help Czech sole traders and small teams keep their paperwork organised and track administrative deadlines”. The person developing the name then understands the situation the customer is dealing with.
Add who decides to buy and where they will encounter the name. A customer might first hear it from a friend, read it in an advertisement or see it in a supplier list. This information helps you decide what to test later.
If you do not yet know your customers, label the description as an assumption. Do not present a guess about their needs as a finding from interviews that never took place.
3. Explain the benefit and differentiation
Write down why customers should choose this particular offer. Identify the alternative too: they might do the work themselves, hire an employee or use another service.
When exploring names, it helps to distinguish the activity from its benefit. “We sort documents” describes the work. “The customer has a clear overview and fewer worries about deadlines” opens up a different vocabulary. Both can appear in the brief without requiring the word “document” in the name.
Do not invent differentiation just to fill out the brief. If it is not yet clear, mark it as a question to resolve. An exaggerated promise in the name would not fix a problem with the offer.
4. Choose a tone and explain your examples
Choose a few qualities that genuinely matter for the name. Explain what you mean by each. “Human” might mean understandable and natural; someone else might interpret it as humorous wordplay.
Also specify the opposite boundary: you do not want to sound bureaucratic, childish or like a technology platform. Do not ask for the most playful and most formal name at the same time without explaining the priority.
When citing existing brands as inspiration, add the reason. “We like its brevity and easy pronunciation” is a better brief than “make something like this competitor”. A reference describes a quality you want; it is not an instruction to imitate someone else's name.
5. Separate requirements from preferences
Divide constraints into three groups:
- Must meet: for example, usability in Czech and room to offer additional services.
- We prefer: for example, a shorter spelling or a Czech word stem.
- We do not want: for example, a name suggesting an accounting practice if you do not offer accounting.
For length, explain the reason. A strict five-letter limit might eliminate suitable options when your real concern is easy dictation. Similarly, turn “the name must be available” into specific areas to check, markets and domain options. A brief is not evidence of availability.
To choose a language direction, see the comparison of Czech, English and invented names based on customers and intended use.
6. Add future use and the decision process
Write down what is likely to change: the offer, countries served, target customers or team. Distinguish an actual plan from a vague possibility. A name does not have to cover every business you might one day try.
If you are sending the brief to a specialist, add the deadline, budget and expected scope of work. Clarify whether you are requesting proposals only, linguistic checks as well, or coordination of a legal search too. Do not assume every offer includes the same things.
Decide who will make the decision and who will provide feedback. Agree on the criteria before proposals are presented. Also prepare a process for testing names with future customers, so the decision is more than a contest of personal taste.
Before requesting a quote, also review naming costs and how to compare the scope of offers.
A naming brief template to complete
Copy these questions and answer them concretely. Mark unknown information instead of filling it in with guesses.
- What we are naming: company, brand, product or service; relationship to existing names.
- The offer in one sentence: whom we help and with what problem.
- The customer: who chooses and buys, and in what situation.
- Benefit and differentiation: why they choose us and what alternatives they have.
- Tone: desired qualities and what they mean; impressions to avoid.
- Languages and markets: current use and specific expansion plans.
- Requirements: what a candidate must not violate, and why.
- Preferences: what we welcome but would not use as a reason for automatic rejection.
- References: what we like or dislike, and why.
- Use: website, phone, packaging, personal recommendations or other important situations.
- Checks: which areas and territories we need to address, and who is responsible for checking.
- Output and decision: scope of work, deadline, budget, decision-maker and criteria.
Illustrative example: administration for small teams
This illustration builds on the service in our guide to developing a name. It is not an actual commission or a customer research finding.
We are looking for a service brand for Czech sole traders and small teams. We help prepare supporting paperwork, keep documents organised and track administrative deadlines. We want to sound calm, approachable and reliable. We do not offer accounting. The name should not limit the offer to invoices alone. We prefer easy Czech pronunciation; the word does not have to originate in Czech. The name will be used on the website and in spoken recommendations. For finalists, we will test spelling from hearing, associations and fit with the service description. We will handle legal and domain checks separately before final use.
The brief does not prescribe which word must emerge. It defines the space and lets you explain why a proposal fits, or what needs checking.
How to use the brief with a generator
Select the information that the tool lets you enter. The business description should cover the offer, customer, benefit and tone. Keep the longer organisational section about budgets, approvals and deadlines for working with a person.
If the output heads in the wrong direction, correct a specific part of the brief. Instead of “try something better”, add, for example, “we do not want to suggest an accounting service”. Change the brief deliberately and record why, so you do not lose the original criteria.
Specific settings and how to work with further attempts are covered in how to use a company name generator.
With your description ready, you can start generating ideas on OverNazev.cz. Add new insights back into the brief, rather than retroactive rules created only to make your favourite name win.