Descriptive naming doesn’t have to be boring
Descriptive names have a reputation for being boring. It’s well earned. Many descriptive names are very boring indeed: Mailboxes Etc., Discount Tire, Lamps Plus, AirTran and The Water Store come to mind. All of these companies use their name to answer the question “What can I buy from you?” In the case of Mailboxes Etc., and Lamps Plus, they realized they might need to expand their product catalog a bit. Shout out Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s important to remember that this is just one way to be descriptive. There are so many ways.
Fiction can be a helpful guide here. Let’s look at two “descriptive” passages from amazing writers:
“The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.”
John Steinbeck in East of Eden
“In the garden the roses had opened like small explosions, their scent lingering in the humid night. The house behind them glowed with soft electric light, but the evening itself belonged to the flowers and the dark.”
Ann Patchett in Bel Canto
Both of these quotes are examples of atmospheric scene setting. They’re describing a physical environment to place a reader in their surroundings but doing it in different ways. Steinbeck is direct and geographical. It feels like he’s placing the reader on a map, moving down the Salinas River towards the ocean. Patchett uses other senses—the scent of roses, the feeling of humidity. She also brings in elements of the built environment, placing us in a garden with soft electric light.
It’s intuitive to understand that writers can be descriptive in myriad ways. The same can apply to descriptive naming. With such limited space to get an idea across, being clear about what and how you’re describing makes the difference between boring and interesting.
First let’s take a look at a few situations where brands play with what they’re describing.
Coca-Cola sub-brands: Diet Coke vs Coke Zero Sugar
Coke has two zero sugar sub-brands. Coke Zero Sugar is supposed to mimic the taste of Coke original while containing zero sugar. Diet Coke also has no sugar but has taken on a life of its own. As a word, “Diet” means different things to different people. It’s kind of a lifestyle signifier at this point. So while Zero Sugar feels descriptive in a literal way, Diet is wrapped up in nostalgia, diet culture, and everything that comes along with that.
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP)
IHOP does a great job of being descriptive in a whimsical way. You almost feel lucky to have a branch of the International House of Pancakes in your little town. “International” is doing a lot of work here. So do the buildings that look like Swiss ski chalets. Compare this to Waffle House. Not a bad name by any stretch of the imagination but IHOP paints way more of a picture with what they’re describing.
Teenage Engineering
This name is descriptive of a mindset that’s pervasive in Teenage Engineering’s projects. They’re applying an advanced electrical engineering skillset to a range of problems that would primarily interest teenage boys. They aren’t describing what they’re making, they’re describing how they’re feeling.
Now let’s look at a couple of situations where companies are naming in a literal, descriptive way, but the how is interesting and unexpected.
Big Ass Fans
What do they make? Big ass fans. So by using a little colorful, colloquial language, Big Ass Fans is very descriptive in an entertaining way that tells us they don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s not what they’re describing, it’s how they’re describing it.
Airbus
The name Airbus sounds like someone explaining an airplane to a kid who’s never seen one before. It’s a big bus that flies through the sky. So they’re still describing an airplane—they’re just doing it in a slightly playful way. Compare this with AirTran, which is essentially the same idea with no imagination.
Meat Without Feet
Meat Without Feet is a fishmonger in the New York area. Their name is descriptive in a way that feels like a riddle until you see the big picture of a fish on the side of their vans. Bonus points for rhyming, which definitely aids in memorability here.
So just because you feel like you need a descriptive name, don’t fall for the obvious traps. Play with the What and How to figure out ways to keep people curious and interested. It’s as true in fiction as it is in naming. There’s an art to being descriptive.
