naming.lab// applied sound symbolism
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Naming Methodology

The science and practice of naming brands: sound symbolism, processing fluency, and the methodology that turns research into shortlists.

// ESSAY
// Naming Methodology

How to name a brand (without a $100K agency or a random AI)

Most naming guides chase the wrong target. Fifty years of linguistic research says polarizing beats memorable, and the sound a name makes does more work than the meaning. Here's what to do instead.

16 min · 2026.05.11