BRAND NAMING FOR COMPANIES AND PRODUCTS

A name is the only part of a brand people say out loud. They recommend it to a friend, type it into Google, ask for it at the shelf. It is also the hardest part to change: a logo can be adjusted, but renaming after launch costs customers, money and time. That is why we treat naming as a strategic decision, not a creative exercise.

What a good name needs:

• it is easy to pronounce and easy to spell, without being explained;
• it stands apart from competitors in its category;
• it has no negative meaning in the languages of the markets where you sell;
• it has an available domain, or an acceptable variant;
• it has a real chance of being registered as a trademark;
• it leaves room to grow and does not tie you to a single product or city.

Types of names. There is no single right way to name a brand. We choose the direction based on positioning:

• descriptive: say directly what the product does; easy to understand, hard to protect;
• evocative: suggest a feeling or a benefit, like Spumos;
• familiar or compound: start from known words and give them a new meaning, like Pizzeta;
• invented: new words, very distinctive and easier to protect, but they need more communication;
• founder names or acronyms: a fit for family businesses or groups, with their own limits.

What you get at the end of the project:

• a brief and positioning: what the name must say, and to whom;
• two rounds of exploration, across several creative directions;
• a shortlist of 3–5 names, each with its rationale;
• linguistic checks in English, Romanian and the languages of your target markets;
• domain and social media handle checks;
• a preliminary trademark search (EUIPO, and national registers where relevant);
• a final recommendation and, optionally, a tagline and visual identity.

The mistakes that cost the most. We see them often, especially when companies name themselves:

• a name chosen because it “sounds good”, never checked as a trademark, then changed after the first legal conflict;
• a name so descriptive that any competitor can use it just as well;
• a name tied to a city or a single product, which becomes a limit as the business grows;
• a play on words only the founders understand;
• a name spelled differently from how it sounds, which people cannot find on Google.

All of them are avoided with a simple process: clear criteria agreed at the start, and checks done before the decision, not after.

More on how strong names are built: The power of naming and Brand naming techniques in 2026.

Names created by BroHouse. Our names do more than sound good. Together with the identity and packaging built around them, they have been recognised at international competitions:

• Pizzeta: an artisanal pizza base. The name starts from the Everyman archetype: familiar, friendly, without reinventing tradition. Silver at both the Pentawards 2026 and the Dieline Awards 2026.
• Spumos: a liquid detergent for families, inspired by Romanian fairy tales. Silver at the Dieline Awards 2026.
• Sordony: a brand name for Romanian fruit brandies, built together with a master packaging for the whole range.
• Barko: a restaurant and food brand. Name, identity and packaging designed as one system.
• Arcalis: an early childhood development centre, from naming to visual identity.
• Pelind (renaming): after 22 years, the name was simplified by dropping the word “Family”, which no longer added anything.

Company name or product name. A company name has to last for decades and fit everything the company will do in the future. A product name has to win attention on the shelf and fit into a range. When we work on a portfolio, we also build the naming architecture: how sub-brands, variants and new lines are named, so the product family stays easy to understand.

Naming for international markets. A name that works in Romanian can fail in English, German or French, and the other way around. We test every shortlisted name in the languages of the markets where it will be used, including slang, pronunciation and meanings that do not show up in a dictionary. We work in English with clients outside Romania, remotely or in Bucharest.

How long it takes. A naming project usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, from brief to final recommendation. Trademark registration comes after and follows its own timeline.

How much naming costs. Prices vary widely, because very different work is sold under the same name. As a general market guide, in Romania in 2026:

• Platforms and freelancers: around €300–1,500. Usually lists of ideas, without checks.
• Naming and branding agencies: around €2,000–6,000. Strategy, a reasoned shortlist and checks.
• International naming or naming for groups, with checks across several countries and languages: from around €8,000.

Trademark registration fees are paid separately. For an accurate estimate, write to us with a few lines about your project.

Why BroHouse. We do not design a name in isolation from the brand. We build it together with the visual identity and the packaging, so everything tells the same story. Projects are led directly by the founders, and the names we created have been awarded on the same stages as international brands. All awards are on our awards page.