📖 Book
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Beginner
Watkins runs a naming firm and gives you an actual framework instead of vibes: her SMILE test (a good name is Suggestive, Meaningful, uses Imagery, has Legs, is Emotional) and her SCRATCH test (the traps to avoid, including a name that is too Restrictive) map directly onto the descriptive-versus-abstract call. It is the most practical single book if you want to sit down and generate and grade candidate names. Read it as a toolkit, not gospel.
Hello, My Name Is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick
From Berrett-Koehler / Penguin Random House by Alexandra Watkins Short book, around 190 pages
- A name being suggestive beats it being literal: it should hint at your idea and leave room to grow, not spell out your current product.
- Restrictive names are a named failure mode, so a too-literal name is a known risk, not a safe default.
- You can generate and score names systematically even if you do not think of yourself as a creative person.
