Your Business Name

Changing the name of the Anaheim Angels baseball team to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim may seem absurd to fans and may not even be allowed by their contract but other issues aside there is an interesting marketing reason behind the proposed change. For most people Los Angeles is certainly a more familiar name than Anaheim. How many people really know that Disneyland is in Anaheim, not Los Angeles? Evidently the name change was thought up in order to attract more advertisers and fans too by connecting itself, at least in name, to the better known LA, the City of Angels.

Being a freelance designer is far different from being a major sports franchise but there are still some lessons that designers can take away from this when naming their own business:

• Don't be limited by geography. While the Angels play in Anaheim, LA is a better known locale. Perhaps they are stretching geography a bit but for your own business, when considering a geographic name, your city, county, or region may be a better choice than your street or neighborhood name. And it provides a certain amount of familiarity and doesn't limit you as much when you move across town.
  
  
• Again, familiarity works for you when choosing a name that describes your business. But remember that it's the customer who should find something familiar and recognizable in your name. A play on common design and graphics terminology such as "Pixels on Paper" may play well with other designers but could leave potential clients wondering "what is it they really do?"

These tips are expanded on in "Name Your Design Business," part of my free Start a Desktop Publishing or Graphic Design Business e-course. Also see these additional Business Names for a Design Business resources.