From Jacci Howard Bear,
Your Guide to Desktop Publishing.
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So, how do you decide on a business name? Get ideas from other businesses like yours. Look in your local phone company's Yellow Pages under Desktop Publishing and Graphic Designers for inspiration. Skim through online directory listings for Desktop Publishers too.

Not feeling very creative? Use this list to help you brainstorm.

Your First Name
Your Last Name
Your Full Name
Your Nickname
Your Initials
Your Neighborhood
Your City
Your State
Your Country
Your Region

Words/phrases that describe some aspect of Desktop Publishing

DTP
Desktop Designs
Publishing
Publications
Desktop Publishing
Designer
Graphic Designs
Design
Designs
Document Design
Words
Write
Graphics
Images
Imaging
Art
Artistry
Draw
Paint
Arrange
Page Design
Type
Typesetting
Letters
Print
Printing
Prepress
Press
Communications
[Add more of your own]

Words/phrases that describe an area you specialize in

Logos
Newsletters
Cards
Web Publishing
Web Design
Electronic Art
Packaging
Books
Ads/Advertising
[Add more of your own]

Words that make you sound bigger or generic business terms

Company
Co.
and (or &) Associates
Business
Services
Center
Group
[Add more of your own]


Words/phrases that describe the tools you use or terms specific to your business

Computer Designs
Digital
Digital Designs
from the Desktop
Mouse
MouseMoves
Click
Point & Click
Drag & Drop
Pixels
Pen
Ink
Scan
CMYK
RGB
Grid
Template
Electronic
Web
Internet
Bits
Bytes
[Add more of your own]

Words/phrases that describe some characteristic you want to emphasize

Personal
Personal Touch
Personalized
Best
Great
Good
A-1
First Class
Tops
Pinnacle
Ultimate
Custom
Customized
Creative
Quality
Speedy
Fast
Elegant
Professional
At Your Service
VIP
Impact
Affordable
for Less
More
Classic
Classics
Innovative
Cutting Edge
Upbeat
Elite
Solution
Solutions
Perfect
[Add more of your own]

Your Assignment
Start mixing, matching, and playing around with various words and phrases. Match your name up with as many words on the list that make sense. Choose one word from 2 or 3 categories and arrange in different ways. Alliteration (Grant's Great Graphics or Perfect Pixels) and creative spelling or "mergers" (ProPress Services or WordWerks) are some ways to come up with a name for your business.

Don't be afraid to get a little silly because the name game should be fun. Those silly combinations might just trigger the right combo if you keep going.

Other ways to generate ideas:

• Get inspiration from clip art. Browse a clip art catalog. The images can sometimes suggest ideas.

• Use your junk mail, ads in magazines (for all kinds of products and services) to come up with fresh ideas.

While these exercises are meant to foster creative design thinking, you can apply the same principals to finding a name for your business.

Don't get too attached to one name. In most areas you'll need to register your business name, even if you are a sole proprietorshop, and you can't have the same or very similar name as another business. Have three or four names in mind when you start the DBA/assumed name registration process.

Still having trouble coming up with the perfect name for your business or trying to choose from a big list of possibilities? Post your potential names and ideas in the forum and we can brainstorm together.

Next Page > Register Your Business

^{Freelance Design > Start a Business > Business Names > Naming Your Design Business}