Branding 101: What makes a good brand or artist name?

If you think you’ve got a killer brand or alias name, hold it right there. You’ve got to make sure your brand name tells your audience what you’re about and what sets you apart.

🤔 Meaning

First and foremost, your brand name or artist alias has to mean something to you whilst also relating to what you do/your brand does. Audiences are increasingly looking to engage with authentic brands and aliases, so make sure it captures the essence of what you and your brand are about.

A brand or artist name that you can’t relate to, or doesn’t have some kind of connection with your brand, your principles or your ethos is a no-go.

🧩 Uniqueness

Your brand name must be memorable and stand out from your competition. Avoid using bland, meaningless and overused keywords or terms.

We know it’s easy to default to using obvious words in your brand name, for example, if you’re a floral shop naming your shop after a word relating to ‘flower‘ or ‘bouquet.

However, committing a chunk of time to creating new words or discovering terms in different languages can really pay off in the long run; the fruits of your time are likely to be incredibly unique and set you out from the crowd.

👘 Not already taken

You might’ve found your perfect brand or artist name, but if you find that 20 other brands are using the same name then you’re going to struggle in the long run. Using the same name or very similar names as other related brands can be incredibly confusing for your audience and will work against you.

When testing out brand names, it’s also worth finding out if you can use the same username on all of your social platforms. Having the same username for all of your social platforms will keep your branding cohesive and consistent for your fans. It’ll make finding you on social media a lot easier too.

🧗 Accessibility

When we say accessibility, we’re talking about how memorable it is, how easy it is to pronounce and how easy it is to spell.

The more memorable your name is, the more it will be remembered by people. The easier it is to pronounce and spell; the easier it is for your audience to search for you online.

🤩 Visual

Certain brand names and aliases can automatically conjure up certain imagery for your fans, which will help make your brand or alias more memorable (according to science anyway).

As well as helping fans remember your branding, brand names that invoke imagery can also put you a step ahead in your brand’s aesthetic.


There are plenty of tools online that can help you brainstorm ideas and get closer to finding your perfect alias or brand name. We’ve put together a list of our favourite tools and creative brainstorming techniques here.

How did you come up with your brand or artist name? Let us know in the comments 👇

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