If you’re working on naming something, there are tons of excellent digital resources at your fingertips. But sometimes we find that more uncommon resources yield more interesting names. If you’ve exhausted online resources — or are just exhausted from staring at a screen, try out some of our offline suggestions to crack open creativity.

  1. Go to a store that carries a lot of different brands. Maybe a pharmacy, a hardware store, Target. Walk the aisles. Check out the names of products. See where your brain wanders. 
  2. Talk to a child about the project. Notice the language you use to explain the concept, and the language they use to understand it.
  3. Meet a friend for coffee. Tell them about your project and your naming challenge. Again, notice the language you use to explain the concept, and the language your friend uses back to you as they take it in.
  4. Field trip time — head to the library or a bookstore. You don’t even need to crack open a book, though. Just peruse through titles on the spines. Do any words or ideas jump out at you?

Jill Stanewick is a director of naming & strategy at Tanj.