How to Name Your Art Business
Hi, I’m Molly, and I’ll be your guide through this exciting, vitally important process. To illustrate, I’m going to create a fictional art business of my own, and take it through the naming process.
First things first: Your Mission Statement.
Don’t panic! This isn’t a test or a creative writing assignment. It’s simply a way to zero in on the business you want to create. Write down a one-line, simple and straightforward description of your new art business.
My Mission Statement:
A curated online art platform for original, moderately priced (under $2500) oil and water-color paintings.
Preparation
Write a Brand Brief
If the idea of writing a brand brief strikes terror into your heart - relax. We’ve got your back! It’s important to have a clear idea of your business plan, including your goals for the future, but you don’t need to write a ten-page paper with footnotes and a bibliography. In fact, that’s the last thing you need. What you need are clear and concise answers to a few key questions.
(Tip: Write it all down - both the questions and your answers. This one-page exercise can be laminated and tacked up at your desk or used as your screen saver to help you maintain a clear vision of your art business goals.)
What is your product or service? (When you open your doors/website for business, what are you selling?)
My answer: Online sales of original, moderately priced paintings, both oil and watercolor.
Who is your customer? (Do you have a target customer? What product or service are they going to buy?)
My answer: Customers who love and appreciate original paintings but can’t afford expensive gallery prices
How do you want your brand to affect your customers? (How do you want your customers to feel while visiting your site?)
My answer: Warm, Peaceful, Appreciative.
Where is your business headed? (This is where you let your mind run wild. Go for it! Dream your biggest dream!)
My answer: An international online platform for original artwork of many different mediums and styles.
Value Added: (What can you bring to the market that makes the customer choose you, again and again.)
My answer: Original watercolor and oil paintings at moderate prices.
Descriptive Focus: (How will customers describe your brand/business?)
My answer: Original, Moving, Inspirational.
That’s it! You now have a brand brief that will help you pick the perfect name for your art business, and keep you focused for the years ahead.
Want Personalized Name Ideas for Your Brief?
Analyze Established Brand Names in Your Industry
Your art platform’s name should reflect not only your immediate plans but your dreams and visions for the future. In today’s world, it’s rarely enough to pick a high-traffic location and hang out a shingle and an “Open” sign. Social media is almost essential for success, and it’s important to choose a name that is catchy, creative, and easy to remember.
What about other names in the art business? What names have helped propel your competitors to the forefront of the art world? How did they choose their names? Knowing how their name affects their brand image and loyalty is important because it gives you insight into your industry as a whole.
Every business name in the world has a story. Let’s take a look at some in the world of art.
SOTHEBY’S
The venerable Sotheby’s started as a bookseller owned by Samuel Baker in 1744. Over the course of its first 30 years, it went through three name changes as different partners died and others joined the business. Using your own name can be tempting- it seems simple and straightforward, right? But what if you take on a partner? What if your name changes for whatever reason? Today, with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. it can be complicated to add or subtract names to your brand.
BLICK ART MATERIALS
When Robert Metzenberg purchased BLICK from Grace and Dick Blick in 1948, he opted not to mess around too much with a winning formula, and Dick Blick simply became BLICK. Now over 110 years old, BLICK continues to evolve, but its name assures customers of its dedication to excellent and innovative products and stellar customer service.
JERRY’S ARTARAMA
Jerry Goldstein used his name as well, but the “Artarama” ending sent a message: this was no stuffy, expensive art store. Jerry’s Artarama sold every art supply it was possible to find, but he introduced something new and thrilling - discount prices. Local artists enthusiastically spread the world and today Artarama sells over 70,000 art products online, in catalogs, and in superstores around the world.
SKETCHBOX
Before Spotify, before even iTunes, there was Columbia Record Club. There was the Mystery Book Club and Fingerhut Beauty Club. Every month a package arrived with the record, book, or beauty product selection of the month. Sketchbox saw a niche and struck gold. Budding artists have a choice of basic or premium but either selection makes a promise: monthly art supplies to fuel your fire. Their simple, descriptive name invites and gently entices participation.
CHEAP JOE’S ART STUFF
This is one of the cutest, off-the-cuff naming stories I’ve ever heard. Way back in the 1950s, Joe Miller got a job at Boone Drugs in his senior year of high school. He loved it, and after graduation went to pharmacy school. After that graduation, he went back to Boone Drugs. Joe was happy in his profession but always wanted to try watercolor painting. He tried the drug store art supplies, but the results were disappointing. A friend gifted him with a few art lessons, and the first instruction he got was to get some decent art supplies. He got them, but the $600 price tag was a shock. So was the 100-mile trip he had to take to find them, and a few years later, he decided to sell quality art supplies at affordable prices at Boone Drugs. He found a company that would sell to a drug store, and he put the supplies on the shelf “between Aspirin and the Xylocaine” and made a sign that read “Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff.” The rest is legend, but the homestyle prices and customer service remain the same.
Find Your Brainstorming Group
We’ve laid the groundwork with our Mission Statement & Brand Brief. We’ve taken a look at some of our most successful competitors and how they chose their art business names. We’re almost there… almost ready for the fun and excitement of a brainstorming session to find that perfect name.
Before you brainstorm, you need to assemble your team of experts. It might be tempting to just grab whoever’s nearby, but you probably won’t get the most creative and effective names. Instead, sit down with your address book and carefully search for friends and business associates who will bring energy and expertise to the fun, but take seriously the quest for the perfect name for your art business.
Some people might seem obvious - your neighbor’s wacky but talented sculptor son? Sure. The high school’s art teacher is a good bet too. But don’t limit your core group. Invite the marketing director at your old job. What about your IT daughter? She’ll have a fresh perspective, and that’s what you need. Variety with creativity will give you the best shot at a productive and successful session.
Need More Perspectives?
What if, despite your best efforts, your assembled team has a one-track mind. Maybe you simply don’t have the time to arrange a get-together between a group of people with busy schedules of their own.
There’s a brand new tool to use in your search for the right name for your art platform. Naming contests are essentially a large and committed brainstorming committee. Naming contests have very little downside; The goal is a name you love, but even if nothing is quite right, you’ll have a list of names you can use to suggest and inspire you.
Want to Know More?
Brainstorming
Finally. It’s time. Hand each brainstorming participant a little bell, and tell them to ring it every time they have an idea. Hah! Sounds like a disaster in the making, doesn’t it? A free-for-all that leaves you with a headache and very little else. Brainstorming doesn’t mean chaos. It means providing an environment where focus and creativity can be harnessed.
Constraints can be freeing: Controlled and directed energy frees up the brain for peak performance. A calm environment ensures a respectful and safe place for everyone to share and build on a variety of thoughts and ideas.
A variety of variety- Just as a variety of backgrounds and perspectives contribute to the brainstorming sessions, so too does stylistic variety . This variety, of direction and tone, lays the groundwork for fresh and vital ideas.
Okay, you think… what does that mean? I’m so glad you asked! Here is a broad sampling of different name styles, along with ideas for my fictional business to give you some examples of each.
Note: For my art business, I’ve come up with 3 name ideas for each type, but of course the sky’s the limit!
Descriptive Names
Names that are descriptive give an indication of the product or service a business provides.
My descriptive name ideas:
- Art Medium
- Artworks
- Affordable Art
Invented Names
Invented names are made up. Think Google, Vrbo, and Uber. Invented names are usually short, catchy, and hopefully easy to remember. The right invented name can be the most brandable of all.
My invented name ideas:
- Silvant
- Artza
- Daviva
Experiential Names
Experiential names are drawn from the actual experience of utilizing a product or service. Some famous examples include StumbleUpon and Bumble.
My experiential name ideas:
- Your Decor
- Color Express
- Eye Design
Evocative Names
Evocative names are aspirational names that rely upon color or emotion to appeal to potential customers and give context to a brand. Some famous examples include Red Bull and Honey.
My evocative name ideas:
- Crowning Glory
- Heart Palette
- Timeless
Expression-Based Names
Expression names are based on common expressions in culture and language. These names are fabulous because they are instantly familiar to people and easy to recall (because we already know them).
My expression-based name ideas:
- Picture Perfect
- Oil & Water
- Wallflower
Put All Your Name Ideas in One List
All the name ideas I came up with during the brainstorming stage:
- Art Medium
- Artworks
- Affordable Art
- Silvant
- Artza
- Daviva
- Your Decor
- Color Express
- Eye Design
- Crowning Glory
- Heart Palette
- Timeless
- Picture Perfect
- Oil & Water
- Wallflower
THE CUTTING BOARD
Now that we have a sizable list of name ideas to work with, it is time to start the process of whittling down your list. To do this, we have put together a series of steps. They are intentionally ordered from the most clinical/scientific in nature to the most emotionally involved. Speaking from personal experience, you can get really attached to your name ideas!
Cut the Weakest Links
It’s usually glaringly obvious the first time you analyze your list that some names are simply not right for you. Cut those quickly!
I feel that these names are my weakest links:
- Affordable Art - Awkward & off-putting.
- Wallflower - Negative connotations.
- Eye Design - Sounds like an eye doctor’s office.
Check Against Best Practices
Now that you’ve cut the blatant duds, use naming best practices as a reference to disqualify more names. You don’t have to get granular with this, just ask yourself the questions below. If the answer to more than one question is no, cut the name.
- Is the name simple and memorable?
- Is the name easy to read, pronounce, and spell?
- Is the name different from competitors?
- Does the name convey a relevant meaning?
- Is the name broad enough to grow with my brand?
Name ideas I am cutting:
- Silvant - I don’t like the sound of it.
- Your Decor - Misleading - it could be paint and wallpaper.
- Crowning Glory - Very limiting.
Go Back to Your Brief
By now, you should have a list of quality name ideas. However, just because it is a quality name, doesn’t mean it’s the right name for your business. That’s why you should go back to your brand brief, and ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the name relate to my value proposition, mission statement, tone, or target market?
- Can it also encompass my aspirations?
- Does it feel right for my business?
Names that aren’t a good fit for my brand:
- Heart Palette - Just doesn’t feel right.
- Color Express - I don’t think this can grow with my brand.
Make a Shortlist:
Now that you’ve gone through the challenging process of cutting your list name ideas down, what you are left with are the finalists. You should LOVE all these names.
Here is my shortlist:
- Art Medium
- Artworks
- Artza
- Daviva
- Timeless
- Picture Perfect
- Oil & Water
The excitement is surely growing, but it’s time to do something even harder: narrow it down to one name! Here are the final steps we’ll take to do so:
Check if It’s Available
Once you’ve gotten feedback on your names, it's time to find out if the matching domain of your business name is available. I’ve found the best way to avoid heartbreak is to have several names on my shortlist. This is so that in the event that one or more of your name ideas is taken, you still have a few high-quality backups.
Using a domain name registrar like Godaddy is a quick and painless way of checking name availability. Just type your name into the search box, and they will tell you if the matching .com is available.
These names weren’t available to register in my chosen TLDs (Top Level Domains):
- Artworks
- Artza
- Timeless
- Picture Perfect
I’ve done the work, and now have four viable name ideas that make me even more excited to launch my art brand for teenagers.
My Finalists:
- Art Medium
- Daviva
- Oil & Water
Get Feedback
Take the time to gather more feedback on your art business name finalists. When getting final opinions on a business name, I’ve learned that it’s best to ask either potential clients or people who work in that field - this is your target audience after all. If you can’t find anyone like this, trusted friends and family will do in a pinch. Because of the feedback, I decided to take the following name out of the running:
Art Medium - Everyone thought it was too flat.
Make Your Final Choice:
There are only two names left on my shortlist:
- Daviva
- Oil & Water
If you have made it to this stage, you probably have two or three names left to choose from. But there can only be one in the end! It’s time to choose your business name. Our advice is to go with your gut and choose the one you love.
The name I really love, and the winning name idea for my art brand is:
Daviva
Ack! It didn’t work!
Don’t panic, it’s a process. It’s not unusual to need more input, more ideas, and more time to find the exact name that works for your art business.
Rinse and Repeat
You are not going in circles because you now have a list of art name ideas right in front of you. That list is a great way to find even better ideas, especially since you now have a better idea of what kind of names you like, and probably what kind you don’t like. Use that list to begin again, armed with new and important knowledge.
Start a Naming Contest
Need even more input and inspiration? A Naming Contest can provide you with personalized, custom-made names that fit your requirements.
Get More Name Ideas
More than one favorite? No favorite?
Sometimes the problem is an embarrassment of riches - you like more than one! That’s a nice problem to have most of the time. Maybe you check all the boxes, try and try again, and still, nothing speaks to your soul. Branch out a bit. Ask for feedback from friends, family, or associates not involved in the brainstorming session. You never know - against all odds your eight-year-old nephew might blurt out the perfect name while playing video games.
Still not sure? Put the list away for a day or two, and try to take a break to redirect your creative juices. Take the kids to the beach for a few hours. Take a bouquet of daffodils and a plate of cookies to the sweet old lady in the apartment next door and stay for coffee. Go for a leisurely walk and watch the sunset with your wife. Breathe deeply.
Remember, it’s fine to go back to the drawing board. You will find the right name for your art business, whether it comes from your first or your fifth brainstorming session, your feedback from family and friends, or a custom-made, personalized naming contest from Brand New Name!