We thought we would share a couple of naming secrets for all of you DIY namers out there:

1. Crossword puzzle dictionaires are great naming resources.  Not only do they tend to list more than just synonyms for a given word, concept or idea, but they usually list the shortest ones first.  Since shorter is usually better when it comes to creating a strong brand name, this ordering helps.  Our favorite is The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Dictionary.  You can buy it on Amazon for about $8.00.  Another one we’ve used for various naming projects but don’t like quite as much is Webster’s Crossword Puzzle Dictionary.
2. Random House’s Word Menu book is another resource to help inspire naming creativity. Instead of starting with a specific word like you typically do when using a crossword puzzle dictionary, you tend to start with a subject area, like Technology or Eating or Foreign Expressions. Once you dive into a subject area, you’ll usually find some colorful words and ideas to use as springboards for creative ideation.  For example, if you flip over to Eating, you’ll find words or phrases like Bolt, Pig Out, Quaff, Scarf and Gorge.  If you are interested, you can buy it on Amazon for about $7.00.

Note that we didn’t list perhaps the most obvious resource tool above … a thesaurus.  While there are some out there that are better than most others, like J Rodale’s Synonym Finder, most contain words that are great for use in high school or college level English writing courses, but that tend to be too verbose or complex for most naming projects.