Season 1: The Age of Independents

Age of Independents: What's in a name? Lisa Light, part 1 of 2

October 17, 2018
Lisa Light is, among other things, the best naming person I've worked with. Today she shares the secrets of what makes a great name.

Lisa Light is an incredible creative thinker, who seems capable of doing anything. She's the author of several books, she writes poety, essays and best brand voice guidelines you've ever seen. This is part But one of Lisa's favorite things to write are the world's shortest stories: company and brand names.

Lisa and I first worked together 20 years ago at the New York brand firm, Siegel & Gale where she was a member of a small, fierce cadre of people whose job it was to develop new names for our clients.

Since then, Lisa has worked on dozens of naming projects for clients big and small. On today's Age of Independents, Lisa shares the secrets of what makes a great name and why the right names make great brands.

Naming is one of those things that feels like it couldn't be that hard, until you try and do it. This show is the first of two conversations with Lisa. This week we'll talk about the characteristics that define a name. Next week, we'll follow up with a how-to-guide for developing your own company or product name.