Sticky Ideas: The Origin Story of Post-it Notes

Bang Design

Here’s a thing nobody tells you until it’s too late: Naming your invention is a little like naming your child; with the added pressure of trademark law, domain name squatters, and the unforgiving sarcasm of the internet. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve invented a waterless washing machine or a satellite-guided seed planter. If the name doesn’t stick, sing, or spark curiosity, it dies. Worse, it gets mispronounced in meetings. So how do you name your invention without sounding like a pharma ad, a science fair project, or God forbid, a Silicon Valley pitch deck circa 2012? Let’s begin where most branding advice doesn’t: with a sense of humor and a healthy dose of cultural awareness.

The Mistake of Naming Things for What They Are

There’s a strange human tendency, possibly inherited from our Neanderthal ancestors to name things literally. Fire. Wheel. Rock. This is fine when you’re inventing fire. It’s less fine when you’re inventing a new category. “A name isn’t a label. It’s a narrative shortcut.” Consider the Xerox. Before it was a verb, it was a nonsense word, pulled from “xerography,” a dry printing process. Imagine if they’d named it “The Paper Imager 3000.”
Or take Google. Ridiculous on its face. But also… infinitely flexible, vaguely whimsical, and utterly ownable. Compare that to Excite.com, Infoseek, or AlltheWeb. Where are they now? Exactly. Literal names make sense to engineers. But markets don’t run on logic. They run on resonance.

The Sound of Meaning

Great names don’t convey mere ideas. They sound like the feeling you want people to have. Say “Nike” out loud. It snaps. It lifts. It’s kinetic. Then say “Reebok.” It’s softer, more pliable. Now try “Sketchers” and tell me it doesn’t sound like someone ducking gym class. Phonetics matter.

Hard consonants suggest strength: Kodak, TikTok, Slack.
Soft sounds suggest elegance: Lululemon, Oura, Elvie.
Vowels open things up: Ola, Uber, Moen.

“If your name doesn’t sound good when whispered, shouted, and typed at 3am, it’s not ready.”

Coin, Borrow, Break

There are roughly three kinds of name-making moves:

Coin it – Make something new. Think Spotify, Canva, Airbnb. These are Frankensteins of the alphabet but crafted with intent.
Borrow it – From mythology, history, geography. Think Nike (goddess of victory), Amazon (vastness), Tesla (mad genius). It adds layers, whether your audience gets the reference or not.
Break it – Smash two things together. Groupon. Pinterest. Netflix. Brutally efficient, occasionally awful.

Also, beware the startup vowel massacre: Tumblr. Grindr. Flickr. These once felt edgy. Now, they mostly read as orthographic war crimes.

What Not to Do (Unless You Want to Get Roasted)

Don’t use Latin unless you really know what it means. Bonus points if you avoid accidentally naming your health app after an intestinal parasite.
Don’t overthink acronyms. No one remembers what IBM stands for anymore.
Don’t add “ly,” “ify,” or “io” just to sound techie. If your product’s value depends on a domain suffix, you might have deeper issues.

A Few Clever Case Studies

Let’s indulge in some name-envy:

iPhone – The “i” stood for internet, individual, inform, inspire. But more than that, Apple made the ‘Phone’ feel like a totem of identity. It not only describes what it was, it elevated what it meant. Over time, the name became a category-definer, to the point where every smartphone somehow lives in its shadow.

GoPro – Designed for action, named for aspiration. It’s not just a camera. It’s a call to elevate your weekend hikes into extreme sport cinema. The name GoPro isn’t subtle. But it’s sticky, self-explanatory, and oddly empowering.

Dyson – A surname, yes, but also now a verb in many households. The name feels sleek, scientific, and British in all the best ways. Importantly, it never boxed itself into vacuums; it let the brand expand into hairdryers, fans, and air purifiers with ease.

Coca-Cola – Named for its original ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts, with a bit of alliteration for flair. Dr. John Pemberton may not have known he was creating the most recognizable brand in the world, but he knew how to write it beautifully in Spencerian script. Today, Coke isn’t a mere drink, it’s a symbol, a ritual, a moment.

Pepsi – Born as “Brad’s Drink” before being wisely renamed in reference to “dyspepsia” (indigestion), Pepsi staked its identity as a fizzy, feel-good tonic. The name clicked not because it was medicinal, but because it was snappy, friendly, and easy to chant from the bleachers.

These names went beyond describing a product. They articulated a belief.

Notion – Soft, literary, abstract. Perfect for a productivity tool that promises infinite flexibility.
Impossible Foods – Straight-up challenge to the status quo. Ballsy and declarative.
Bumble – Feminine, warm, and subversive in a space (dating) typically riddled with testosterone. Also, bees are oddly endearing.
Embrace – Designed for a neonatal warmer. The name isn’t clinical. It’s human. It’s exactly what a premature baby needs. (Bonus: Bang Design worked on this.)

Naming for the Long Game

Before you get too attached to that edgy, four-letter word you scribbled on a napkin, ask:

Can people pronounce it in at least five countries?
Does it autocorrect into something obscene?
Is the .com taken by a Swedish DJ from 2004?

Also: will this name still make sense when you evolve your offering? “BookFace” may have worked for a college directory. It wouldn’t survive Facebook’s ambitions.

“The best names don’t trap you in your MVP. They give you room to grow.”

How Bang Design Approaches Naming

We treat naming like what it actually is: early-stage storytelling. A good name stakes a claim. A great name invites people in. It hints at the culture you’re building, the tone you’ll take, the promise you’re making. We look for names that are not only clever, but also usable words that fit in conversation, copy, and code. If your product is ready to meet the world, don’t let the name trip at the starting line. Let’s name it right. Not to simply stand out, but to stand for something.

Book A Call

Book A Call

Services

Product Design

Product Engineering

Services & Digital Design

Advanced 3D Surfacing

Creative Visualization

2D Configurator

3D Configurator

Immersive CX

Product Documentation

Brand Assets

Intelligent Sales

Micro Offshore Design

Managed Production

Agency Partner

Programs

Partner

Corporate Innovation

Launchpad

Small Business

21 day marketing

Design Exchange

Industries

Automobile Vehicle and mobility

Aviation

Agriculture and Construction

Consumer

Food and Beverage

Health And Life Sciences

Industrial and Capital Goods

Manufacturing

Technology

Marine

Space Exploration

Telecommunication