Lenny's Podcast · Jun 29Naming expert shares process for creating billion-dollar brands: Vercel, Azure, Windsurf, Sonos
Lexicon runs a three-step process of identify, invent and implement, yielding 2,000 to 3,000 raw ideas in 3 to 4 weeks and about 250 real candidates. It expects to hit 4,000 projects this year and typically takes about eight weeks per project.
Tips
- Generate 1,000 to 1,500 name ideas before evaluating any of them▶ 1:02:28Lexicon's own funnel starts with 2,000 to 3,000 ideas at 3 to 4 weeks, which narrows to about 250 potential diamonds.
- Run the four-point diamond exercise before you brainstorm any names▶ 56:06On projects, five people in a room often give five different definitions of winning, and sorting that out opens creative directions.
- Brief creative teams on unrelated products to free them from the real assignment▶ 22:48Most Lexicon names have come from the second or third decoy team.
- Plan roughly eight weeks for a naming project▶ 31:24Lexicon takes about 3 to 4 weeks to reach 2,000 to 3,000 raw ideas, then clears trademarks and runs linguistic checks.
