Name generation robots (algorithms) and crowd naming services promise to deliver an inexpensive solution to what is, frankly, a costly, multifaceted problem. Though “even a broken clock is right twice a day,” nobody who understands the full impact branding and naming exerts on a business would resort to such cut-rate hackery. In theory, they both sound full of potential. In practice, not so much. After scrutinizing the name portfolios of completed projects coming out of these websites, here’s what I concluded. If you’re even the slightest bit tempted to take their bait, please:
1) Take notice of the unnatural (unpronounceable) arrangement of consonants.
2) Notice how domain availability seems to trump storytelling or connectivity.
3) Notice how often silly puns and poor stabs at portmanteaux show up in the output.
4) Notice how many of these companies would also like to sell you an off-the-shelf logo and remember that “off-the-shelf” is about as far away from authentic branding as you can get.