# naming-and-branding

Walks you through naming a product and building its brand, from strategy to a scored shortlist. Useful early, before the name is locked in.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 449 installs · ★ 1434
- Author: RefoundAI
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/naming-and-branding

## What it does

The skill runs naming as a sequence. Strategy comes first: the Diamond Framework lines up business goals with the one feeling the brand should own. Then generation, a brainstorm of 1,000+ ideas, including sound symbolism — the sounds of letters carry speed, lightness or reliability on their own. Filtering follows, using tools like 7 Criteria for Names with a red/yellow/green score, and visual execution comes last, moving from broad aesthetic direction to technical specs.

It ships with frameworks and artifacts: the Diamond Framework, Lexicon's process steps, the three pillars of naming, a Naming Brief to align stakeholders, and a one-hour brainstorm format. The full list sits in `references/artifacts.md`. The material is drawn from 11 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.

The core stance is suggestion over description. A literal name cages a company inside one category, so the skill warns against chasing instant team consensus — strong names often feel uncomfortable at first. Worth checking whether you're picking a name just because everyone liked it right away.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill naming-and-branding -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/naming-and-branding/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill naming-and-branding -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill naming-and-branding -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills naming-and-branding
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill naming-and-branding -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills --path skills/naming-and-branding
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill naming-and-branding -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- name a product without describing it literally
- align stakeholders on a naming brief before brainstorming
- cut a long name list down with clear criteria
- pick a brand sound that matches the intended feeling
- spot whether the current name blocks new categories

## Example prompts
- Help me name a food delivery service, generate 1000 options and filter them
- Walk me through the Diamond Framework for a new brand
- Draft a Naming Brief before we brainstorm names

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

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BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE a7b41ebcd97f1c9e
```text
---
name: naming-and-branding
description: Help users create memorable, suggestive, and distinctive names and brand identities that facilitate growth and drive long-term defensibility.
---

# Naming and Branding

Build a distinctive identity that acts as a permanent competitive weapon and emotional anchor.

Help the user with naming and branding using insights from 11 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.

## How to Help

1. **Define Strategic Intent** - Use the Diamond Framework to align on the business goals and the specific emotional association the brand should own.
2. **Generate at Scale** - Facilitate high-volume naming brainstorms (1,000+ ideas) using AI and linguistic techniques like sound symbolism.
3. **Evaluate for Distinctiveness** - Filter names based on their ability to stand out and spark imagination rather than literal descriptiveness.
4. **Guide Visual Execution** - Structure the design process to move from high-level aesthetic directions to narrow technical specifications.

## Core Principles

### Prefer Suggestion Over Description
Arielle Jackson: "I personally tend to like those kinds of names that are suggestive or evocative, where when I tell you what the company does, you're like, oh, that makes sense. But it's not that what the name is tells you exactly what the company does."

Effective names should hint at the product value and evoke emotion rather than being a literal description of what the product does.

### Own a Singular Association
Arielle Jackson: "So over time, a word can come to mean something that is beyond what that actual word means. Like Disney means magic today. Volvo means safety. Those names are not good."

A brand is the specific emotional or functional association a customer holds in their mind. Define one core concept, such as magic or safety, to represent the brand.

### Prioritize Distinctiveness as an Asset
David Placek: "Your brand name, nothing's going to be used more often or for longer than that name. Design will change, messaging will change, products will change, but that name is there."

A brand name is a permanent element of identity. A distinctive name provides a long-term advantage by cutting through marketplace noise and inviting curiosity.

### Embrace Initial Internal Tension
David Placek: "Most clients, they come to a naming project absolutely believing with full confidence that they're going to know it when they see it, and the truth is it almost never happens."
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE a7b41ebcd97f1c9e

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First 2486 of 7600 bytes. © RefoundAI · MIT · https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/naming-and-branding/SKILL.md

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