Question:

I’m a photographer (who also likes to dabble in other forms of fine art and fashion design) and I’m starting to consider how to market my work as a brand. I am trying to decide whether to use my real name to work under, or whether to work under an artistic/business alias. My birth name isn’t that memorable or remarkable so I’m not sure whether it would be a good move to work under a different name.

One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make regarding your business is choosing a name. Opinions vary widely on whether it’s better to use your birth name or to choose something that’s more unique. There is no right or wrong answer; a name choice depends solely on your personal preference and what you feel more comfortable with.

When choosing a business name, consider the following:

1. A successful name should be marketable and represent your personality.

If your name is rather common, it may be better to develop something more memorable. At some point in their lives, most people take on a nickname or alias that differs from the name on their birth certificate. The change could be as simple as coming up with an online persona for a blog or an Ebay account or as broad as legally changing your name and leveraging it as your business. A great example of a legal name change is blogging personality Gala Darling. She also uses her name as the domain for her blog and has been hugely successful in this approach.

Of the name change, she explains:

Of course I am my parents’ daughter, but I don’t have their name — or the name they gave me — to hide behind any more. I am me, I stand up for myself, I have my own convictions & goals & for some reason, shaking off the baggage of my old name really crystallised things for me. It’s definitely one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Not to mention, having a name you adore & are proud of makes you feel fabulous.

In my experience, I’ve always had loads of nicknames so developing the persona of Nubby Twiglet for my design business and art career seemed natural. My reason for not leveraging my legal name as my business was simple: I wanted to create a vision bigger than myself, a brand name that encompassed everything creative that I do. And, why not? David Bowie did it with Ziggy Stardust, Andrew Warhola with Andy Warhol and Brian Warner did so with Marilyn Manson. 

 

*As a sidenote, in many states a sole proprietor is required to use their own name as a business name unless they formally file paperwork for another known as an assumed business name (or “Doing Business As”). This is true in Oregon, so my business license really does say Nubby Twiglet!

2. A business name should be short and easy to spell.

This is important because chances are that it will be transferred to a website (Building a Home on the Web is an excellent resource on this topic), business cards, and promotional materials that the public will come into contact with. If they can’t remember who you are or effortlessly locate your information, they will quickly move on.

3. Make sure your name is available.

It’s a good idea to a do a preliminary search by Googling your proposed business name to see if a similar company is already using it to market services or products closely related to what you want to do. Searching for domains can also be of benefit; chances are that if the one you have in mind has already been reserved, you won’t be able to use it for your business name (Whois.net can tell you who owns a particular domain). 

 

Finally, the United States Patent and Trademark Office allows you to search for trademarks to make sure your name has not been registered.

4. Your name will become more memorable if accompanied by a logo.

When people see your business name, they often have an immediate visual image as well. Something that is simple, timeless and has positive connotations is preferable. More logo advice can be found here.

I’m a bit of a rebel in this aspect because I have multiple logos, but the Mouth with Pill I use on stickers and pinback buttons always gets attention. On my artist press kit materials, I stick to a curvy, more refined Nubby logo that is targeted at a gallery audience.

5. If possible, your name should give an inkling as to what you do.

A good example of this is Lola London Photography. There’s no gray area about what she does! Another example is my brother’s t-shirt company, Blacktooth Clothing.

Your opinion matters most (and rules are meant to be broken)!

In my case, I didn’t follow any particular rules for choosing the Nubby Twiglet brand name, but I’ve also been using it for 8 years. Nubbytwiglet.com works for me because it is comprised of nickname that I often go by in my everyday life. I view it as a far-reaching creative brand that encompasses the realms of art, design and marketing and in effect, my public persona.

In the end, you have to choose a name that you feel good about. If you’re confident about your business, it will show and potential customers will notice. If your chosen name has positive connotations and your personality shines through, the rest will follow.