I have run a branding agency for nearly 10 years and worked for the largest advertising agencies in the world for the 20 years before that. After nearly 30 years of working with small startups and Fortune 500s, this much I know for sure - Your company's logo and name don't matter nearly as much as people think they do.

After all, there are very successful companies with awful names; there are countless unsuccessful companies with great names.

Naming products and companies is pretty simple:

• Make it easy to remember.
• Make it easy to spell.
• Make sure it can be trademarked.
• Make sure it suggests why it exists or the experience you want your customers to enjoy.

That's it.

Don't spend too much time thinking about your company's name or logo for that matter. After all, there are very successful companies with awful logos; there are countless unsuccessful companies with great logos.

• Is Nike's logo as incredible as people say it is? Why?
• Is Apple's logo pure genius? Why?
• Starbucks?
• McDonald's?
• Amazon?
• Target?

If we wanted to, we could make the case that none of these logos have amazing design; however, they have somehow come to be recognized as world-changing brilliant. The truth is that the "brilliance" of these famous logos comes from the communication and messaging that consistently surrounds them - not the design itself; their brilliance stems from the fact that each of these logos stand on a thoughtful and defined brand strategy. A great brand strategy sets your organization up for success by ensuring that your organization gets remembered in the right way by the right people. With a remarkable brand strategy, creating a remarkable logo and brand is easy.

Editor note:

If you're interested in talking about your company's brand strategy - including names and logos - schedule 30 minutes with David Kelbaugh, president of Tacklebox Brand Partners. He is happy to offer complimentary office hours and "pick my brain sessions" at the Flagship to members and friends of the Charleston Digital Corridor. dkelbaugh@tacklebox.us.com / calendly.com/dkelbaugh