Anyone who has ever been in a band will know how difficult naming the band can be. It is no different for a new business.

I find naming incredibly difficult. It really isn’t one of my strong points.

Unfortunately though, next Thursday, I have to register myself as a new company name and I’m completely devoid of inspiration. So, I thought I’d hold a competition to find me a good name. Lazy? yes, I suppose. Thing is, I’m totally stacked with finishing off the book and a mountain of client work. Sitting here with a blank piece of paper (after thinking of names) for about an hour now has not been a productive use of my time.

For the past six months, I’ve been trading as Mark Boulton Design. Well, soon, there are going to be more of us and I’m a little nervous about my name being so associated with the business name. It could be a good thing, but it could also be a very bad thing.

What’s in it for us Mark?

An iPod Shuffle for the winner. Can’t say fairer than that.

Some boring rules and criteria

I’m a graphic designer and run a UI and graphic design business. If you’ve been reading my blog, you will know what kind of designer I am and what I’m all about. So, a name like ‘Purple Dog’ may not be appropriate. I’m after something simple and memorable that might, or might not, be related to the service I offer.

  • Sensible names only please.
  • A url. .co.uk or .com would be good.
  • Not an existing company

Pop the names in the comments

Post your suggestions here (along with url suggestions if you fancy).

The competition will close on the 15th February (9am UK time) and a winner will be announced shortly after that.

In the meantime, I’ll be going back to my blank sheet of paper