How to warm up before naming: The Stack
The first in a many-part series
When I used to compete in the sport of strongman, we had a joke that went something like:
“Uhhh…yeah, I warmed up. I walked to the truck before I pulled it.”
Me, circa 2013 (?), running a 300-lb yoke outside on a 28-degree day in February. I did not warm up before this event, or any other. Would you believe I threw my back out this day??? Photo by Seth Miller.
When you love picking up and putting down heavy things, starting with lighter things (or anything else, really) feels like a waste of time.
Until your performance suffers.
Mine did. Many times.
Want to become a better namer?
The full Foundations of Naming self-guided class series is finally here—take one class or the complete series, and boost your naming confidence.
Warmups are important for naming performance, too
Like all meatheads, I make sense of my life in gym terms: sets, reps, programming, progressions.
And like it or not, warmups.
By now, I have pretty strong naming muscles. But nothing is less fun than sitting down, opening a spreadsheet or a stack of post-its, shouting “ALL DAY, BABY!” at my desk, and trying to generate 100 name ideas in one go.
I've grown to love my goofy little creative exercises—they set me up for success. The true value of getting ideas on paper early (I prefer physical media, but digital works, too) is having a deep well to revisit when I inevitably get stuck later.
Here's what we'll cover over the next couple of months (interspersed with silly things when I feel like being silly, because the world is hard):
Solo warmups:
· The Stack
· "Well, Did You Think About...?"
· Word Palettes
· The Hat
Group warmups:
· This or That
· Wrong!
· Steal This Name
· Tell Me a Story
Today, we'll talk about the almighty stack of books: Or, simply, The Stack
I love books. Their smell puts me in the naming mood. Even when they're not directly contributing to a naming project, being around books helps—I’m writing this in a bookstore right now! The spines inspire me.
Whenever possible, I start a project with a stack of relevant books. They offer inspiration or unexpected ideas, and keep me from making obvious choices. My book stacks start neatly in front of me and end up in a semicircle—my little naming fort.
Recent stacks include:
A project focused on exploration, journeys, discovery, and travel—challenging themes that benefited from fresh inspiration. (I hope Alex felt inspired, too, when I piled these books on their desk…)
A supplement brand sourced primarily from animal guts. I have a rule when used-book shopping: always buy the cowboy book. A Frederick Remington book (not pictured; it’s been returned to my neighbor’s coffee table) was particularly helpful.
Naming a home décor and furnishings brand. The brief isn’t finalized, but my preliminary stack means I'm ready once we have the green light.
Naming an app for creators. This hasn't officially kicked off either, but the stack will help us dive right in.
The elements of a great stack?
Variety:
Even within a narrow brief, try not to lock yourself in too tightly to begin with. If you’re naming an energy drink, it’s tempting to stack books on extreme sports and fitness. And you will find stuff there that’s likely to feel “right”. But what happens if you also had a book about the history of rock music in the Netherlands, a book about quantum physics, and a book about ancient military fortifications? Won’t know until you pile ‘em up, but I bet you could find a few gems in each.
Focus:
As in, enough focus to provide you with RICH language on a specific topic. The more specific the better. A primer on how to take care of houseplants is going to provide you with more general language than an orchid owner’s guide to growing and collecting rare varietals. Look for deep-dive glossaries and guides and books authored by someone with either deep domain expertise or a wild perspective on a topic.
Fun:
Warming up should get you excited for the rest of the project. Find books you’ll look forward to looking at. I HATE looking at books with extremely dense blocks of text and small type size. There might be good stuff in there but the experience of wading through them is un-fun. I won’t enjoy it! I’ll be mad at a book!
Do you do The Stack? SEND ME YOUR STACKS!
[I have to confess: I still don’t warm up that much when I lift weights…I mean, I walked to the bench!]
Happy naming!
Caitlin
Want to become a better namer?
The full Foundations of Naming self-guided class series is finally here—take one class or the complete series, and boost your naming confidence.
Download free booklets from the Truth in Branding series on naming and trademarks.
Check out an episode of Big Names in Naming, the podcast where I interview namers about…naming.
All typos are left in to humanize me 🤪