What techniques do you use to generate a list of potential business names that align with the brand's mission and vision?

Two words: Lateral thinking. 

To elaborate a bit, I'll say this: you have to search and hunt for the unexpected kernels, the opposite of what you think is "right." 

Naming is about digging. You dig, and sift, and mine through the soot until you find and pluck out the occasional gemstones. From there, you can shine a light on each one, analyze its properties, and see which fits with your brand strategy. 

The simplest answer would be: write a detailed prompt and feed it to any AI; it’ll save you time and increase your profits.

No, that’s not the best approach.

Sure, an AI tool can help us generate ideas or, even better, evaluate whether the generated ideas meet the criteria agreed upon during the briefing. But it's not wise to rely entirely on AI for such an important task.

The name of a brand, along with its logo, are the first elements a customer encounters. You understand how crucial they are.

Here’s how I personally approach brand naming:

1. First, I work with the client to identify the type of name we're looking for. For example, should it have a soft or “edgy” sound? Should it be a made-up word or taken from the dictionary? And in which language? Will it be a compound name? Long or short? What images should it evoke?

2. The next step is a massive brainstorming session where we jot down hundreds and hundreds of ideas. Needless to say, most of them will be terrible and unsuitable for our purpose, but among them, we'll either find the idea of the century or identify a trend worth exploring. Take the most interesting words and concepts, use thesauruses, do research online, and find related words. Search Wikipedia, follow the links provided, read up, and study the topic, sector, and market.

3. The next step is to narrow down the candidates to a handful, maybe a dozen or so. These will undergo an initial linguistic check to ensure there are no issues related to the countries where the name will be used. Then, conduct a preliminary legal check: are the names available for registration? Is someone else using them? In which industry? Are they a competitor? Finally, don’t forget to check if the domain name is available.

4. After the verification phase, you should have just a few names left, usually 3-5. Put them together in a nice presentation and show them to your client. Explain how you arrived at each name, highlight the unique characteristics of each one, and let the client decide.

And if none of the options work? Well, you start over! Either by coming up with new ideas or by checking whether the brief was correct. If a revision is needed, don’t hesitate to suggest it