The only 7 ways to coin a brand name

According to Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., linguist at the University of California at Berkeley, a consultant with Lexicon Branding, and the author of “Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little,” they are:

1. Reapply an existing word or phrase (Apple, Yahoo, Amazon, Greyhound, BlackBerry, Constant Contact, 3 Musketeers, Back to Basics, Flikr, Tumblr, CoolPix).
2. Combine two words (YouTube, WordPress, Juicy Fruit).
3. Blend part of one word with another (Pinterest, Febreeze, Nescafe, Pennzoil, Technorati, Rubbermaid, Travelocity).
4. Add a prefix or a suffix to an existing word (Slurpee, iTunes, Friendster, Q-tips).
5. Create a word from arbitrary syllables (Xerox, Advil, Exxon, LEGO).
6. Make a play on words (Hobby Lobby, Toys ‘R’ Us, Bubble Yum, Head & Shoulders, Lean Cuisine).
7. Invent an acronym (IBM, CBS, Alcoa, Geico).