Tips For Naming Your Graphic Design Business

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Last Updated on October 3, 2020

There are more than 124,000 graphic design businesses in the United States alone. So, it’s no surprise settling on a unique name when starting a graphic design business feels impossible.

Picking the right name gives potential customers an idea about the services your business provides, creates a good first impression, and helps you stand out from the competition.

Are all the creative names for a graphic design business already taken? How do you come up with something fresh? And what about the legalities of using a name?

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If you’re not sure how to answer those questions, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn my top tips for choosing the perfect business name and how to make sure your favorite choices are available across the board.

Let’s dive in!

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Graphic Design Company Name

If you’re struggling to choose a company name for your graphic design business, one of the best things to do is to just start brainstorming. As you go through the tips outlined below, make a list of words, phrases, and terms associated with your business.

From there, you can narrow down the list and cross off ideas you don’t like.

Once you have several top considerations, we’ll walk through how to make sure you’re allowed to use them. This last step helps you narrow down your list even more so you can make a final decision.

1. Consider the Services You Plan to Offer

One way to come up with a brand name for your graphic design business is to consider the services you plan to offer. Maybe you want to focus on print media design, or video production, or corporate branding, or even web design. Perhaps you’re considering offering other specialty services.

Add the different types of services you want to offer to your brainstorming list.

Remember to avoid anything limiting your business’s future growth if you decide to go in another direction down the road.

2. Location-Specific Terms

Some graphic design firms will target a specific geographic service area. So, if that’s true for your business, consider adding a location-specific term to your business name.

You can consider things like:

City nicknames
Neighborhoods
Regions or states
And descriptive terms

However, consider what happens if you expand outside your intended service area. Does the name become limiting? If so, it’s best to avoid it if you plan to expand or change directions later.

3. Avoid Business Names That Are Hard to Pronounce, Hear, or Spell

Despite the technological advances of voice search, assistants like Siri and Alexa struggle to understand slang and other confusing words.

This could limit how often your business shows up in voice (and text-based) search if your name is hard to spell, pronounce, or hear. Because of that, it’s important to avoid complicated words, industry jargon, and using numbers in place of letters. While having a unique graphic design business name is good, being too unique may not be so good.

Simple and short names make it easier for your target market to remember and find your business.

4. Consider Alliterations and Rhyming Words

Alliterations and rhymes are catchy names that can be easy to remember. Because of that, they make for great business names.

That said, it’s not always easy to come up with them. Start with choosing a few of your favorite words from your master brainstorm list.

Then, you can Google “words that start with D” to come up with a name like Dedicated Designers or a G for Got Graphics or whatever letter you’re using to create an alliteration. Alternatively, you can search “words that rhyme with _____”.

It can be time-consuming, but it’s an excellent place to start.

And don’t forget to add any exciting finds to your brainstorm list while you’re at it. Try not to overthink the names you come up with during this stage. Just write them all down as some of the more interesting ones may spark better ideas later.

5. Steer Clear of Initials or Obscure Acronyms

Initials and unusual acronyms are hard to remember, so they typically don’t make great business names. They can also be challenging to pronounce and confusing for voice search as well.

Furthermore, there are 325 different two-letter combination possibilities in the English language. And the odds of your customers remembering the specific letters you chose are pretty small.

6. Imagery Words

Another consideration when brainstorming name ideas is whether there are industry-related words that could also lend themselves to also be used in a logo for your website, business cards, etc. For instance, a graphic design business could use a calligraphy pen or a paintbrush and focus the name around the image.

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7. Still Struggling? Try the Owner’s Name

If you’ve made it this far and are still struggling to find the best name, you can always consider using the business owner’s name or the name of a family member. Doing so can work well if the owner plans to also be the face behind the business.

Something to keep in mind is that using the owner’s name as the business name can make it more challenging to sell the business in the future.

Still Needing Inspiration?

Here is a list of names for graphic design companies that may help give you some creative ideas. While many of these names may be available for you to use, be sure to check first to be sure it can be used.

Tips on how to check business name availability are after the list of names!

1080 Graphics
140 Graphic Design
143 Studio Graphic & Photo
21 Century Design & Graphics
360 Graphix
Accurate Forms & Graphics
Action Graphix
Ad Pro Graphics
Alisa Elliott Designs
Appetite For Graphics
Arrive Design
Art Man Graphic
Artful Intentions Graphics
Artists & Icons
Atlas Designs & Graphics
Atlas Graphics
Atomic Graphics
Bay City Graphics
Bee Mountain Graphics
Big Dog Graphics
Big Image Graphics
Black Line Logo Design Service
Bleu Graphix
Blink Graphics
Blue Monster Graphics
Bluebird Branding
Blueline Graphix
Bombka Graphic Design
Bone Island Graphics
Brand Graphic Solutions
Brass Creative
Bulletproof Prints
Bully Graphics
California Graphic Design Services
Candlelight Graphics
Caprock Spatial Solutions
Captivating Graphics Solutions
Carnival Ink Graphix
Caught Look’n Graphics
Certified Graphics & More
Chelsea Gunn Designs
Cipher Graphics
City Graphics Solutions
Coastal Graphics
Coat To Coast Graphics
Cocoa Graphics
Color Envy Graphics
Comet Creative
Concord Design Agency
Counterpoint Graphics
Creative Color Graphics
Creative Display Graphics
Delight Graphics
Design For Life Intl
Design Studio Graphics
Designer Graphics
Designer Graphics Of Florida
Designs & Wonders
Designs By Emily Jean
Digital Canvas Graphics
Digitize Us
Distinctive Designs Ink
Dragonfly Ct
Dream In Color
Dreamers Guild
Dsign Xperts
E Z Graphics
Easy Media Graphics
Elite Graphix
Endless Graphics
Envy Graphics
Evolution Design Studios
Exhibit Graphic Service
F5 Graphics
Faro Design
Fast Monkey Graphic
Ferre Graphics
Fix Color & More
Flair Graphic Design
Fleet Graphix
Foxtrot Creative Studio
Frontier Design Studios
Full Circle Illustration
Function Graphics
Fusion Graphics
Future Primitive Graphics
Galaxy Graphic Design
Gallery Graphics
Garden Gate Graphics
Garner’s Custom Designs
Gen X Graphics
Get Better Graphics
Getten Dirty Graphics
Givens Studios
Gladiator Graphics
Golden Graphics
Golden State Graphics
Graffix Plus
Grafix Studio
Graphic Agent
Graphic Arts Studio
Graphic Colors
Graphic Creations
Graphic Encounters
Graphic Guys
Graphic Ideas
Graphic Kings
Graphic Side
Graphic Touch
Graphic Works
Graphics By Jason
Graphics For Good
Graphics Masters
Graphics To Ink
Graphics Workspace
Graphique Designs
Green City Graphics
Green Elephant Graphics
Groov’n Graphx
Guiding Light Creations
H & H Graphix
H10 Graphics
Happy Graphics
Hardcore Designs
Harmony By Design
Headline Graphics
High 5 Graphics
Highline Graphix
Hive Design
Humanity Media
Icandy Designz
Ideate Designs
Identity Graphics
Idig Digital
In Motion Graphics
Indesign By Connie
Infinite Designs
Ink Obsession USA
Inktech Graphic
Innova Graphics
Innovative Branding Concepts
Inside Lines
Insight Graphics & Media
Insta-Graphic Designs
Integrated Graphics
Izzy Graphics
Jax Graphix
Jiffy Graphics
Kenyon Graphics
King Graphiks
Kingdom Graphics & Marketing
Krisp Graphics
Kurt At Work
Lake Graphics
Larke Designs
Laughing Brothers Graphics
Left Coast Graphix
Liberty Graphics
Limitless Designs
Logistic Designs
M2 Graphics
Mars Graphix
Mashup Graphics
Michele Wysocki Fine Arts
Mind’s Eye Creative Group
Mindy Gayer Design Co
Mk3 Graphics
Monkey Biz Custom Graphics
Mott Graphics
Mr Graphic Solutions
Neo Media Productions
New England Graphic Solutions
New Visions Graphic Design Studio
Nine Zero Nine Graphics
Nordic Graphic Design
Notorious Grafix
Oh Goody Gotcha Graphics
Old Pueblo Graphics
Olio Studio
Olmy Creations
On Point Graphics
One Hundred Designs
Orange Show Graphics
Original Graphics
P B & J Custom Graphics
Pacific Coast Graphics
Personal Graphics
Phoenix Drowned Design
Photon Graphics
Pixel Wall Graphics
Pop X Graphics
Power Graphics Designs
Prime Print Co
Primo Web Development
Proforma 360 Branding
Protec Graphics
Province Graphics
Quanta Graphics
Radical One Designs
Rebel Graphics
Red Monkey Designs
Rod Cam Graphics
Rush It Graphics
See Saw Creative
Select Graphics
Serenity Designs
Sibling Artists
Siteline Graphic Solutions
Slazyk Graphics
Socal Liquid Graphics
Speedy Digital Graphics
Spire Graphics
Springboard Graphics
Squared Away Graphics
Star City Graphics
Streamline Media
Strong Design Studios
Summit Graphics
Sunshine Graphics
Superior Graphics
Technical Graphics
Think Ink Graphics
Throttle Syndicate
Timeline Creative
Titanic Design
Top Shelf Graphics
Tristar Graphix
Twotone Graphics
Unicorn Graphics Co
USA Graphics
Ventura Graphix
Vertical Design
VIP Productions
Visual Identity
Vision Graphics
West Coast Graphics
West Side Graphics
Wolfe Designs
Z Graphics

Is Your Name Available?

At this point, you should have several top considerations to choose from. And the best way to narrow it down further is to check each one for availability.

This step is vital because using a name that someone else is using could be very costly, time-consuming to rebrand your business, and possibly embarrassing. There are several places to look to check whether a name is available to use, so let’s walk through each one.

Trademark Search

Trademarks are the most critical, so we’ll start here.

If a name or phrase is trademarked, you’re not allowed to use it in a similar capacity. So, run a trademark search for each business name you’re considering and cross off those that aren’t available.

Learn more about

Local Search

Just because there isn’t a federal trademark on a name doesn’t mean the name you want is available. That’s because there is a trademark known as a common law trademark. A common law trademark isn’t filed anywhere, but provides someone who is using that name in commerce some limited rights in their geographical area to use the name. It can be hard to define how far geographically these rights extend as each industry is different, but at a basic level, someone can’t open a business and name it the same or similar name as a competing business in town. If you think the name could potentially create confusion with customers, it is usually best to just find another one to use to avoid potential legal issues down the road.

To do a local search, open up the phone book (if you still have one), and do a Google search to see if there are any local competitors with a similar business name to the one you want to use.

Cross off any similar names from your list and take the rest and let’s keep checking.

State Entity Search (If Applicable)

If you plan to register your graphic design business as a corporation or LLC, you have to register with a unique business name. Each state requires every corporation or LLC to register a unique name for their entity. This doesn’t necessarily protect your name from anyone else using it, but nobody can register a corporation or LLC under the same name in your state.

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If you find the name is in use, cross it off your list and move on.

Domain Name Availability

Website addresses aren’t as critical as the first three searches, but it’s still worth doing to maximize your digital strategy. Typically, you want your domain name to be “yourbusinessname.com” without any numbers, dashes, etc.

It’s easiest for customers to remember, but these are hard to come by.

However, you can explore other configurations and extensions if your preferred domain name isn’t available. Just remember your customers may have a more difficult time finding you online.

You can start with . Type in the domain name you want to use to see if it’s available. The tool also returns other possibilities you may want to consider.

Social Media Profiles

Next, especially if you are stuck between a couple of names, check and see if anyone is already using your potential graphic design business names on social media. Consider which platforms you plan to use and start with those.

Keep in mind you may have to shorten your company name for some platforms. Twitter only allows 15 characters, for example.

Start with your preferred platforms and do a quick search for your name. If nothing pops up, that likely means no one is using it, and you’re good to go.

Example: Someone is using startingyourbusiness on Instagram, so I would have to choose a different handle, making it more difficult for customers to find me.

Vanity Phone Number

An inexpensive way to make your business stick out and is easier for your customers to remember is to get a custom phone number with your business name. These are affordable too, with pricing typically around $10-$25 per month, depending on the level of features you need.

Companies like and let you type in words to quickly see if a local or toll-free number is available.

Hopefully, you now have some good name ideas for your graphic design business. Once you have this list narrowed down to just a few and researched that they are all available, start asking friends, family, and potential customers their thoughts to get feedback and then pick your perfect graphic design business name!