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N. Names
O. Of
D. Distinction
Every month
River + Wolf
curates a gallery
that pays tribute
to exceptional
brand names
Names of Distinction

To signify assent, approval, agreement by doing this. A sign of affirmation, assent, favorable decision, etc. A nomination or selection such as an Oscar nod.
Collins Dictionary

At River + Wolf, we love great brand names—not only our own, but also those created by marketing execs, company founders, and agency colleagues. To celebrate these magnificent monikers and, more broadly, the art of brand naming, we have created Names of Distinction (NOD), a monthly gallery that features the names of emerging and established products and companies that have launched in the last ten years or so.

In honor of International Women’s Month, this month's gallery is featuring an elegant and edgy, poetic and playful collection of women's co-working spaces. For a little insight into what makes these name shine, have a look at NOD’s March blog.

In tribute to Valentine's Day, this month's gallery is featuring an elegant and edgy, poetic and playful collection of women's, men's, and unisex niche fragrance names. For a little insight into what makes them so sensational, have a look at NOD's February blog.

To brighten the dreariness of January (at least in some parts of the world), our gallery is featuring an elegant and edgy, poetic and playful collection of striking cosmetic shade names plus a few names of companies in the business of making these colorful products. And for a little insight into what makes them so great, have a look at NOD's January blog.

May Wine
April Personal Care
March Co-Working
February Fragrance
January Cosmetics
December
November

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Hera Hub

Hera Hub
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Hera Hub

Since its founding in San Diego, CA in 2011 by Felena Hanson, Hera Hub has to four locations, including Sweden. With its reference to the Greek goddess, the name quickly telegraphs that this space caters to women, and not just any sort of women but one who occupies a powerful place in ancient myth. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

The Hivery

The Hivery
Women’s Coworking Company Name

The Hivery

The Hivery, founded by Grace Kraaijvanger, is a female-fueled co-working space in Mill Valley, CA that is open to everyone. The name immediately telegraphs the idea of community, work, and productivity, but also suggests sweetness—for what is honey if not sweet? Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

One Roof Women

One Roof Women
Women’s Coworking Company Name

One Roof Women

For founder Sheree Rubinstein One Roof is about support, community, and innovation. As a name, One Roof Woman conveys the idea that everything a woman needs to thrive in business is found in one place. Too, given the connection between roof and shelter, the name suggests protection and home. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

The Wing

The Wing
Women’s Coworking Company Name

The Wing

Founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in 2016, The Wing’s mission is the professional, civic, social, and economic advancement of women through community. The name encompasses multiple-meanings, from an added wing of a home or building to the concept of something taking flight. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Make Lemonade

Make Lemonade
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Make Lemonade

Make Lemonade, The Toronto-based co-working space founded by Rachel Kelly expresses the idea that the “struggle is real” when you are following your dream. This fun and fitting phrasal name immediately summons up the idea that a sour situation—such as working in crowded and noisy cafes—can be transformed into something cool and refreshing. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Lipstick Lane

Lipstick Lane
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Lipstick Lane

The two founders of Lipstick Lane—Jeanie and Matthew Hunter—decided to convey femininity through an overtly female references—lipstick. This could have easily backfired, but given the nature of the business, it works as “lipstick” cues to beauty, strength, and an eye for design, all important parts of this co-working space. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Shecosytem

Shecosytem
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Shecosytem

In merging the word “she” and “ecosystem” into a single word, Emily Rose Antflick, the Founder and Chief Community Cultivator of Shecosystem, reflects the idea that individual female founders working in this space are not alone—they are part of a greater whole. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Paper Dolls

Paper dolls
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Paper Dolls

Founded by Jen Mojo in 2015, Paper Dolls opened their first “studio” in Los Angeles. The name plays off the idea of turning blank pages into new businesses and, through the image of interlinked paper dolls, immediately telegraphs the idea that women go farther when they are linked together. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Pastel

Pastel
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Pastel

Founded by the graphic designer Renee Deming, the name of this Plymouth, Michigan co-working space does just what pastel colors do—it evokes an image or feeling that is serene and inviting. Given its founder’s artistic background, the name feels personal too, as it derives from the world of art. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

The Refinery

The Refinery
Women’s Coworking Company Name

The Refinery

Hayley Swindell, a serial entrepreneur and creative, sought to develop a co-working studio that catered to the creative rather than the tech community. The name plays works on two levels, suggesting a place where things are made and where women can go to “refine” themselves and their ideas. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

The Riveter

The Riveter
Women’s Coworking Company Name

The Riveter

The Riveter, co-founded by Kim Peltola and Amy Nelson, is a national female-focused co-working brand that plays off Rosie the Riveter, the infamous symbol of female power and productivity. In this way the name perfectly matches the space’s mission—a place where ambitious, independent folk can claim their seat at the table. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Allbright Collective

Allbright Collective
Women’s Coworking Company Name

Allbright Collective

AllBright co-founders Debbie Wosskow Obe and Anna Jones created a women-only private club wih a name that shines in multiple ways—suggesting a membership and space that is positive, radiant and smart. And it gives a shout out to one very famous woman too. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

Beautiful Mind Series

Beautiful Mind Series
Fragrance Company Name

Beautiful Mind Series
Geza Schoen of Escentric Molecules created the subtle fragrances of the Beautiful Mind Series, a pair of captivating scents created in reaction to the glut of celebrity fragrances. In a pair of “scent” volumes, he celebrates two gifted women—one a Memory Grandmaster and the other, a world-renowned classical ballet dancer. His tribute to their intelligence and creativity is further underscored by the fragrance’s packaging—an imaginative rendering of the brain’s neural pathways. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Fresh Laundry

Fresh Laundry
Fragrance Product Name

Fresh Laundry
Additive free and natural cosmetics and fragrances are all the rage—as well they should be. Given this,it’s not surprising that unfussy fragrance names are now sharing shelf space with their exotic French cousins. Fresh Laundry, by Clean Perfume, is one of these. The name of this company and its individual fragrance names reflect the brand’s interest in creating scents and names that are “reminiscent of something warm and fuzzy”. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Gypsy Water

Gypsy Water
Fragrance Product Name

Gypsy Water
The word eau—French for water—is commonly used in relationship to fragrance concentrations. The Swedish niche brand Byredo, however, uses the word in a wholly different way. In partnering a well-known industry term with the romantically-charged “gypsy”, founder Ben Gorham uses a bit of linguistic alchemy to transform the base metal of a functional word into the gold of a wonderful name moniker Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Commodity

Commodity
Fragrance Company Name

Costume National
There is something refreshing about an indie fragrance brand labelling itself as a “commodity”, a word associated with product or service that sells not on style or quality but price as it is otherwise indistinguishable from similar offerings. The other meaning of the word—something useful that can be turned to commercial advantage—also oozes with irony since the charm of fragrance is its uselessness. But when done well, an ironical brand name can attract and in the case of this cool indie fragrance company, it draws like a super magnet. brand name and/or see product/company here.
Imaginary Authors

Imaginary Authors
Fragrance Company Name

Imaginary Authors
Just as a story can transport us into whole new worlds, so can scent. As a company name, Imaginary Authors suggests that each fragrance is like an author, though none we will ever know or meet. The brand extends the notion of fragrance as story with its individual scent names—in examples, A City on Fire, Sundrunk, and Falling into the Sea. All of these could easily double as intriguing book titles. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
The Architect's Club

The Architect's Club
Fragrance Company Name

The Architect's Club
Carlos Huber, the founder of Arquiste Parfumeur discovered naming inspiration in the renovation of London’s grand Claridge Hotel. Given his architectural passions, this is not surprising. In an interview with The Perfume Magazine, he says, “the research to create a perfume...is as thorough as the research behind the restoration of an old building.” As this moniker proves, mining or even thinking about seemingly unrelated fields, can lead to naming gold. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Phlur

Phlur
Fragrance Company Name

Phlur
Alternative spellings seem can be a lazy way to name. But in some cases, like Phlur, such spellings make for fine wordplay. The phonetic spelling of fleur does double duty: it is the French word for flower, but also plays to the idea of everyone’s skin having a different PH balance. This subtle nod to the link between fragrance and skin PH would have been lost had they spelled the name Flur. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Flashback

Flashback
Fragrance Product Name

Flashback
Founded by French perfume creator Céline Verleure, Olfactive Studio is where perfumers and artistic photographers come together. Like photography, perfume freezes a moment and, like a photographic image, transport us back in time. The name Flashback perfectly captures these concepts as do many of the names in the studio’s portfolio, among them Autoportrait, Still Life, and Close Up. Thematic naming isn’t easy, but Olfactory Studio hits the mark. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Dirty Flower Factory

Dirty Flower Factory
Fragrance Product Name

Dirty Flower Factory
In the past, a name like Dirty Flower Factory would have been anathema. Ditto for Kerosene, the name of the company behind this scent. Back then, fragrance names were much tamer, revolving around grace, charm, seduction, and beauty. Today’s naming specialists don’t face such tight restrictions. And that’s a good thing because breaking from conventions, as this brand does, can lead to surprising linguistic places. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Secret Genius

Secret Genius
Fragrance Product Name

Secret Genius
Genius is usually on display—we marvel at its incarnation in the arts and sciences, in sports and industry. And as genius is often associated with very public personas, the notion of hidden genius—an extreme talent tucked deep within the self—captures the imagination. Pinrose, the company behind this inviting fragrance and name, goes beyond the expected and, as a result, ends up with an evocative moniker. Genius at Work, for example, would be far less intriguing. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Jo Loves Orange Butterflies

Jo Loves Orange Butterflies
Fragrance Product Name

Jo Loves Orange Butterflies
This delightful name proves that names don’t have to be short to be good. It also intrigues because despite being owned by Estee Lauder, it doesn’t feel like a corporate moniker. Instead, it reflects a quirky passion of the brand’s original founder, British perfumer Joanne Lesley Malone. Referencing "orange butterflies", besides being playful and lighthearted, also evokes two of the fragrance’s notes --orange blossom and mandarin. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Paper Passion Perfume

Paper Passion Perfume
Fragrance Product Name

Paper Passion Perfume
The smell of freshly printed books—with their delicious aroma of paper and ink—has caused many a nose to plunge into new pages and deeply inhale. Through the vehicle of artful packaging, rich fragrance, and compelling storytelling, boutique perfumer Geza Schoen and publisher Gerhard Steidle established The Paper Project as a paean to paper and books. Wisely, the creators applied this beautifully alliterative name to the fragrance itself. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Smith & Cult

Smith & Cult
Nail Polish Company Name

Smith & Cult
Smith & Cult is a cosmetics company known for its blend of sophisticated beauty and rocker-like cool. Pairing two words–one simple and classic (Smith), the other dangerous and dark (Cult)–creates memorable dissonance. This dissonance is also found in many of their shade names, to mention a few: Demon Dazed (lipstick); Bitter Buddha (nail polish), and Ghost Edit (nail polish). Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Butter London

Butter London
Nail Polish Company Name

Butter London
We did a little test to see what the word “butter” evoked with 20 people and almost everyone’s list included “smooth,” “creamy,” “thick,” “spreadable,” and “rich.” These are great associations for nail polish. Finding metaphors that convey similar attributes to a large group of people isn’t easy, but Butter London, a nail lacquer brand inspired by the streets of London, did just that. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Scuba

Scuba
Jin Soon Nail Shade

Scuba
This deep teal shade from JinSOON’s summer Flagpole Collection is a wonderful example of a polish shade name that metaphorically maps to a color. As a metaphor, Scuba takes us deep into the sea, which evokes an opaque, blue-green world. Scuba also alludes to water which cues to shine and moisture, two great attributes for nail polish. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Petal Metal

Petal Metal
Highlighter

Petal Metal
Smashbox’s Petal Metal line of gel-powder highlighters weds two seemingly opposite concepts–the bright, reflective shine of metal and a bloom’s ultra-soft touch. This unusual pairing captures the higlighter’s ultra-flattering rose-gold radiance. In addition to the striking use of opposing textures and images, the name creates aural memorability through its use of hard rhyme. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Cloud Paint

Cloud Paint
Cream Blusher

Cloud Paint
Glossier’s name for its gel-cream blush evokes creativity and fantasy–the artistry of painting and the dreamlike, lightweight nature of clouds. The name makes it easy for us to picture the blusher’s hues as clouds naturally conjure up the rose and gold of sunset and dawn. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Photo Finish

Photo Finish
Foundation Primer

Photo Finish
While not exactly a color name, we wanted to include Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer because great color can be improved when applied over primer. Additional layers of meaning are created through pairing “photo” with “finish,” resulting in the term for a race so close, you need to look at a photograph to see who won. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Unapology

Unapology
Lipstick Company

Unapology
This lipstick company moniker takes a page from the #MeToo playbook. Women are done apologizing for being too loud, too strong, too big, or whatever else society has traditionally made them feel bad about. In an interesting twist, this company name also suggests that women need not apologize for wanting to be beautiful, sensual, or glamorous, things commonly associated with lipstick and cosmetics. Bottom line: the name taps into the zeitgeist of our time. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Juniper Water

Juniper Water
Lipstick Shade

Juniper Water
Burt’s Bees is known for its simple, clean products, as well as its direct naming style. While a little more metaphorical than most of their product names, Juniper Water is still right on brand as it themes to the natural world, an important part of the Burt’s Bees narrative. Too, mixing the berry’s dusky bluish purple color with water does double duty: the name covers both hue and hydration. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Dark Fiction

Dark Fiction
Lipstick Shade

Dark Fiction
By borrowing a term for a genre of fiction and media that revolves around the sinister side of human nature, this dramatic deep red shade name transports you to Old Hollywood dramas, replete with private eyes, femme fatales, and shadowy alleys. As such, it suggests danger is lurking just around the corner. And there is nothing like an imaginative dose of menace to add a rush of adrenaline to an otherwise ordinary day. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Scattered Light

Scattered Light
Eyeshadow Shade

Scattered Light
Hourglass’s Scattered Light is a glittering eyeshadow shade name that works on many levels. First, the word “scattered” is a wonderful way to convey diffusion. As a modifier of “light,” it creates a magical scene of bits and specks of light shimmering everywhere. Plus, the dual meaning of light–weightlessness and luminosity–gives the name even more power. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Clay Play

Clay Play
Eye And Cheek Palette

Clay Play
Sephora’s Clay Play features nine neutral-to-smoky shades in a single palette.Not only is the powder infused with clay, but the word cues to the earth’s warm tones. It also transports us back to childhood, an idea reinforced by pairing the word “clay” with “play.” In a subtle way, the name suggests that applying color to our faces is a form of creative play. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.
Moon Beach

Moon Beach
Cream Blusher Stick

Moon Beach
Referencing the moon is an effective way to convey iridescence and glow. And there is no better word than “beach” to usher in images of warm sands and sun-kissed bodies. But in this case, the name did not arise from a namer’s artful juxtaposition of unlikely words, but rather from an existing place–Moon Beach in Ibiza. Read more about this brand name and/or see product/company here.

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How A Perfume Gets its Name
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Review: Five Star Shade Names
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An Abridged History of Red Lipstick
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I Named Your Lipstick
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Out Of Makeup Names
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This is How Nail Polishes Get Their Names
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