Sometimes the most painstaking process of starting a new company or creating a product or service is finding the appropriate name. Alas, naming Werklig was no small feat either. We started from initial competitive analysis. Early on it was clear that certain elements and alternatives were to be left out. More literally:

· No 'Helsinki'. This syndrome has blown out of proportion. No differentation value (unless you are Stockholm Helsinki)
· No ‘Design’. Same as above. Although design is right at the core of our existence, the whole concept of design is just too immense. By adding it next your actual name you get no added traction or differentiation.
· No pure nonsense/babytalk name. Too webby to define us. 
· No tagline. There is no need. Some suits look better without ties. 

To maximize the potential naming success we had to define us. Basically, name those attrributes, layers and dimensions that allow us to exist. Then decide from those which are strong enough to be communicated. 

After tough narrowing, it was decided that our name should reflect the following: playful intellect, strength and working spirit.Not too complicated this far. However, we had only created a firm foundation of actual name creation. We needed to start literally dropping proposals. This was the most painstaking part. Pain didn’t solely come from inventing proposals, but more from the choices and routes you had to leave behind.

Number of name proposals were well over hundred. The following were shortlisted at some point: Veeverk, Treehouse, OneShot, Neubau, Revolwerk, Apparat, Werk. Apparently, Werk was haunting us in every NameGen session. But it was too German and too seriuos as it was. It needed some flavor, more action, more play.

Finally, it  really was common effort. Nobody can really point out who came out with the final proposal. Yet there it was. Werklig. We knew it was good when we started to break it down.

It’s not country specific: not German, not Swedish or Finnish. We ran it with French, English, Spanish, Belgium, Swedish, Chinese and German natives. It does not translate into something inappropriate. Also, it has acceptable level of nonsense. It feels and sounds like an actual word.

Most of all, it is evocative and multidimensional. Werk in German translates obviously to work and workshop, but also to ‘creation’ and a ‘piece of work’. Verklig in Swedish translates to true, actual and real. We also felt that ‘Lig’ had that necessary playful factor. Lig = Like? Can you feel it?

Should somebody check if .com is available?