In this episode of Service Design Principles, Guy and Daniele talk about the critical role of naming in service design. Daniele shares a story from his parents’ experience establishing a church in Switzerland, where an initial naming choice led to confusion. A renaming solved the issue and shaped the church’s identity.

The discussion then moves to project naming. Daniele explains how names can set expectations and influence outcomes. He emphasizes the importance of names that convey vision and values, avoiding generic terms that might mislead stakeholders.

Guy adds his perspective, recounting how different group names at a former job—councils, committees, working groups—helped clarify roles and responsibilities. The talk explores the balance between innovative and standard naming, using a tech company’s choice of a new product term as a case study.

Listeners also hear about a well-known entertainment company’s unique naming conventions for visitors and employees, illustrating how thoughtful naming can shape experiences.

The episode concludes with Daniele’s cautionary tale on the importance of easy-to-spell names, highlighting potential issues with misspellings. Tune in to learn more about the strategic significance of naming in service design.

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00:00 Intro 01:11 Give Everything a Name 05:25 A project name can make or break a project 07:39 Councils, Committee, and Working Groups 10:47 Stop Inventing Silly Names for Standard Stuff 19:28 Don’t Assume That I Know How to Spell Your Company Name 23:20 Some History on “Neolux” 25:24 An Apple by any other Name 30:26 Summary 31:19 Outro 31:51 Credits - Thanks to Castopod.com

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Daniele Catalanotto is a service design practitioner, the author of the Service Design Principles series of books, and the founder of the Swiss Innovation Academy

Guy Martin has worked with global companies and startups in a wide range of roles, including service delivery, corporate education, and leadership development.

Music by Mikhail Smusev from Pixabay

Thanks to Castopod, a Podcasting 2.0 and ActivityPub enabled host, for their support.

A production of Neolux Consulting