Brand Scout

A structured, human-in-the-loop workflow for finding the perfect brand name, securing domains, and claiming social media handles.

Before starting, load references/brand-guide.xml — a comprehensive naming playbook covering 16 naming patterns, sound symbolism research, morpheme toolkits, domain strategy, case studies, and a 100-point scoring rubric. Reference it throughout the workflow.

Workflow Overview

Discovery → Brainstorm + Score → Selection → Domain Check → Social Media → Report
    ↑                                |                            |
    └──────── Refine ────────────────┘                            |
                                     └──── Confirm domain ────────┘

Follow steps 1-7 in order. Steps 3-5 may loop until the user is satisfied.

Step 1: Discovery

Ask the user about their project. Gather these essentials:

• •What — Project description (1-2 sentences)
• •Who — Target audience
• •Keywords — 3-5 words that capture the essence
• •Vibe — Professional, playful, technical, minimal, bold?
• •Industry — Sector (tech, fintech, health, consumer, etc.)
• •Constraints — Must-have TLD? Max length? Specific letters to avoid?

Keep discovery concise: 3-5 questions max in one message.

After discovery, identify the target brand attributes (speed, trust, innovation, simplicity, power, friendliness) — these drive sound recipe selection in Step 2.

Step 2: Brainstorm

Generate 15-20 brand name candidates. Apply the naming patterns and linguistic techniques from the brand guide systematically.

Use these naming patterns (see <naming_patterns> in brand-guide.xml for full details):

Apply sound symbolism (see <sound_recipes> in brand-guide.xml):

• •Map the user's desired brand attributes (speed, trust, innovation, etc.) to specific phoneme families
• •Use front vowels (/i/, /e/) for lightness/speed; back vowels (/u/, /o/) for power/warmth
• •Use plosives (p, t, k, b, d, g) for strength; fricatives (f, s, sh) for smoothness
• •Target CVCV or CVC syllable patterns (the most universally pronounceable)
• •Check phonaesthemes: gl- (light/vision), sw- (smooth movement), cr- (power)

Use the morpheme toolkit (see <morpheme_toolkit> in brand-guide.xml):

• •Tech prefixes: Neo-, Hyper-, Omni-, Pro-, Re-, Inter-
• •Popular suffixes: -er (89 startups), -ly (37), -ify, -io, -base, -hub, -flow
• •Latin/Greek roots: nov- (new), lux- (light), ver- (truth), opt- (best), flex- (bend)

Apply blending rules for portmanteaus:

• •Preserve each word's stressed syllable
• •Target 2-3 syllable results
• •Ensure both source words remain recognizable

Present names grouped by pattern with brief rationale for each. Note the trademark strength category (fanciful > arbitrary > suggestive > descriptive) for every candidate.

Step 3: Score Names

Automated Scoring

Run the name scorer on brainstormed candidates:

scripts/score_names.py name1 name2 name3 ...

To check for phonetic conflicts with competitors:

scripts/score_names.py name1 name2 --compare competitor1 competitor2

The scorer evaluates: length, syllable count, pronounceability, and phonetic fingerprint (Metaphone/Soundex). Scores range 0-1 with higher being better.

Qualitative Evaluation

Supplement the automated scores with the 100-point rubric from <scoring_rubric> in brand-guide.xml. Evaluate each top candidate on these weighted criteria:

Scoring tiers: 85-100 exceptional → 70-84 strong → 55-69 viable → below 55 reject.

Mandatory filters (instant fail if not passed):

• •Radio test: Can someone hear it once and type it into a browser?
• •Coffee shop test: If you have to spell it out, the name fails.

Present a combined table: automated scores + qualitative rubric score + trademark category.

Step 4: Selection

Present scored results and ask the user to:

1. •Pick their top 5-8 favorites
2. •Flag any names they want variations of
3. •Indicate preferred TLDs (suggest .com + 1-2 relevant alternatives)

If the user wants more options, loop back to Step 2 with refined direction.

Step 5: Domain Availability Check

Run the domain checker on selections:

scripts/check_domains.py name1 name2 ... --tlds com,io,dev,ai

For definitive results (slower, uses WHOIS):

scripts/check_domains.py name1 name2 ... --whois

Status key:

• •taken — Registered (DNS or WHOIS confirmed)
• •AVAILABLE — Unregistered (WHOIS confirmed)
• •possibly available — DNS negative, not WHOIS-verified (use --whois to confirm)

TLD selection — Apply the decision tree from <domain_strategy> in brand-guide.xml:

1. •Is exact brand.com available? → Take it immediately
2. •AI startup? → .ai preferred, then .com
3. •Dev tools/SaaS? → .io or .dev preferred, then .com
4. •Consumer/mass market? → .com strongly preferred
5. •None available? → Try verb prefixes (get/try/use) or modify the name itself

For additional TLD guidance, see references/tld-guide.xml.

If top choices are taken, suggest domain workarounds from the brand guide:

• •Verb prefixes: get-, try-, use-, hey-, meet-, join-
• •Suffixes: -hq, -app, -labs
• •Domain hacks: notion.so, linear.app, bit.ly
• •Note: Facebook launched as thefacebook.com, Dropbox as getdropbox.com — startups upgrade later

Defensive registration: Recommend securing the brand name across 3-5 key TLDs (.com, .io, .co, .ai, .net) to prevent squatters.

Step 6: Social Media Handle Check

Once the user confirms a domain name, run the handle checker:

scripts/check_handles.py myhandle

Check all supported platforms:

scripts/check_handles.py myhandle --all

Supported platforms: github, twitter, instagram, linkedin, reddit_user, reddit_sub, youtube, tiktok, npm, pypi

If the exact handle is taken, suggest variations and re-check:

• •Add "hq", "app", "official", "get", "use" as prefix/suffix
• •Use underscores or periods where platforms allow

scripts/check_handles.py myhandlehq myhandle_app --platforms github,twitter,instagram

Step 7: Final Report

Generate a comprehensive brand research report. Draw on the case studies and trends from brand-guide.xml to provide informed branding context.

# Brand Scout Report: [chosen name]

## Name Analysis

| Metric | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Pattern | [naming pattern used, e.g., "real-word repurposed"] |
| Trademark category | [fanciful/arbitrary/suggestive/descriptive] |
| Syllables | [count] |
| Pronounceability | [score] |
| Phonetic code | [metaphone] |
| Rubric score | [X/100] |

## Sound Profile

- **Phoneme analysis**: [e.g., "voiceless fricatives + front vowels convey speed"]
- **Syllable pattern**: [e.g., CVC — punchy monosyllable]
- **Sound associations**: [what the name's sounds convey per sound symbolism]

## Domain Availability

| Domain | Status | Action |
|--------|--------|--------|
| name.com | Available | Register immediately |
| name.io | Taken | — |

**Recommended TLD**: [primary recommendation with reasoning]
**Defensive registrations**: [3-5 TLDs to secure]

## Social Media Handles

| Platform | Handle | Status | Alternative |
|----------|--------|--------|-------------|
| GitHub | @name | Available | — |
| Twitter/X | @name | Taken | @namehq |

## Branding Direction

- **Pronunciation guide**: [phonetic spelling if non-obvious]
- **Tagline ideas**: [2-3 suggestions]
- **Visual direction**: [brief color/style notes informed by sound profile]
- **Tone**: [professional, playful, technical]
- **Comparable brands**: [1-2 similar successful names from case studies]

## Next Steps

1. Register domain at [registrar suggestion]
2. Secure social media handles (prioritized by platform importance)
3. Consider professional trademark search ($120K-$750K avg dispute cost)
4. Register defensive domains (.com variant if using alternative TLD)
5. Budget: $50-200 for defensive domain registration

Save the report to a markdown file in the user's working directory.